Commanders use free agency to add familiarity, leadership
The Washington Commanders had a lot of salary cap space (approximately $90 million) and plenty of holes to fill. With a new general manager and coach, it led the Commanders down a path of rebuilding a roster yet doing so while protecting their future.
Washington signed 20 players in free agency, including four of their own, making it one of the franchise’s busiest periods. The Commanders wanted to be active in free agency but not make what would be considered “splash” signings, multiple team sources said. It was the first foray into free agency for the new power trio of owner Josh Harris, general manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn.
“You could see what the new GM is prioritizing,” said tight end Zach Ertz, one of the new additions. “I think every free agency or every draft, it should be evident what an organizational philosophy is, and I think you’re starting to see that here.”
That was noticeable to outsiders as well.
“I definitely can see their plan,” said former NFL general manager Randy Mueller, who still analyzes the game as part of The Football GM podcast. “They seem to have a vision. Their plan runs deep, and I like that.”
Their signings revealed multiple aspects of what Washington wanted.
Before free agency, Peters laid out his philosophy multiple times — at his initial news conference in January and again at the scouting combine in February.
“You really build through the draft,” Peters told reporters in Indianapolis, “but you always have to supplement in free agency. … But we’ll always remain a draft-and-develop team at our core.”
Washington indeed filled holes in free agency, adding three new starters on offense — center Tyler Biadasz, guard Nick Allegretti and Ertz. Meanwhile, on defense they added seven players who will either start or play a lot — linebackers Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner; safety Jeremy Chinn; corner Michael Davis; and defensive ends Dorance Armstrong, Clelin Ferrell and Dante Fowler Jr.
What the Commanders did not do was saddle themselves with long-term contracts. Only five of their 20 signees got a three-year deal and, if so desired, Washington could cut each one after two years to save cap space. Two players have two-year contracts and 13 signed one-year deals. During this transition they can develop young players while not needing to play all of them immediately.
Washington owns six picks in the top 100 and five in the top 78. The Commanders will draft a quarterback in the first round and still need to find a starting left tackle.
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But, because of their free agent moves, they don’t have to feel pressured to fill a number of holes.
“After [QB] they can be open to [the] best available player,” ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said.
When Peters joined San Francisco as an assistant general manager in 2017, he helped build the team through the draft as well. In the 49ers’ first three seasons under coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, they drafted 27 players. From those first three drafts came such players as tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner, defensive end Nick Bosa, receiver Deebo Samuel and linebacker Dre Greenlaw. That group has combined for seven first-team All-Pro selections and 13 Pro Bowls.
Meanwhile, it’s likely that Washington’s last four drafts will produce only seven starters this season. The franchise has drafted one player since 2000 that made first-team All-Pro while playing in Washington (guard Brandon Scherff in 2020). The team’s last four drafts produced one Pro Bowl season — by defensive end Chase Young in his rookie season of 2020.
With better evaluation, more premium picks and holes filled via free agency, Washington’s new regime can improve upon a poor draft record.
“That was the thing that jumped out to me,” Mueller said. “Adam wants to check as many boxes as he can so he can pick the best available players. They showed their hand what they want to do at [pick No.] 2, but beyond that he can pick the best players that come to him, which is awesome.”
That familiarity also mattered when it came to adding strong leaders. Multiple team sources said they have lacked a strong leader on defense in recent years, particularly in the back seven — and even more so at linebacker. Adding Wagner, known for his leadership skills, fills that void.
“He’s the epitome of a linebacker,” Luvu said. “He does it all, student of the game, how he goes about his ways, the habits, watching film. To have him in the building and work with him is a blessing.”
They’ve added former high draft picks who have taken on various roles as their career developed — from quarterback Marcus Mariota (second overall pick in 2015) to defensive end Clelin Ferrell (fourth overall in 2019). Mariota has played with four other teams and has mostly been a backup the past four seasons. Ferrell is now with his third team and, while not developing into a pass-rusher, has become a solid player against the run. Austin Ekeler turned himself from an undrafted free agent out of Western Colorado in 2017 with the Chargers into a versatile back who comes to Washington with 8,239 all-purpose yards and 69 career touchdowns. Ertz has three Pro Bowls in his career and has won a Super Bowl.
How much the players contribute on the field remains to be seen, but team sources said it’s about Quinn laying a foundation for a new program. The coaches know these players’ approach and how it can filter down. The newcomers understand how they can help. Several of them, including Luvu, said they add “grit and tenacity.” That, too, is what Quinn has told people he likes in his players.
“Just perspective,” Ferrell said. “I just know what it takes.”
When Tennessee drafted Mariota, it had endured five losing seasons in six years and had not won a playoff game in 11 years. Meanwhile, the Commanders, who have the second overall pick, have not finished with a winning season since 2016 (though it won the division in 2020 at 7-9) and have not won a playoff game since the 2005 season.
“When you’re coming in, that expectation for you to be the savior is a lot,” Mariota said.
He has been cut, benched and hurt. He’s not in Washington to be a starter; he’s there to help the staff guide whichever quarterback they draft.
“I’ve dealt with a lot of different things throughout my career,” Mariota said. “All those experiences create value and also create opportunities for me to build relationships with guys. I can build with the top guy on the roster to the very bottom of the roster. That’s important. Sometimes you need guys just like myself to be able to kind of glue guys together and just be an advocate for the guys.”
Or, as Ertz simply said, “My role is to make plays on the field and be a leader off the field and on the field.”
In 2021 the Commanders hoped to re-sign corner Ronald Darby. They failed to do so. Eventually they turned to the third corner on their board: William Jackson III. But they lacked a strong connection to Jackson to know whether he could play the style of defense they wanted. He had been considered a man corner, but the Commanders wanted to implement a match zone concept.
As one team source said later, they were “shopping hungry.”
It didn’t work. Jackson was cut in the middle of the 2022 season, after Washington projected that he wasn’t going to improve in zone coverage.
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Meanwhile, in 2024, the Commanders signed 16 free agents who did not play there last season. All but one had a direct tie to a current coach or key decision-maker. It used to be that free agents would visit with a team before signing, allowing both sides to get to know one another to see if there was a fit. That did not prevent mistakes from happening, but since the NFL went to a legal tampering period in 2012, it has become commonplace for players to agree to deals without ever visiting a facility. Familiarity, then, becomes more important, multiple league sources said.
“A lot of teams are making more mistakes because no one is flying guys in anymore,” one league source said. “They’ve made it such a feeding frenzy.”
Another NFL front office member said, “Familiarity is more important than talent. You know specifically what they can and can’t do.”
While money always plays a factor in decisions on where players go, familiarity helped in Wagner’s decision. Quinn was his coordinator for two years in Seattle; Washington’s linebackers coach, Ken Norton Jr., coached Wagner for parts of seven seasons.
“DQ and Norton were kind of the big things to come and do this,” Wagner said. “DQ does an amazing job of just putting all the players in the right positions and getting the best out of everybody, and then Norton is one of my favorite coaches of all time, so that was enough for me.”
Ertz shared a similar sentiment about new Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, whom he played for in Arizona from 2019-2021.
“I loved playing for Kliff in Arizona,” Ertz said. “He’s one of the best offensive minds I’ve been around. I’m extremely excited to get back in this offense.”
During his introductory news conference in February, Quinn said he wants his team to be “explosive and physical.” It’s the goal of every coach, of course. But he also wanted energy players on defense. And, he said, familiarity helps with how they plan to use players.
“It’s so important for us to find things they can do,” he said, “versus things they can’t do.”
With this group, they already have an idea of both. It was part of the plan.