Commanders boost defense by signing ex-Colts safety

The Washington Commanders have a ton of money to spend this NFL free agency. Spotrac has the Commanders at the top of the league with over $72 million in available cap space. They need to start spending it.

On Wednesday, the Commanders signed ex-Colts safety Nick Cross to a contract. Adam Schefter was on the deal first, per usual. According to Jordan Schultz, the deal is two years for $14 million.

Cross is a veteran safety who will do a lot of damage for the Commanders’ defense. Last season, Cross finished with 120 tackles (72 solo) with 2.5 sacks (career high), one forced fumble, one interception, and five pass deflections. The safety was all over the field last year and was a big part of the defensive success. The Colts obviously took a turn for the worse after an 8-2 start, but those first 10 games showed that the Indy defense was one of the best in the league.

Cross should come in and immediately start at strong safety for the Commanders. He will pair alongside Will Harris, who is the free safety. Cross joins Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Leo Chanel, and Amik Robertson as free agent signings on defense.

Offensively, the Commanders just signed tight end Chig Okonkwo to a contract. That deal is for three years, and that gives Jayden Daniels another playmaker to throw to. It seems that the Commanders may be at the front of the line to sign Brandon Aiyuk, who was recently released by the San Francisco 49ers.

NFL Free Agency opened today. The 2026 off-season is officially rolling.