No real surprises regarding the most popular free agent signings or the Commanders’ biggest draft needs

Survey results!!

In this week’s Reacts survey, we asked Hogs Haven readers to identify their favorite offensive and defensive free agent signings of the 2024 offseason.

DEFENSE

It turns out that the most popular signing from the defensive side of the ball entered the NFL in 2018 as an undrafted free agent with the NY Jets, but over 6 pro seasons has become a highly productive linebacker who is known for incredible energy as he makes plays all over the field.

Frankie Luvu

Here’s what The Athletic had to say about Frankie Luvu ahead of this year’s March free agency period:

[Luvu] is very instinctive and blends explosive pop with speed and athletic ability. He’s often all over the field, running and hitting everything — and ball carriers go down when he hits them. He’s also a really good blitzer with some natural pass-rushing skill, and he’s hitting the market with his stock at its peak.

Per Pro Football Reference, he had his most productive season in 2023 with the Carolina Panthers, as he amassed a career-best 125 tackles. Over the past two seasons, Luvu has tallied 20 QB hits and 12.5 sacks, as the Panthers utilized his pass rushing skills.

Luvu, himself, has been vocal about his intentions in signing with Washington:

“You can put my anywhere and we’re gonna go get it. Wherever they put me, said it since OTAs and training camp, whatever they want me to do, I’m going to learn it and do whatever I can. I’m all in, I’m ready for it, I’m made for this. What can I say, man? This is my calling. And taking that green dot, and having that C on my chest, it comes with high responsibilities and, with that coming, I can take that.”

Mark Bullock summarized his film study of Frankie Luvu this way:

Had Wagner not been signed, it would have been easy to imagine Luvu playing the Mike linebacker role next to Jamin Davis on run downs and being used as a moveable blitzer in pass rushing situations. But with Wagner likely to take over the Mike spot, Luvu could simply shift to the Will position and move Davis to the bench or they could keep Davis on the field and get creative with the position Luvu plays. They could line him up on the edge at times or have him floating around in different spots all with the intent for him to rush a lot more frequently. I don’t think we have all the pieces to this puzzle yet but it’s going to be fun to see what we get from Luvu and the Commanders defense this season.

Bobby Wagner

While Luvu is seen by most observers to be at the peak of his career, Bobby Wagner, assumed by most to have already earned himself a spot in the Hall of Fame, is thought to have passed his peak. But a fading Bobby Wagner is still pretty damned good, and 32% of our respondents picked Wagner as their favorite defensive signing.

Last season, at the age of 33, Wagner collected a career-best 183 tackles, which led all NFL players in 2023.

Mark Bullock ended his film study of Bobby Wagner with these thoughts:

Wagner is still a damn good player and far better than anything the Commanders have had at the Mike linebacker spot in recent years. His leadership qualities will obviously be a huge asset, but his play on the field should be just as important.

For a fan base that recalls a 32-year-old London Fletcher signing with the Redskins in 2007, only to go on to play 7 seasons in the burgundy & gold, the expectations for what Bobby Wagner can bring to the Commanders may be much higher than one would expect for a 12-year veteran linebacker.

OFFENSE

While Luvu and Wagner accounted for 94% of the vote on the defensive side of the ball, the votes were a bit more diffuse with the offensive players.

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The top two players accounted for 86% of the vote, with Tyler Biadasz’s 61% trailing Frankie Luvu’s 62% by the slimmest of margins.

Tyler Biadasz

Biadasz, of course, spent the last 4 seasons in Dallas after being drafted by the Cowboys in the 4th round of the 2020 draft. He was one of the first Dallas players to follow Dan Quinn to Washington this offseason.

Aside from having a name that seems custom-made for an offensive interior lineman, Biadasz has put together a solid resume in his 4-year pro career, and should contribute strongly to Washington’s offensive line in 2024.

Here’s how Mark Bullock summarized his film study of Tyler Biadasz:

Overall, Biadasz is a solid starter that offers good athleticism and scheme flexibility for the center position. He’s young enough that he can still improve and develop into a quality center, but will need to work on a few technical things like keeping his pad level lower out of his stance and improving his ability to handle power rushes one-on-one. But the core aspects of a quality player are there and Biadasz should be a significant upgrade on what the Commanders had at the center position last year. If all goes to plan, then Biadasz has the potential to develop alongside Sam Cosmi at right guard and become a core component of the Commanders offensive line going forward.

Austin Ekeler

The offensive results resemble the defensive results in at least one way; the top vote-getter is a player seen to be at or near his career peak, and each (offense and defense) signed a 3-year contract, while the 2nd-place guy on each side of the ball is a veteran who is perceived to have passed his prime, and each has been signed to just a 1-year deal.

While Austin Ekeler will only be 29 years old in the 2024 season, he is a 7-year veteran running back with 103 games, 63 starts, nearly 1,000 carries and 440 pass receptions.

Bobby Wagner was very open about the fact that he came to Washington because of his past relationship with Dan Quinn, who was Wagner’s defensive coordinator in Seattle before Quinn got his first shot at being a head coach in Atlanta.

Ekeler, for his part, is retuniting with Run Game Coordinator Anthony Lynn, who was the head coach of Ekeler’s Chargers not so very long ago.

Mark Bullock, in his film review of Austin Ekeler, came away very impressed with the team’s decision to bring the veteran running back on board:

When he was first signed, I was concerned that Washington was going to give a significant contract to an aging running back, which is typically not good business and not an efficient way to use cap space. But having since studied Ekeler and his fit in the third down back role in this offense, I think he’s actually a good signing. The contract isn’t at all prohibitive as they have plenty of cap space to make any other move they want to make and they aren’t locked into Ekeler for the long term in the same way that the Eagles, Bears and Titans are with Saquan Barkley, D’Andre Swift and Tony Pollard respectively. That makes this a free shot for Washington. If Ekeler can return to his productive self from before his high ankle sprains last season, then they have a bargain that should fit the system and role well.

Heading into the draft, which position is the most critical roster need aside from QB & OT?

In our final question of the week, we asked about the biggest draft need — after specifically excluding QB and OT, which are clearly the two most glaringly giganticist roster holes at the moment.

Honestly, I had thought before the poll was taken that this one might be close to unanimous, but that just goes to show that I shouldn’t quit my day job to become a fortune teller.

Cornerback
Nearly 6 out of 10 respondents chose the cornerback position, where the top three players on the depth chart appear to be Benjamin St-Juste, Emmanuel Forbes and Michael Davis — which is not a lineup that is likely to strike fear into the hearts of any opposing QBs or offensive coordinators.

Defensive End
Nearly 2 in 10 voted for defensive end, and I can understand why. Washington has used free agency to build depth at the position without really acquiring any ‘star power’. If feels like the signings of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler from the Cowboys, and Clelin Ferrell from the 49ers creates a “solid” group that should be able to hold its own. The group doesn’t seem to have anyone that would be feared as a dominant ‘game wrecker’ who will keep offensive coordinators awake at night with worry.

Tight End
The other position group to get double-digit votes is tight end. With the signing of Zach Ertz, the team added veteran leadership to the group, but of all the ‘older’ vets signed by the Commanders this offseason, Ertz is probably seen as the guy who has the least left in the tank.

Even Mark Bullock found it hard to get excited about what the veteran tight end has to offer:

Overall this signing probably won’t blow anyone away and it certainly shouldn’t mean the Commanders feel their tight end position is set. Ertz isn’t a long-term answer and has dealt with injuries the past few years. He’s only played 17 games over the last two seasons and when he has played he’s not offered much as a run blocker, so it’s clear the Commanders need more than just Zach Ertz at the tight end position this offseason.

The wildcard at this position may be Armani Rogers, who looked promising before he tore his ACL in OTAs about 11 months ago. He is unproven, and there’s no guarantee he will rebound from the injury, but at times, he has looked like the most promising tight end on the team.

John Bates is a solid, workmanlike TE who is a solid blocker and a competent pass catcher. The team invested a 5th round pick in Cole Turner in 2022. He appeared to get into the Ron Rivera doghouse in 2023, when he played only 142 snaps (17%) — 100 fewer than he had played as a rookie. I got the sense that Turner was saved by Ron’s lame duck status, so I’m hoping that he may be in a position, as a 3rd year tight end, to thrive under the new coaching staff.

In any event, the team probably has enough at tight end to get through the ‘24 season. By the time they take care of QB, OT and CB, the options for immediate upgrades at the tight end position may be limited.

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