Three offseason moves the Commanders must make
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
New general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn have been hard at work rebuilding the last-place Commanders in the offseason. These moves could make their jobs a whole lot easier.
Add an offensive tackle
Counting on Brandon Coleman, a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, to protect second-overall pick Jayden Daniels is bold but risky. Coleman may have been one of the most athletic prospects in the draft, but he didn’t start playing football until 2016 after growing up in Germany.
Former Jet Mekhi Becton would have fit perfectly as a swing tackle had Philadelphia not signed him one day after the draft. Washington would argue re-signing 10-year veteran Cornelius Lucas offers insurance for Coleman but with 47 starts in 115 possible games, the team should look to upgrade.
Veterans like former Saint Andrus Peat and Kansas City’s Donovan Smith are still available. Peat made three Pro Bowls with New Orleans and Smith has a pair of Super Bowl championships with the Buccaneers and Chiefs. Both would be better options than Lucas.
Find a big wide receiver
Terry McLaurin had 1,000 yards or more in four of his first five seasons, but he’s only 6-foot. Jahan Dotson has potential as a former first-round pick, but he’s 5-foot-11. Jamison Crowder is 5-foot-9 and Olimide Zaccheaus is 5-foot-8.
Third-round pick Luke McCaffrey is 6-foot-2 but other than him, the team has no wide receivers over six-foot tall beyond a trio of undrafted free agents. McCaffrey has potential but should need time to develop after starting his college career as a quarterback.
Former Jaguar Zay Jones is also 6-foot-2 but unlike McCaffrey, has seven years of experience as an NFL receiver. Jones became expendable once Jacksonville drafted LSU’s Brian Thomas but would have value as Washington’s third wide receiver while McCaffrey learns the ropes.
Sign CB Stephon Gilmore
Gilmore had a career-high 68 tackles, 13 pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble for the Cowboys and new Commanders coach Dan Quinn last season.
With five Pro Bowls and a pair of All-Pro nominations in his pocket, he’d be an instant upgrade to Washington’s 32nd-ranked secondary. After watching Emmanuel Forbes and Benjamin St-Juste struggle all season, fans were surprised to see the team pass on players like Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean with their first second-round pick.
Michigan CB Mike Sainristil could be a bargain at pick No. 50, but even he could learn from a veteran like Gilmore. With $43M in cap space for 2024 and a projected market value of $9M for Jones, the team almost can’t afford not to sign him.
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