Three big names the Washington Commanders should avoid in free agency

With a league-high $96M available under the NFL's new salary cap, the Commanders can afford the league’s top free agents, but a conservative approach may offer more long-term success. Here are three players they should avoid.

EDGE Bryce Huff

Washington gave up a league-high 30.5 points per game last season and finished 26th in sacks (39). They also ranked 27th against the run, so an incredibly talented player like Huff may not be the best option. 

Pro Football Focus points out “There's a reason the team that developed the former undrafted free agent and saw him every day didn't like to deploy him against the run and hasn't made much of an effort on an extension.”

While the site considers Huff a top-10 pass rusher, his grades against the run put him just outside the top 100. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Philadelphia is actively shopping defensive end Josh Sweat and edge-rusher Haason Reddick in hopes of landing Huff. 

With a base salary of $1.1M in 2024, the team could consider trading for Sweat while letting Philadelphia pay for Huff.

OT Trent Brown

Washington cut left tackle Charles Leno Jr. and may not be sold on right tackle Andrew Wylie. After watching quarterback Sam Howell take a league-high 65 hits in 2023, upgrading the offensive line should be a top priority for new general manager Adam Peters.

Brown played well for New England, but weight issues have followed the Pro Bowler throughout his career. After watching the 30-year-old tackle get up to 387 pounds at one point, the Patriots were forced to add weight clauses to his contract in 2022 and 2023.

In 2009, Washington signed former Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth to a seven-year, $100M contract. One year later, he reported to training camp so overweight that he couldn’t pass the team’s conditioning test and was out of football two years later.

That alone should give the team pause. With so much money under the cap, Washington can afford to overpay someone like the Cowboys’ Tyron Smith and avoid the risks associated with Brown.

LB Devin White

The fifth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft made a Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl championship with Tampa Bay, but 2023 was hardly his best year. After averaging more than 120 tackles and five sacks in his first four seasons, White had just 83 tackles and 2.5 sacks last season.

Meanwhile, fellow free agent linebacker Lavonte David had 51 more tackles and two more sacks than White for the Buccaneers last season. White may have a higher ceiling, but with 12 years of NFL experience, David would cost less and could be a better fit for a team needing veteran leadership.