2024 offseason primer: New owner, GM, coach lead Commanders into new era
For the first time in a long time, fans of the Washington Commanders (4-13 in 2023) head into an offseason with a reason to be excited for the following year.
Gone is polarizing former owner Daniel Snyder and the dark cloud that seemingly followed him wherever he went. Also gone is former head coach Ron Rivera, who failed to achieve a winning season during his four-year tenure.
Now, with new owner Josh Harris, new GM Adam Peters and new head coach Dan Quinn — who the team hired Thursday — the Commanders are beginning a needed organizational facelift.
Here’s what you need to know about Washington’s offseason:
PROJECTED 2024 CAP SPACE: $83.54M (most in NFL)
FREE AGENTS | Offense: QB Jacoby Brissett, RB Antonio Gibson, FB Alex Armah, WRs Curtis Samuel, Jamison Crowder, Byron Pringle, TE Brandon Dillon, OL Alex Akingbulu, Cornelius Lucas, Saahdiq Charles, Tyler Larsen, long snapper Tucker Addington
Defense: DEs Efe Obada, James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill, DTs David Bada, Curtis Brooks, LBs David Mayo, Cody Barton, Khaleke Hudson, Jabril Cox, CB Kendall Fuller, safeties Kamren Curl, Jeremy Reaves, Terrell Burgess
Special teams: Kicker Joey Slye
Outlook: While Washington has Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson at wideout, it would be good for business to re-sign Samuel, who has had 60 or more receptions and 600 or more yards receiving each of the past two years. He’s a key part of the team’s passing attack, and it would be smart to keep him around as a safety net for the QB the team likely will draft in April.
Lucas and Charles played some significant time at guard and center, respectively, this season, and there’s an argument for bringing both back for added offensive line depth. Barton and Curl were Washington’s two leading tacklers, and both should be at the top of Peters’ priority list as well.
2024 DRAFT PICKS: Round 1 (No. 2 overall)| Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 3 | Round 4 |Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7
TOP DRAFT NEEDS (in order): QB, OT, edge-rusher, RB, CB — The Sam Howell experiment at QB lasted 18 starts (5-13 record) and now Washington can (presumably) move forward with either Southern Cal's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye or LSU's Jayden Daniels. After they find their QB, the Commanders must do some serious revamping to an offensive line that allowed the second-most sacks in the NFL this season (65) along with 252 pressures and 177 hurries. Washington should leave April’s draft with multiple new offensive linemen.
Brian Robinson, Antonio Gibson and Chris Rodriguez are fine runners, but none are starting NFL RBs. There are a lot of strong late-round backs the team could consider to help out its new QB. After trading ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young, the Commanders must find suitable replacements after getting just 29 combined sacks from the rest of their defense.
DRAFT PROSPECTS TO WATCH: Southern Cal QB Caleb Williams, North Carolina QB Drake Maye, LSU QB Jayden Daniels, Arizona OT Jordan Morgan, Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton, BYU OT Kingsley Suamataia, Utah edge Jonah Elliss, Troy edge Javon Solomon, Michigan RB Blake Corum
THREE 2024 STORYLINES TO WATCH:
- Which of the “big three” QBs do Peters and Quinn want to build around?
- How much does having a new owner, GM and head coach improve fan support?
- Did Washington make the right call hiring Quinn over Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel?
More must-reads: