It’s a new day in Washington. And though it might not always be pretty with a new ownership group, at least it won’t be Dan Snyder. This is the first year that this group can really put their stamp on the team, and they’ve already started that, hiring Dan Quinn at head coach and Kliff Kingsbury at offensive coordinator. 

They’re expected to draft one of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels with the second pick but, before they get to that, they need to sort things out in free agency. We’re here to make some predictions on what they might do. And, while we’re at it, we’ll weigh in on what that might mean for the fantasy football gamers out there - why not, right?

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

Fantasy Relevant Depth Chart

Quarterback

Sam Howell

Jacoby Brissett

Jake Fromm

 

Running Back

Brian Robinson

Antonio Gibson

Chris Rodgriguez

Derrick Gore

Wide Receiver

Terry McLaurin

Byron Pringle

Mitchell Tinsley

 

Wide Receiver

Jahan Dotson

Dyami Brown

Dax Milne

 

Wide Receiver

Curtis Samuel

Jamison Crowder

  

Tight End

Logan Thomas

John Bates

Cole Turner

Armani Rodgers


 

White = unrestricted free agent

Green = role is safe

Yellow = role could be in jeopardy

Red = could be traded or released

PROJECTED 2024 SALARIES: ~$171M

ESTIMATED 2024 CAP SPACE: ~$84M

Quarterback

Sam Howell: This is what happens with fifth round quarterbacks. In fact, as we’ve seen with Desmond Ridder and Davis Mills, it happens with third round quarterbacks. You basically have one year to prove you are special and you might not get a lot of help to do it. The new Washington regime was always likely to bring in a new QB and now they looked poised to draft one. Howell now needs the guy they pick to faceplant completely to be the starter. Otherwise, he might need to ask for a trade. 

Jacoby Brissett: Brissett is an unrestricted free agent so the journeyman’s journey will continue on with a new team in 2024. There are plenty of places he could be a backup, maybe a couple he could battle to start. 

Jake Fromm: Fromm had bounced around the practice squad and back end of the roster, but they don’t likely need to keep him around this year while drafting a QB high. 

COMMANDERS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: Unless there’s an incredible surprise here, the Commanders will likely select a quarterback at second overall. They’ll still have Sam Howell on a cheap rookie deal so there’s no need to add a QB in free agency unless they want a veteran who can be a “coach on the field”. If that’s the case, here are some names to consider. 

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Josh Johnson, Blaine Gabbert, Matt Barkley

Running Back

Brian Robinson: I went back and forth on whether Brian Robinson should be green or yellow here. Because his roster spot is safe, and the question is about role. This year he proved he could not only handle the short yardage work but that he also has decent hands. The question is whether he remains in that role or whether they supplement him with a pass catcher. I personally don’t think it’s the right time for the Commanders to pay up in free agency or the draft for a high end back, but we’ve seen teams do much crazier things. 

Antonio Gibson: Gibson never quite lived up to the hype. He was supposed to be this converted wide receiver who could be the next Alvin Kamara or Austin Ekeler. But he found himself in the doghouse often and was relegated to special teams at times. He’s still young so another team will likely pick him up in free agency but his Commanders time is likely done. Or maybe the new regime actually likes him compared to the old one and they want him back.

Chris Rodriguez: Rodgriguez is good depth, and he contributes on multiple special teams units so he’ll be on the roster. He offers net to nothing in the pass game though so more of a backup for running downs. 

Derrick Gore: Derrick Gore is a restricted free agent, but they won’t use that tender on him for that price so consider him an unrestricted free agent. Which, with a whole new regime, doesn’t make him any more or less likely to make the team.  

COMMANDERS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: Running back is a short shelf life position. That makes it a luxury of teams that are ready to compete. And I don’t think the Commanders are quite there. If I were them, I would maybe bring in a pass catching back to supplement Brian Robinson. But I personally don’t believe now is the time to go out and sign a Saquon Barkley or draft a back in the second round. Maybe I’m wrong but I’d take a look at these options in free agency as cheap complimentary pieces.

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Antonio Gibson, Ty Johnson, Chase Edmonds, Dare Ogunbawale

Wide Receiver

Terry McLaurin: Terry McLaurin has been able to consistently provide 1,000+ yards of production regardless of who the quarterback has been. Makes you wonder how good he could be if he was playing with an elite option. He’s under contract for the next two years so we’ll hopefully get to find out. He’s smack in the middle of the age apex for WRs at 28 so he’s a buy in dynasty leagues where you are competing. 

Jahan Dotson: Dotson did not make the year two leap folks had hoped for. But Sam Howell was also reluctant to throw the ball up for grabs, opting to run instead. In 12 games in 2022, Dotson caught 11 of 18 contested balls and, in a full season in 2023, he caught only 4 of 12. The long-term hope here is that Dotson can develop more of a full route tree and be less of a jump ball specialist. 

In the short term, Dotson will certainly retain his roster spot in 2024 but the question is whether the Commanders bring in a WR or TE that surpasses Dotson in the target pecking order. If they don’t, Dotson could be a post-hype sleeper if the new QB likes him.

Curtis Samuel: It might be surprising to some that Curtis Samuel is 27 years old and is actually younger than McLaurin. He was an incredibly young prospect, so he’s played seven years of NFL football already. The Commanders will need someone to man the slot so they may be interested in Samuel, but he was a Ron Rivera guy and Ron Rivera is out. So, he might end up testing the waters of free agency. 

Dyami Brown: Dyami Brown so far has really just been the speedy “next man up” that comes in to stretch the field. Kliff Kingsbury’s Air Raid offense does utilize these types of players and they can hit homeruns at times but consistency from week to week becomes the issue for fantasy football purposes. Depending what 

Jamison Crowder: Crowder is an unrestricted free agent. If they do bring him back it will be because he fielded every single punt for this team last year and they trust him in that capacity. If Curtis Samuel is gone, maybe he does work his way into more slot work. But we’ve seen a lot of Crowder over the years and we know what he is at this stage.

Byron Pringle: Pringle is in a similar spot to Crowder except with kicks. He and Antonio Gibson handled kick returns and they are both free agents. If both of them are gone, the Commanders will need someone to handle those duties. 

Dax Milne: One option to field punts would be Dax Milne. He spent the year on IR with a groin issue but could make the team in that capacity. He could also be released with $1 million in savings and very little dead cap so that’s not a sure thing. 

Mitchell Tinsley: The Commanders retained Mitchell Tinsley over other options because they believed he can actually develop into a useful receiver. Undrafted free agents have to continue earning their roster spot each year because they can be cut for so little but, if you were to pick between Milne and Tinsley in very deep dynasty leagues, Tinsley is the guy. 

COMMANDERS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: Assuming the Commanders still believe in 2022 first round pick Jahan Dotson, they have their two primary outside guys. And Dyami Brown can serve as the field stretcher. Kliff Kingsbury is going to need guys to operate out of the slot whether that’s WRs or TEs or both. 

Maybe Kingsbury implores them to draft some college players he’s familiar with like Jerry Rice’s son Brenden (who played for him at USC). There are also some familiar NFL faces available in free agency like Marquise Brown. We also might need to factor in ability in the punt/kick return game. Here are some interesting names.

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Curtis Samuel, Marquise Brown, Tyler Boyd, Kendrick Bourne, Braxton Berrios, Jamal Agnew, Ray Ray McCloud

Tight End

Logan Thomas: They paid Logan Thomas a fair amount after his breakout 2020 season, but he has since slowed down a bit and battled injuries. He could be released with ~$6.5 million in savings and only $1.75 in dead cap so maybe they go in a new direction. If he stays with the team, his ability to operate out of the slot could be sneaky for fantasy football in a Kliff Kingsbury offense. In 2021-2022 Zach Ertz was running more than half his routes out of the slot and was averaging almost 6.5 targets per game at about the same age Logan Thomas is now.

John Bates: John Bates is technically second on the depth chart but only because he’s the better blocked. So, when they go jumbo sets, he comes on the field to play in-line. That also led to him blocking on 23.4% of his pass plays. I expect him to retain this role even if they were to move on from Logan Thomas and the player below would likely leapfrog Bates into the Logan Thomas role.  

Cole Turner: This is the guy we want to target. Like Thomas, Turner only lined up inline about 20-25% of the time (John Bates lined up inline 63.7%). And Turner only blocked on 2.2% of his pass plays. If Logan Thomas were gone and they didn’t bring in another tight end, Turner would inherit the role in the slot. Which is a great role in this offense. He’s worth a stash in deep leagues for that possibility. He’s a converted wide receiver, after all.

Armani Rodgers: As we all know, Logan Thomas was a concerted quarterback. Perhaps they thought former college QB Armani Rodgers could make a similar transition. Fun fact - Rodgers holds the record for the longest run in college football history by a QB at 99 yards. That kind of athleticism has us intrigued but he unfortunately tore his Achilles tendon and missed all of 2023. So, he has a pretty uphill battle here.

COMMANDERS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: Given what Kliff Kingsbury likes to do, I’m not sure he would opt for your classic two-way tight ends like Hunter Henry or Dalton Schultz. I think he would prefer guys that operate primarily out of the slot the way he used Ertz. Maybe they stick with what they have, maybe they go through the draft, but here are some options that might fit the bill and wouldn’t break the bank. 

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Noah Fant, Gerald Everett, Mike Gesicki, Jesper Horsted, Tanner Hudson (RFA), Shane Zylstra (RFA)

NFL Free Agency Previews

Discover our other breakdowns for the rest of the league ahead of 2024 NFL free agency: