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The Official 2023 ES Free Agency Thread... available until Free Agency 2024 begins


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1 hour ago, DWinzit said:

I don't think Strom is being forgotten. The question is, did he prove enough that he could be the starter at C or  G? 

His injury cost him such valuable playing time to prove himself

Sounds like a great draft for Centre. If one is BPA, in particular on day 2, you take one and let them compete.

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7 minutes ago, Est.1974 said:

Sounds like a great draft for Centre. If one is BPA, in particular on day 2, you take one and let them compete.

So you go into the draft with not addressing C in FA and only have Strom on the roster. That leaves you almost required to take a C no matter how it plays out

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1 minute ago, DWinzit said:

So you go into the draft with not addressing C in FA and only have Strom on the roster. That leaves you almost required to take a C no matter how it plays out

Well I think if you bring one in during FA then you take it out of the equation in the draft. Not sure I’d do that. Although that could be applied to several positions couldn’t it. 
 

Depends what roster evaluations they pull together, plus their view on the draft. We might box off several positions in FA to narrow down need. Who knows.

 

But if the feeling is that you are likely to get a starting OC on day 2, go for it.

 

I think our picks at #36 and #40 won’t be easily predicted. We should just be going BPA and adding the best talent. 

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49 minutes ago, Est.1974 said:

Well I think if you bring one in during FA then you take it out of the equation in the draft. Not sure I’d do that. Although that could be applied to several positions couldn’t it. 
 

Depends what roster evaluations they pull together, plus their view on the draft. We might box off several positions in FA to narrow down need. Who knows.

 

But if the feeling is that you are likely to get a starting OC on day 2, go for it.

 

I think our picks at #36 and #40 won’t be easily predicted. We should just be going BPA and adding the best talent. 

Starting C and a vocal LB or DB leader are two items I'd like to see addressed prior to the draft. I don't want the team to be shoehorned into being required to draft them. That's the way  this team has drafted over the past number of years and I am sick of that. 

 

The second and third rounds will contain a plethora of starting potential options at most other need positions for this team.  

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1 hour ago, Est.1974 said:

 

You interested in the guy from the Cowboys who’s a FA ?

He is young,shouldn't be expensive and has tons of experience at C. I had hoped we drafted him as he lasted later then I expected him that year. He is okay.

I'd be more inclined to look at Williams and Cushenberry.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love JPJ but....I would be just be more comfortable knowing we had a solid vet C to match with a rookie QB and Strom as  backup C and G. And going the FA route, we would be set there prior to the draft. 

 

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46 minutes ago, Koolblue13 said:

I am so much higher on the top 3 centers in the draft than I am the top 3 FAs.

 

Also, at 36/40 you have a shot at OC 1/2. I'm not about to draft OT10/11. 

 

I'd say there is zero chance of OT being BPA in the second for us.

Think I’m with you on this one, we got a shot at a week one starting OC from the draft to pair with our new incoming QB.

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Anyone see the Prisco list yet?

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/top-100-nfl-free-agents-kirk-cousins-chris-jones-headline-2024-free-agency-list-front-loaded-with-defenders/

 

Weird to see Cousins at the top of the Free Agency list, but as the article suggests, perhaps he is right about position value.

 

The guy I have my eye on is Josh Allen...

 

There is also an accompanying podcast

 

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8 minutes ago, WashingtonRedWolves said:

Salary cap up $30.6 mil. Lets sign some FAs

 

OTC has updated our cap (Cap + Rollover) to $263m. That's $87m in cap space.

 

That gives us $93.5m in cap space once the obvious cutting of Logan Thomas occurs.

Edited by JamesMadisonSkins
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Commanders "cap space" is more realistically at $108.5m.

 

If you lop off everyone on the bottom of the roster (since we do not have 51 players under contract, everyone is counting against our Top 51) ... aka get rid of all the "bodies" who won't make the roster + Logan Thomas ... leaves us with 32 players remaining and $108.5m in cap space.

 

This is important because while we will have 90 ish players under contract only the Top 51 count until cut-down day. So while those guys I cut will be replaced, I like to know "how much we have" to actually spend to fill out the roster, aka those 20-21 roster spots we currently have open.

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We’re in a great position with the cap and team reset. Kind of off topic(ish) I think and very early, but I hope this year we bring in a large amount of undrafted FAs. It seems like we’re typically on the lower end of players signed here. Hoping to see a ton of competition and that the coaching staff gets lucky with a few of those players.

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The cap going up more than expected hurts us more than helps us.  Yes we have more cap space, but so does everyone else.  This will allow teams more of a chance to retain players we were hoping would hit the market, and would also allow them to avoid having to make tough decisions and potentially release players who could help us.  We were already flush with cap space, I wish it didn't go up as much and we could watch some of these other teams be hamstrung.

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20 hours ago, illone said:

Anyone see the Prisco list yet?

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/top-100-nfl-free-agents-kirk-cousins-chris-jones-headline-2024-free-agency-list-front-loaded-with-defenders/

 

Weird to see Cousins at the top of the Free Agency list, but as the article suggests, perhaps he is right about position value.

 

The guy I have my eye on is Josh Allen...

 

There is also an accompanying podcast

 

I think we will look at edge, corner and Oline in free agency. Bit early to be looking at free agent lists because some of the top guys will get extended or tagged before they hit the market. 
 

Brian Burns is a name I’d look at for Edge. Sneed at corner and Onwenu at RT. 

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21 hours ago, illone said:

Anyone see the Prisco list yet?

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/top-100-nfl-free-agents-kirk-cousins-chris-jones-headline-2024-free-agency-list-front-loaded-with-defenders/

 

Weird to see Cousins at the top of the Free Agency list, but as the article suggests, perhaps he is right about position value.

 

The guy I have my eye on is Josh Allen...

 

There is also an accompanying podcast

 

25.  Andre James

26.  Patrick Queen

27.  Chase Young

 

I hope the rest of the NFL overlooks Queen as much as Prisco does.

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1 hour ago, MartinC said:

Brian Burns is a name I’d look at for Edge. Sneed at corner and Onwenu at RT. 

 

At OT, doesn't Jonah Williams make sense for the team?  Can play both sides which gives us flexibility to draft either LT/RT (assuming a worthy prospect is available to us). 

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1 hour ago, KillBill26 said:

The cap going up more than expected hurts us more than helps us.  Yes we have more cap space, but so does everyone else.  This will allow teams more of a chance to retain players we were hoping would hit the market, and would also allow them to avoid having to make tough decisions and potentially release players who could help us.  We were already flush with cap space, I wish it didn't go up as much and we could watch some of these other teams be hamstrung.

Agree, was about to post the same. Bails out the other teams in our division.

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There's one obvious cut I think we're all anticipating and is more or less a no-brainer: Logan Thomas

 

So assuming we cut Thomas, we go into 2024 FA and beyond with:

2024: $93.5m 

2025: $131.1m

2026: $235.2m

 

I think it's safe to assume we'll be rolling over quite a bit of $$ into 2025 as well. And guys like Gates and Wylie become easy 2025 cut candidates to free up even more cap space.

 

Obviously 2025 and 2026 will go way down as we start signing guys this off-season, but I would expect we're in a position to spend over the next several off-seasons if we want to, which becomes beneficial as we are likely to not only have $$ then but benefit from having a QB on a rookie contract.

 

If I had to guess, we'll end up rolling about $20m into 2025. And our long-term deals signed this year + rookie pool of players drops our 2025 projected cap space to $40-50m as most of the big contracts this year likely scale up in 2025. So between rollover + what's left over after our 2024 spree, we'll be looking at going into 2025 with $60-70m at least.

 

The nice thing about cap projections is once the FA cycle is over and our draft class is on the books, we'll have a clear picture about our cap position for the next off-season. Many of us nailed this year's available cap space based on last year's spending.

Edited by JamesMadisonSkins
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2 hours ago, JamesMadisonSkins said:

Commanders "cap space" is more realistically at $108.5m.

 

If you lop off everyone on the bottom of the roster (since we do not have 51 players under contract, everyone is counting against our Top 51) ... aka get rid of all the "bodies" who won't make the roster + Logan Thomas ... leaves us with 32 players remaining and $108.5m in cap space.

It is more realistically $74m which is noted on OTC as the effective cap with 51 players under contract.

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https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/the-commanders-are-recalibrating-their-3-item-checklist-begins-with-a-new-qb

 

The Commanders are recalibrating. Their 3-item checklist begins with a new QB

 

 

So where does that recalibration start? Here's a look at the three biggest issues facing the Washington Commanders as the offseason begins:

1. Choose a quarterback for the future (and present)

In the first half of last season, it sure looked like the Commanders had struck gold in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft with quarterback Sam Howell. By the end of the season, he looked more like slightly tarnished silver. There's value, but clearly a lot to clean up first.

 

If it weren't for the regime change, Howell might have a bright future with the franchise. But with a new brain trust taking over and holding the No. 2 overall pick in a quarterback-rich draft, it's hard to believe they won't start over with their own elite prospect. The only question is which one they'll take. People around the NFL believe new Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury loves USC's Caleb Williams, but they might have to trade up to get him — and if the Bears are amenable to that, they'd reportedly set an enormous asking price.

 

The Commanders would surely be happy with North Carolina's Drake Maye, too, and maybe even LSU's Jayden Daniels. But it's a really strong bet that a new quarterback is coming, whoever he is. They'd be wise, then, to re-sign veteran Jacoby Brissett as veteran insurance and to be the rookie's mentor.

 

What about Howell? Multiple NFL sources believe several teams would be interested in trading for the 23-year-old who threw for 3,946 yards and 21 touchdowns in 17 starts last season (albeit with an NFL-worst 21 interceptions). They could potentially get a third-round pick for him — maybe more — if they decide they're willing to deal him sometime around the draft.

 

A team like the New York Jets, who know they'll need a quarterback of the future when their experiment with 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers ends, would be wise to make a call.

 

2. Completely rebuild the offensive line

If there's one big lesson Quinn should take with him from his time in Dallas, it's this: Spend money and assets on the offensive line. Without a strong line, nothing else works on offense. And if he needs proof, just look at the Commanders' 2023 season when their quarterbacks were sacked 9.3 percent of the times they dropped back to pass — 65 times in all.

 

That's even more important if the Commanders do go with a rookie quarterback. Next season will be about learning and developing, but he can't do that if he's running for his life on every play the way Howell seemed to be last season.

 

And they need help at every position along the line. Of the current group, maybe Sam Cosmi (a second-rounder in 2021) is a keeper — maybe. But they should use a bunch of their cap room to bring in young veterans everywhere else. The free-agent tackle crop isn't great, but they could find a lot of interior help with players like center Connor Williams or guards Kevin Dotson and Robert Hunt. If they sign a couple of interior linemen, they could back that up by taking a tackle or two in the second and third rounds of the draft.

 

If they don't do that, it won't matter what else they do. Kingsbury's offense simply won't work if the quarterback is constantly under duress. And they run the risk of stunting the growth of their new franchise quarterback.

 

3. Replace what they lost on defense

When Quinn was asked about the personnel he inherited in Washington, the first thing he mentioned was "the inside of the defense." That's not surprising given that he's a defensive coach and the Commanders' defensive tackle duo of Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen is one of the league's best.

 

But it wasn't that long ago that Washington had, arguably, one of the NFL's best defensive lines — not just defensive tackles. Of course, they traded edge rushers Montez Sweat and Chase Young near last year's deadline and they had no one on the roster to replace them. They could also lose promising young safety Kam Curl in free agency. Their best corner — Kendall Fuller — is about to be one of the best corners on the free agent market, too.

 

The Commanders just don't have the depth to replace two edge rushers and the two best members of their secondary, so they're going to have to look outside for help. They probably should try to re-sign the 24-year-old Curl, though he might cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $13-15 million per year. Regardless, though, once they're done spending on offensive linemen, they need to extend a little for an edge rusher and a corner.

 

The corner market isn't great beyond Jaylon Johnson, L'Jarius Sneed and Fuller, but there might be a few relative bargains in the second week. One good idea would be for Quinn to try to lure veteran Stephon Gilmore from Dallas to anchor a young secondary and be a mentor to 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes.

 

The same is mostly true for the edge rusher market after Josh Allen, Brian Burns and Danielle Hunter, though bidding big on the 25-year-old Burns could have a huge, immediate impact on Quinn's defense. He's exactly the kind of player the Commanders should invest in — young, talented and transformational for his new team.

 

Free agency has never offered teams a quick fix, and the Commanders shouldn't try for one. But for a "recalibrating" team it can help jump-start the process if they spend smart.

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