The newly named Washington Commanders head into the 2022 offseason, looking to add more to their team, after a disappointing 2021 season. After going 7-10, that makes it the 5th year in a row with a losing record. One commonality in all those 5 years: turbulent quarterback play. Whether it be five different starting QB’s in the same year or just flat-out horrible performance, problems at the QB position have plagued Washington ever since they lost Kirk Cousins.
So, as expected, finding a true starting quarterback was the number one priority as Washington approached another vital offseason of change. To address this issue, Washington went out and traded for Indianapolis Colts QB Carson Wentz. In return, Washington gave Indy a 2022 third-round pick, and a conditional 2023 third-round pick.
Now Washington moves into free agency, still with many areas of improvement. However, with the Wentz trade, they are now lacking in the department of the salary cap. It is likely that after the draft, Washington will not have nearly enough to make a splash in the free-agent market. In an attempt to try and free up cap space, Washington already had to release Landon Collins, which will be a significant loss on the defensive side.
Let’s take a look at what is in store for the Commanders.
The Draft
This year, Washington has the 11th pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. With the quarterback position likely being off the table, Washington can now focus on improving other skill positions. The receiver position should be towards the top of their priority list, to complement Terry McLaurin, and make Wentz’s job easier.
Taking a look at their options when it comes to the receiver position, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave headline a talented receiving group coming out of this year’s draft class, and Washington shouldn’t hesitate to take them, in the event that they are still on the board at pick number 11. Both of them are top of the line in terms of speed, with sub-4.4 40 yard dashes.
Free Agency
Washington has recently lost a slew of talented players on both sides of the ball. Within the past weeks, they have lost the aforementioned Collins, All-Pro offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, offensive guard Ereck Flowers, and defensive tackles Tim Settle and Matt Ioannidis.
Washington has been trying to make moves at certain players as of late. However, seemingly every time they are in talks with a certain player, that player never ends up in Washington. Take Russell Wilson for example. Washington had offered multiple first-round picks for him but still wasn’t able to acquire Wilson. A more recent example would be safety Marcus Williams. Washington had been among the teams expressing interest in Williams, however, he fell into the hands of the Baltimore Ravens.
Two veterans that the Commanders should keep their eyes on are linebacker Bobby Wagner and safety Tyrann Mathieu. Both are great playmakers on the defensive side and would bring an added fire and veteran leadership to the locker room.
However, to acquire these players, Washington would need to clear up a lot more cap space, and releasing some players from their roster would be the only way to do so.
The offseason in the NFL always brings about interesting change. With a new quarterback and possibly more new faces in the locker room, Washington fans will be eager to see what the future holds in the coming months.
Article by Ben Kim of Walter Johnson High School
Photo courtesy of AP News