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***OFFICIAL*** Washington Commanders Thread (1 Viewer)

With so many FAs, probably a new QB, probably a new LT, and all new coaches ... there's gonna be 25% roster turnover. Quinn has his work cut out for him. It's no small task to get so many new guys heading in the same direction.
 
With so many FAs, probably a new QB, probably a new LT, and all new coaches ... there's gonna be 25% roster turnover. Quinn has his work cut out for him. It's no small task to get so many new guys heading in the same direction.
Lot of quality vets though. Smart roster building. Some competition for Jamin Davis at LB with Luvu might light a fire. Secondary looks dangerous with the additions to St-Juste & Curl. Even brought in a solid pass rusher.

So far they’ve made sharp moves. Agree it’ll be challenging, but not like they brought in a bunch of knuckleheads.
 
With so many FAs, probably a new QB, probably a new LT, and all new coaches ... there's gonna be 25% roster turnover. Quinn has his work cut out for him. It's no small task to get so many new guys heading in the same direction.
I'm pretty sure it'll be closer to 40% than 25% roster turnover. They end up with what, 53 guys on the roster? 20 new guys would not surprise me. They're not done in free agency and then there's the draft.
 
There were questions as to whether Washington might try to re-sign safety Kamren Curl this offseason, and those seem to have been put to bed with the 1-year deal just struck with former Panther Jeremy Chinn.

During his first two seasons in Carolina, Chinn was a monster, finishing second to Chase Young in the Defensive Rookie of the Year standings in 2020. Over the past two seasons, his production has dropped off, with some suggesting he was misused by Panthers’ DC Ejiro Evero as a safety, as opposed to more of a buffalo nickel role.
https://www.hogshaven.com/2024/3/12...y-safety-jeremy-chinn-signed-to-a-1-year-deal

I don't like letting Curl go. But damn, the front office really seems to know what they want in this offseason. And "what they want" seems pretty related to "what builds the team" for the first time in over 20 years.
 
As of now:

Free Agents Signed

Arizona Cardinals TE Zach Ertz - 1 year, up to $5 million

Dallas Cowboys DE Dorance Armstrong - 3 years, up to $45 million

Dallas Cowboys C Tyler Biadasz - 3 years, up to $30 million

Carolina Panthers LB Frankie Luvu - 3 years, up to $36 million

Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler - 2 years, up to $11.43 million

Jacksonville Jaguars K Brandon McManus - 1 year, $3.6 million

Kansas City Chiefs G Nick Allegretti - 3 year, $16 million

San Francisco 49ers DE Clelin Ferrell - 1 year deal

Philadelphia Eagles QB Marcus Mariota - 1 year, up to $10 million

Dallas Cowboys DE Dante Fowler Jr - signed

Baltimore Ravens LS Tyler Ott- 3-year deal

Carolina Panthers S Jeremy Chinn - 1 year, upt $5.1 million

https://www.hogshaven.com/2024/3/12...ington-commanders-free-agency-rumors-and-news
 
Losses and rumors:

The Titans are expected to sign Saahdiq Charles to a 1-year with max value of $2.5M, per sources.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 13, 2024
Washington Commanders Free Agency: QB Jacoby Brissett is signing with the New England Patriots#HTTChttps://t.co/eW810LiGQM
— COMMANDERS FOOTBALL (@HogsHaven) March 12, 2024
Washington Commanders Free Agency: RB Antonio Gibson is signing with the New England Patriots#HTTChttps://t.co/n35ARfli5L
— COMMANDERS FOOTBALL (@HogsHaven) March 11, 2024
 
If we put on our thinking caps, which of the highly-touted Rookie prospects does Mariota's game and skill set most closely identify with?
Happy New (NFL) Year, fellas!

As we begin Day 3 of the Unofficial Tampering Period, and impact signings begin to taper off, we begin to turn our focus back to the 2024 NFL Draft, I will re-ask this question to the group accompanied by @Brunell4MVP 's post from upthread...

Not a fan of the Mariotta signing. What’s the point? I’m not a believer of the vet in the qb room to help a youngster. The only way this makes sense to me is if they plan to start Howell next season or wait until round 2 for a qb, then have all 3 of those in the room to fight it out for the job. But I’m an idiot so there’s that.

For whatever reason, I strongly believe the Mariota signing is a tell that they're drafting Daniels over Maye if they hold the 1.02 Pick.

I have a different opinion about how to build a QB room, and until he signed with the Patriots, I was really hoping we were going to retain Brissett, (who I believe is one of the best, if not the best backup QB in the League), to continue as a guide and mentor in the room, and if they were to go QB, to either draft Maye at 1.02, or trade back for McCarthy or another of the 'traditional mold' (dropback pocket passer) QB's, vs one of the more 'modern mold' (dual-threat) QB's, and continue developing Howell.

Part of my optimal QB room build includes a veteran backup who mirrors the playing style of the QB you're trying to develop. Mariota is more Daniels than Maye.

I have full faith in Adam Peters, and I'm going to assume he knows he has a minimal-investment, high-return commodity in Howell (5th Round cost, live game experience, with flashes of competence, rookie contract), who's value could potentially increase, and will not move him this Season unless he gets an outstanding offer. Howell has some legit dual-threat to his game, that we saw in college, but hasn't been overly emphasized in the NFL.

I also think that no matter what the Team is doing in Free Agency (and I'm almost giddy about it, thus far), they still have a lot of work to do on the Roster, and that the 2024 Season is going to be a springboard for long-term, consistent success. This Team is nowhere near ready, IMHO, to put a rookie QB, no matter the pedigree of draft cost, under center, taking game-speed snaps, until more of the foundation is laid and set. If we invest in a Rookie QB in the upcoming Draft, I want him on the sideline holding a clipboard until everything is in place to set him up to succeed or fail on his own merits, and not fail due to extenuating circumstances.

Does anyone else think the willingness to let Brissett walk, for roughly the same amount of $ as they gave Mariota, is a tell about how they're going to manage the QB position moving forward?
 
With so many FAs, probably a new QB, probably a new LT, and all new coaches ... there's gonna be 25% roster turnover. Quinn has his work cut out for him. It's no small task to get so many new guys heading in the same direction.
I'm pretty sure it'll be closer to 40% than 25% roster turnover. They end up with what, 53 guys on the roster? 20 new guys would not surprise me. They're not done in free agency and then there's the draft.
Have they signed even one of their own free agents yet? I don't think they have...
 
There were questions as to whether Washington might try to re-sign safety Kamren Curl this offseason, and those seem to have been put to bed with the 1-year deal just struck with former Panther Jeremy Chinn.

During his first two seasons in Carolina, Chinn was a monster, finishing second to Chase Young in the Defensive Rookie of the Year standings in 2020. Over the past two seasons, his production has dropped off, with some suggesting he was misused by Panthers’ DC Ejiro Evero as a safety, as opposed to more of a buffalo nickel role.
https://www.hogshaven.com/2024/3/12...y-safety-jeremy-chinn-signed-to-a-1-year-deal

I don't like letting Curl go. But damn, the front office really seems to know what they want in this offseason. And "what they want" seems pretty related to "what builds the team" for the first time in over 20 years.
Like it or not like it, there is definitely a very deliberate approach being taken...getting ascending 26-28 year old guys on reasonable deals. Unlike Rivera, feels like a consistent plan. That doesn't mean it'll work, but I do like the sense that Peters is not just making random moves.
 
For whatever reason, I strongly believe the Mariota signing is a tell that they're drafting Daniels over Maye if they hold the 1.02 Pick.

I had the exact same thought. Maye can run a little bit as well but he's obviously not in Daniels' league. Mariota is in the same mold as Daniels but I'm not sure I want him running the offense while Daniels holds a clipboard for a year. It would be good for Daniels to sit for awhile but for some reason I envision Howell having more success on the field if we're giving Daniels a redshirt year. I wonder if it's possible that they keep all three QBs?
 
#Commanders additions so far…

RB Austin Ekeler (2yr, $11.43M)
LB Bobby Wagner (1yr, $8.5M)
LB Frankie Luvu (3yr, $31M)
C Tyler Biadasz (3yr, $29.25M)
TE Zach Ertz (1yr, $5M)
DL Dorance Armstrong (3yr, $33M)
DL Dante Fowler Jr. (TBD)
DL Clelin Ferrell (1yr, $3.75M)
G Nick Allegretti (3yr, $16M)
S Jeremy Chinn (1yr, $5.1M)
QB Marcus Mariota (1yr, $6M)
K Brandon McManus (1yr, $3.6M)
LS Tyler Ott (3yr, $4.4M)

https://twitter.com/NFL_Stats/status/1768064688636514676
 
#Commanders additions so far…

RB Austin Ekeler (2yr, $11.43M)
LB Bobby Wagner (1yr, $8.5M)
LB Frankie Luvu (3yr, $31M)
C Tyler Biadasz (3yr, $29.25M)
TE Zach Ertz (1yr, $5M)
DL Dorance Armstrong (3yr, $33M)
DL Dante Fowler Jr. (TBD)
DL Clelin Ferrell (1yr, $3.75M)
G Nick Allegretti (3yr, $16M)
S Jeremy Chinn (1yr, $5.1M)
QB Marcus Mariota (1yr, $6M)
K Brandon McManus (1yr, $3.6M)
LS Tyler Ott (3yr, $4.4M)

https://twitter.com/NFL_Stats/status/1768064688636514676
A good list. It feels like Peters is filling out the roster with acceptable talent so that we won't he forced into making draft picks for need but can go BPA more frequently. With that said, there are two positions that I am still curious about: Offensive Tackle and Cornerback.

Offensive Tackle -- deep draft, I know, and I suspect we'll take one with one of our second round picks. That said, it wouldn't seem ideal to start two rookie tackles on opening day, right? Feels like we should sign someone in FA to play right tackle and draft left tackle early? You can still draft more lineman in the draft; I'm just saying do you really want to start two rookie tackles with a rookie QB? Meanwhile, I know Wylie is still on the roster but I was hoping they would replace him at tackle and move him inside to guard, where he may actually be quite legitimate for us. There are a few guys out there -- you could try to get Tyron Smith on 1 year deal as a bridge player or sign someone like Trent Brown (NE) or Bechton (Jets I think...). What do you all think about this?

Cornerback -- I know we have a few guys: St. Juice, Forbes, Castro-Fields, etc., but it feels sort of tenuous to me. I wish we would re-sign Kendal Fuller. I suppose we could also look to the draft.

Honorable mention - TE: one nice thing about filling the roster and being able to go BPA would be the prospect of leaping on a great TE prospect in rounds 2 or 3 if a good one was available. I feel like our TE room is filled with potential -- Rogers or Turner could still turn out to be quite a weapon. Bates and Ertz are solid. But this position is so valuable for those teams who do have a difference maker...

Thoughts?
 
#Commanders additions so far…

RB Austin Ekeler (2yr, $11.43M)
LB Bobby Wagner (1yr, $8.5M)
LB Frankie Luvu (3yr, $31M)
C Tyler Biadasz (3yr, $29.25M)
TE Zach Ertz (1yr, $5M)
DL Dorance Armstrong (3yr, $33M)
DL Dante Fowler Jr. (TBD)
DL Clelin Ferrell (1yr, $3.75M)
G Nick Allegretti (3yr, $16M)
S Jeremy Chinn (1yr, $5.1M)
QB Marcus Mariota (1yr, $6M)
K Brandon McManus (1yr, $3.6M)
LS Tyler Ott (3yr, $4.4M)

https://twitter.com/NFL_Stats/status/1768064688636514676
A good list. It feels like Peters is filling out the roster with acceptable talent so that we won't he forced into making draft picks for need but can go BPA more frequently. With that said, there are two positions that I am still curious about: Offensive Tackle and Cornerback.

Offensive Tackle -- deep draft, I know, and I suspect we'll take one with one of our second round picks. That said, it wouldn't seem ideal to start two rookie tackles on opening day, right? Feels like we should sign someone in FA to play right tackle and draft left tackle early? You can still draft more lineman in the draft; I'm just saying do you really want to start two rookie tackles with a rookie QB? Meanwhile, I know Wylie is still on the roster but I was hoping they would replace him at tackle and move him inside to guard, where he may actually be quite legitimate for us. There are a few guys out there -- you could try to get Tyron Smith on 1 year deal as a bridge player or sign someone like Trent Brown (NE) or Bechton (Jets I think...). What do you all think about this?

Cornerback -- I know we have a few guys: St. Juice, Forbes, Castro-Fields, etc., but it feels sort of tenuous to me. I wish we would re-sign Kendal Fuller. I suppose we could also look to the draft.

Honorable mention - TE: one nice thing about filling the roster and being able to go BPA would be the prospect of leaping on a great TE prospect in rounds 2 or 3 if a good one was available. I feel like our TE room is filled with potential -- Rogers or Turner could still turn out to be quite a weapon. Bates and Ertz are solid. But this position is so valuable for those teams who do have a difference maker...

Thoughts?

Add WR to this mix and I think you just nailed the positions we are most likely to select in rounds 2 and 3.

Keim said last night tackle is still expected to be addressed in free agency. I’m sure they’d love to find a good one in the draft, but 36 and 40 seem to be below where the top tiers of rookie tackles are expected to go. Maybe they trade up for one, but their actions don’t really indicate to me they want to trade up. I hope we take one but am confident they won’t reach, so if we do take one it’s because they actually really like the player.

CB, WR- deep draft for both, expect we will see a couple early picks spent as it seems to be an intersection of premium position, best available talent, and need. I think they will follow their board and doing so could have us double dipping with two of picks 36, 40, 67.

TE- again, seems to be the non-Bowers top prospects align with our picks in rounds 2-4. Just depends on how they rate those particular players. Feel like this is a slightly lower priority due to position premium but it’s for sure on the list.

We’re not going to know anything until after they do it haha. This group is air tight on leaks. Keim and Standig give some vague clues but that’s about it. Personally I think they don’t do any trading up and might actually trade back from 36 and/or 40. Just depends on how the draft unfolds relative to their board. One thing I’m confident of is they won’t panic. The plan will be meticulously crafted with many variations.

We are in excellent hands with this group. There won’t be any head scratchers. We can just sit back, enjoy watching them work, and welcome in a bunch of exciting young talent that will be the building blocks for the resurrecting of this franchise. Don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for a draft. Can’t wait.
 
Just got to say Washingtons plan feels a lot like the Texans plan last year. Sign a bunch of vets to mostly one year deals to fill out the roster/compete, keep future commitments low, flexibility high, and draft a QB at 2. Got to hope for something close to similar success.
 
Trading Howell. Count me as totally surprised and perplexed. Some kind of pick swap that essentially moves two of our picks up 25 spots or so. The radio is talking about it being a good value. I guess if the goal was to ship him out of DC it's fine. I'd rather have him here as a backup. The long story short is the brain trust didn't think much of Sam.
 
I hate this trade. I truly believe in a short amount of time, Howell will be a starter in the NFL, and a very good one. NO ONE would have succeeded last year with that offensive line and horrific OC. I feel like the 'Hawks all but stole him when you look at the trade. I hope he beats out Geno sooner than later.

And clearly we are taking a QB now, and I seriously doubt we are moving down. Hope they pick right!
 
I will say this, 6 out of the top 100 picks is pretty sweet. You'd think we could easily trade up if a player falls that we covet in round 1, 2, or 3. But I still hate losing Sam.
 
To me it smacks of gathering assets to trade up for Caleb Williams. But who knows. I have no idea but am willing to trust Peters. He at least is making quick decisions to rebuild this mess.

ETA ..... In another thread someone said the value of the pick swaps was the 95th pick in the draft.
 
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The Howell trade marks the first time I've been disappointed in a WAS free agency maneuver this offseason - I guess that's a win considering years past. I hope they don't trade the farm for Caleb Williams. If we're going to make a move, I'd rather trade down.
 
Re: Sam Howell Trade -- to me, I look at this both emotionally and rationally. Peters made the rational decision.

Emotionally -- I hate to lose Same Howell. He flashed a lot of potential but was ultimately undermined by a sub-par offensive line and a borderline criminal offensive play calling. He deserves a shot with a better offensive line and with a rational game plan that does not require him to drop back 50 times per game.

Rationally -- given the overall circumstances, the trade was a no-brainer and Peters is to be commended not waffling around but pulling the trigger. Here is the situation:

Howell has potential but it is unknown how he will turn out. 1.) He was drafted in the 5th, which means a lot of teams passed on him, including Seattle by the way. People had questions. 2.) While he showed potential, he also showed some flaws related to the continuance of a college problem of taking too many sacks, holding the ball, and committing turnovers. Not saying he won't turn out to be great, just that objectively, it's unknown at this point.

We are sitting at the #2 spot with a unique opportunity to take a franchise altering QB. We may not be back in this spot for years. We were always going to take a QB here. We were always going to want a veteran backup. That was always going to push Sam Howell to QB3 at minimum. Which means that it was largely inevitable that he would eventually leave the team once his rookie contract was done and we would receive no compensation in the process.

As has been stated, the trade netted us the equivalent of a low 3rd round pick. If someone told you, you could trade your QB3 for a 3rd rounder, you would consider that good value.

So, while the emotional part of me hates this trade, thinking: "Crap Sam is gonna end up being a legit starter and we just GAVE him away!" the rational part of me -- looking at all the situation and strategy above -- says, "Peters did the only thing he really could."

Unless we were going to trade out of that top spot and start Howell, then the smart move was to trade him, even with the risk that he may end up being good. Peters calculation was the risk/reward of missing/hitting on Daniels or Maye at #2 vs. the risk/reward of being wrong about Howell. I'm assuming his scouting told him that the potential better risk/reward calculation was moving on from Sam and drafting a QB.

So emotionally, I hate this trade. Rationally, I understand it.
 
To me it smacks of gathering assets to trade up for Caleb Williams. But who knows. I have no idea but am willing to trust Peters. He at least is making quick decisions to rebuild this mess.
I hope not. I would rather see it as we take whoever falls to 1.2 at QB and then have ammo to trade back into the 1st round to get our left tackle.
I think this is the move. Take the stud QB at #2 then use the extra pick to get a great OT.

Heck, even with all the free agency moves we've made, we still have a number of needs. We had the discussion above about the remaining needs for OT, CB, third WR, and maybe TE. I think a lot of us are disappointed in the value we got back from Howell, but you could possibly get a starting caliber player with that value. That's not nothing.
 
"... We are sitting at the #2 spot with a unique opportunity to take a franchise altering QB. We may not be back in this spot for years. We were always going to take a QB here. We were always going to want a veteran backup. That was always going to push Sam Howell to QB3 at minimum. Which means that it was largely inevitable that he would eventually leave the team once his rookie contract was done and we would receive no compensation in the process. As has been stated, the trade netted us the equivalent of a low 3rd round pick. If someone told you, you could trade your QB3 for a 3rd rounder, you would consider that good value."
Exactly so & well said! I have no doubt their scouting dept. conducted a very thorough eval of Sam Howell. When the new coaching staff came on, they too went over this player to the point where they knew they wanted to go in another direction. Or, as you mention, a team in a position to draft a difference-maker of a QB. For Sam Howell, can't it be as simple as being caught in an unfortunate circumstance?

Further, a QB that still needs some development & a rookie that will require a lot. Why do that, some sort of semi-commitment to the both of them? Read a guy that blogs the Seahawks, he felt they overpaid. That this particular draft class, talent-rich on day two. For Hockenson owners, the situation in Minnesota is of interest. Read that some time after the combine Kevin O'Connell & the Vikings FO were impressed with a number of the QBs available. Was regulating Howell to backup status fair to him? I feel they did well by him & he's in a pretty good spot.
 
Since the QB will come in Round 1, the only big question is where the LT will come from. 2nd rounders like Jordan Morgan, Tyler Guyton, or maybe if he slips Amarius Mimms are nice options. But a rookie LT and rookie QB seems a bad combo. Hope they find a vet to protect the QB blindside even if temporarily while a rook learns. Then grab a CB and WR later on.

Overall I like the Peters rebuild. There is a desire to win immediately. There is an influx of depth in the positions of need. So far so good.
 
Since the Seattle GM was taking about a lot of competition for Sam Howell, and they were so happy they were able to land him, I wonder if we will ever know what other offers we received for him.
 
We haven't had a real GM in so long ... what is the typical press conference schedule that a GM does? Do they have one post free agency? Do they introduce the FAs at one time? Presser before the draft? After the draft?

I'm sure we won't get much info other than "we really wanted all these guys" and "we wanted to give the previous players opportunities to sign on elsewhere". But I'd love to see the media dig a bit about Peters thoughts on Howell, Samuel, Gibson, and Curl. Plus all the new players.

It's probably meaningless. Just interested in what competent orgs do.
 
I'm sure most of you disagree with me, but I think Howell had problems that he'll never fix, and I'm glad we got something back for him. My take is he's a career backup and you can sign those in free agency (which we did).
 
Seems to me that waiting a bit (i.e., after the draft) to trade Howell only would've increased our leverage. Why the rush?
 
Seems to me that waiting a bit (i.e., after the draft) to trade Howell only would've increased our leverage. Why the rush?
Well again supposedly they had multiple offers for him, so I'm guessing they took the best one and with multiple teams offering, they felt they had a good idea of what the accurate market value really was for Sam.
 
Just interested in what competent orgs do.
They lie through their teeth. I follow the Ravens and the freaking CIA blushes about the stuff Baltimore misleads the public about.
You ain't joking. Jason LaCanfora wants to street fight Eric Decosta in a dark alley for the way Decosta shines reporters on. 😂 This is in regards to Decosta denying Deebo rumors Lacanfora put out on twitter : https://x.com/JasonLaCanfora/status/1768316505857434078?s=20
 
Seems to me that waiting a bit (i.e., after the draft) to trade Howell only would've increased our leverage. Why the rush?
Well again supposedly they had multiple offers for him, so I'm guessing they took the best one and with multiple teams offering, they felt they had a good idea of what the accurate market value really was for Sam.
There is also a chance of losing dance partners by waiting too long. Chicago is waiting a long time to deal Fields and the quarterback needy teams are dwindling. We'll see if they even get the value Washington got for Howell. The buzz from beat guys like Standig was that Howell would likely fetch a 4th round pick. They got equivalent of low 3rd. So yeah, they may have thought...why f around lets just do this...
 
Just interested in what competent orgs do.
They lie through their teeth. I follow the Ravens and the freaking CIA blushes about the stuff Baltimore misleads the public about.
You ain't joking. Jason LaCanfora wants to street fight Eric Decosta in a dark alley for the way Decosta shines reporters on. 😂 This is in regards to Decosta denying Deebo rumors Lacanfora put out on twitter : https://x.com/JasonLaCanfora/status/1768316505857434078?s=20
LaCanfora's no angel, either. Plus, I think he knows he's waaaaaaay down on the list of "Insiders" these days.
 
I'm sure most of you disagree with me, but I think Howell had problems that he'll never fix, and I'm glad we got something back for him. My take is he's a career backup and you can sign those in free agency (which we did).
You would not be alone in your assessment. I've heard statistics that seem to point to the fact that certain types of tendencies..like holding the ball and not feeling the rush...do not tend to be corrected as much as you would think. It depends upon the flaw. I am not skilled enough at player assessment to hazard a real guess as to whether Howell becomes a good starter in the NFL or not. I will say, that it's certainly "up in the air." And after that, honestly it didn't matter to Peters what Howell might be in the future. He's gonna take his chances with the # 2 pick over a 5th rounder with both high potential and high flaws...
 
Just interested in what competent orgs do.
They lie through their teeth. I follow the Ravens and the freaking CIA blushes about the stuff Baltimore misleads the public about.
You ain't joking. Jason LaCanfora wants to street fight Eric Decosta in a dark alley for the way Decosta shines reporters on. 😂 This is in regards to Decosta denying Deebo rumors Lacanfora put out on twitter : https://x.com/JasonLaCanfora/status/1768316505857434078?s=20
LaCanfora's no angel, either. Plus, I think he knows he's waaaaaaay down on the list of "Insiders" these days.
LaCanfora has always kind of annoyed me for some reason. Seems kind of smarmy. Not that it matters a damn what I think. LaCanfora definitely doesn't care.:laugh:
 
Howell was set up to fail by decades of incompetence, even though he'd only been there two years. A fresh start will be good for him. I don't think he'll ever be great, but he may catch the right wave somewhere else.
 

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