Commanders offseason checklist: Weapons wanted on both sides of the ball

Ertz led the team 104 yards on 11 catches against Philadelphia’s top-rated defense in the NFC Championship Game and should have enough left in the tank to warrant another one-year deal from the team.

2. Cut CB Marshon Lattimore

Washington gave up third-, fourth- and sixth-round picks to acquire Lattimore from New Orleans in Week 10 of the 2024 season but thanks to a nagging hamstring injury, the four-time Pro Bowler played in only two of the team’s last eight regular-season games.

He appeared in each of the team’s three playoff games but played miserably, allowing 10 catches for 172 yards and a 136.6 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks. The Commanders are in great shape with $79M in cap space for 2025 but would gain an additional $18M with Lattimore’s release.

3. Add LB Josh Sweat

The Commanders defense was much improved over the 32-ranked unit that stumbled through 2023, but edge-rushers Clelin Ferrell and Dante Fowler will be free agents in March. At 30 years old, Fowler should be looking to cash in after recording a team-high 10.5 sacks in 2024 while Ferrell played more of a rotational role. 

Sweat led the Eagles with eight sacks in the regular season and had 2.5 sacks in Super Bowl LIX. With seven years of NFC East experience, he’d fit right in should the team lose Fowler. 

4. Extend WR Terry McLaurin

McLaurin has led the Commanders in receiving since joining the team as a third-round pick in 2019. Not only is he coming off his fifth-straight 1,000-yard season, he set a franchise record with 13 touchdowns in 2024.

The 29-year-old receiver signed a three-year, $70M extension with $28M guaranteed in 2022, making him a free agent in 2026. He’ll also take up 9.27% of the team’s salary cap, second-most on the team behind defensive tackle Daron Payne (9.52%) next season. A restructured contract could lower his price tag for 2025 and keep the team’s most popular player around for years to come.

5. Find a No. 2 receiver

Of course, McLaurin could use some help at the position. Noah Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus, the team’s third- and fourth-leading receivers, will both be free agents in 2025, as will Dyami Brown, the team’s sixth-leading receiver.

Free agent pass-catchers like Stefon Diggs and Tee Higgins won’t come cheap, but the team can afford them. Otherwise, Washington could take its chances in the draft. The Commanders have been linked to wide receivers like Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka and Tre Harris from Ole Miss in several mock drafts.

Either way, GM Adam Peters has serious work to do with the team’s passing game and any of the above receivers would make an excellent target for quarterback Jayden Daniels in his sophomore season.