Redskins Rumors

Commanders Sign CB Michael Davis

The Commanders’ efforts to re-tool their defense under new head coach Dan Quinn continue. The team announced on Monday that cornerback Michael Davis has been signed.

[RELATED: Commanders Add CB Noah Igbinoghene]

Davis joined the Chargers in 2017 as an undrafted free agent, and he went on to become a mainstay in the secondary over the course of his seven-year tenure with the team. He started 74 of his 107 games with the Bolts, seeing first-team action at least nine times every campaign since his rookie year.

The 29-year-old has some experience in the slot, but he has primarily been used on the perimeter during his career. Davis’ PFF evaluations have remained relatively consistent and less-than-spectacular, but he drew a career-best overall grade of 72.7 in 2022. Coverage was a sore spot last season, however, with nine touchdowns and a 119 passer rating allowed as the nearest defender.

On the other hand, Davis has posted notable ball production during much of his career. He has racked up eight interceptions across the past five seasons, while adding 60 pass deflections over that span. The BYU alum has reached double digits in the latter category four years in a row, and continuing in that regard while bouncing back from a coverage perspective will be a goal for 2024.

The Commanders have been among the busiest teams on the free agent market so far, something which comes as little surprise. The team entered the new league year with considerable spending power, much of which has been devoted to upgrading a defense which featured major room for improvement compared to the end of last season in particular. Davis will join a CB room which lost Kendall Fuller to the Dolphins in free agency and which features a number of low-cost contributors in the secondary. He will look to earn a starting role alongside recent draftees Benjamin St-Juste and Emmanuel Forbes.

Commanders Sign CB Noah Igbinoghene

The Dallas-Washington pipeline is still operating at full force. As ESPN’s John Keim was first to report, the Commanders have signed CB Noah Igbinoghene.

Igbinoghene is the fourth player that the Commanders, now coached by former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, have added in free agency this year. He joins center Tyler Biadasz and defensive ends Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler in making the move from Texas to the nation’s capital.

Unlike his fellow former Cowboys, however, Igbinoghene is unlikely to see a ton of playing time, if he makes the roster at all. A former first-round pick of the Dolphins, Igbinoghene was traded to Dallas during the roster cutdown phase of the calendar last year and failed to make much of an impact. In Week 1, the Auburn product returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown, but that would represent the highlight of his season. He ultimately appeared in just five games and 25 defensive snaps, to go along with 77 special teams snaps.

When Miami drafted Igbinoghene with the No. 30 overall selection in 2020, the club hoped that his size and athleticism would help the converted receiver turn into an effective corner at the professional level. That never happened, and although Igbinoghene appeared in 16 games in his rookie campaign, he started only two of them and appeared in just 28% of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps. He was frequently deactivated over the following two seasons, leading to his trade in advance of the 2023 season.

As Keim notes, Quinn likely views Igbinoghene as nothing more than a depth/special teams addition, but at least he saw enough in 2023 to take a flier on his former Dallas charge on what is almost certainly a veteran minimum pact.

49ers Sign CB Isaac Yiadom, Re-Sign LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles

The 49ers continue to secure depth on defense. After losing cornerback Isaiah Oliver to the Jets and potentially watching linebacker Oren Burks depart via free agency, San Francisco has added former Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom and re-signed reserve linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler brings us the news of Yiadom. Yiadom played a similar role in the Saints’ defense as Oliver did in the 49ers’ last year but to different results. Both graded out extremely well in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but Yiadom graded out much better in run defense. Yiadom was also tested more in coverage and delivered by tallying up an impressive 14 passes defensed.

After a season that saw Yiadom grade out as the 10th best cornerback in the league, according to PFF, the 49ers replace one talented corner with another. Fowler tells us that Yiadom explored other options, visiting the Commanders yesterday, but ultimately, the 27-year-old chose to join one of last year’s best defenses instead of helping to rebuild one of last year’s worst.

According to Josh Alper of NBC Sports, Flannigan-Fowles is set to return on a new one-year deal. Flannigan-Fowles has played much the same role in the last four years with the 49ers. Flannigan-Fowles plays mostly on special teams but tends to find his way onto the field around 13 percent of the time. With another season in San Francisco, though, the 27-year-old may be able to carve out a bit more playing time. As of right now, Burks is a free agent, not signed to return for 2024. If that holds true and the 49ers fail to make any other additions, Flannigan-Fowles could find his way into Burks’ role next season.

LB Cody Barton Signs With Broncos

The Broncos will have a new man to patrol the middle of their defense, as David Canter, president at Football GSE Worldwide, announces that his client Cody Barton has agreed to terms on a contract that will bring him to Denver. Barton will arrive and attempt to earn a starting job for his third team in as many seasons.

Barton was a third-round pick for the Seahawks in 2019. He didn’t get many chances to contribute over the course of his rookie deal, starting only five games in his first three seasons. During a contract year in Seattle, though, Barton exploded onto the scene. In eleven starts, Barton reached 136 total tackles while tallying two sacks and two interceptions, as well.

Barton’s efforts earned him a one-year, $3.5MM contract with the Commanders. In Washington, he would start 13 games, once again eclipsing the 100-tackle mark with 121 total. While he doesn’t grade out phenomenally, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he shows good marks in coverage and remains a reliable starter. Mike Klis of 9NEWS tells us that Barton’s contract with the Broncos will also be for one year and $3.5MM.

A Barton re-signing became unnecessary in Washington after the team signed Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu to start alongside Jamin Davis on the Commanders defense. In Denver, Barton will likely be stepping into the shoes of Josey Jewell, who agreed to a deal with the Panthers on Tuesday. Barton completes the linebacker shuffle as Jewell heads to Carolina, Luvu heads to Washington, and Barton goes to Denver. Barton should step in alongside Alex Singleton, who finished 2023 third in the NFL with 177 total tackles, solidifying the middle of the Broncos defense.

Commanders To Trade QB Sam Howell To Seahawks

With Marcus Mariota in place for the Commanders, Sam Howell will indeed be playing elsewhere in 2024. The latter quarterback has been traded to the Seahawks, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Washington will send Howell along with a fourth- and sixth-round pick to Seattle. In return, the Seahawks will send a third- and fifth-round pick. All selections are in the upcoming draft. Mariota’s free agent signing suggested the Commanders would pair him with a rookie selected second overall in April. Doing so would have left Howell on the outside looking in, leading to questions about his future in the nation’s capital.

The Seahawks have (in incremental fashion) committed to veteran Geno Smith as their starter for 2024. The former Comeback Player of the Year earned a new deal last offseason as Seattle’s undisputed starter despite the presence of Drew Lock, a piece of the Russell Wilson trade. Smith will hold down first-team duties again this year, but he will have a new backup in place.

Lock took a one-year deal with the Giants, leaving Seattle in need of a QB2. Howell served that role for all but one week of his rookie year in 2022, but his play to close out the regular season informed the decision to release Carson Wentz. Then-head coach Ron Rivera showed confidence in Howell as the Commanders’ starter this past year, but that decision did not yield the desired results. The 23-year-old led the NFL in sacks taken and interceptions, seeing himself lifted mid-game on more than one occasion late in the campaign.

Still, Howell could profile as an option with some upside. The former fifth-rounder led the NFL in passing yards at one point during the 2023 campaign, one in which Washington fielded a less-than-stellar offensive line and posted a 4-13 record amidst struggles on defense. Rivera was fired, as expected, after the end of the season and Dan Quinn has been brought in to replace him. He and new general manager Adam Peters comprise a different regime than the one which drafted Howell, and they will now commit to whichever passer is added with the second overall pick in April.

Drake Maye – who replaced Howell as the starter at North Carolina – is one of the options Washington will likely have at No. 2 (with Caleb Williams presumed to be hear his name called first). LSU’s Jayden Daniels could also be the Commanders’ selection, but in any case the rookie passer will be positioned as a starter for the present and future given Mariota’s status as a backup during much of his post-Titans career. As a result of this deal, the Commanders will now own six of the top 100 picks in the upcoming draft.

Seattle, meanwhile, will have a Lock replacement on the books for at least two more years given the term remaining on Howell’s rookie pact. Smith is also under contract through 2025, but none of his base salary for that season is guaranteed. The Seahawks may have acquired the 33-year-old’s eventual replacement.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/14/24

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Commanders To Re-Sign DL Efe Obada

Efe Obada is sticking in Washington. The Commanders announced that they’ve re-signed the veteran edge rusher.

Obada is now inking his third contract with the organization after signing contracts in each of the past two offseasons. He had 24 tackles and four sacks during his first season in Washington, but he was limited to only five games in 2023 thanks to a knee injury and later a leg fracture.

Born in Nigeria, Obada started his football career by spending time with the British American Football Association National Leagues. He had brief stints with the Cowboys, Chiefs, and Falcons before joining the Panthers via the International Player Pathway Program in 2017.

He ended up spending three seasons in Carolina, including a 2020 campaign where he finished with a career-high 5.5 sacks. He spent the 2021 campaign in Buffalo, adding 3.5 sacks to his resume.

The Commanders have been busy adding DL depth, signing Dorance Armstrong, Clelin Ferrell, and Dante Fowler Jr.. Obada will likely compete for backup reps in 2024.

Cowboys To Re-Sign CB Jourdan Lewis

Now employing two All-Pros at cornerback, the Cowboys will still find room for Jourdan Lewis. The career-long Cowboy will stay with the team once again, per the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken.

This will be Lewis’ eighth season with the Cowboys. The past three came under Dan Quinn. While the new Commanders HC is believed to have expressed interest in adding Lewis to the Dallas-to-Washington pipeline, via ESPN’s John Keim, Lewis will be set to work with Mike Zimmer next season.

With DaRon Bland posting one of the most productive seasons in cornerback history last year and Trevon Diggs coming back from an ACL tear, the Cowboys may have their top three corners in place. As Stephon Gilmore remains a free agent, Lewis is coming back on a third Cowboys contract. With Bland establishing himself as a boundary corner last season, Lewis working as the team’s nickel again in 2024 appears a likely scenario.

Lewis, 28, made it back from a severe foot injury to play that role in 2023. During the 2022 season, the former third-round pick suffered a Lisfranc injury that was deemed career-threatening. The Cowboys ramped up Lewis’ workload early last season. By the midpoint, he was working as a regular again. After playing out a three-year, $13.5MM deal, the 5-foot-10 cover man is signing up to play a supporting once in the Dallas secondary once again.

The Cowboys gave up on ex-second-rounder Kelvin Joseph after two seasons, but their Joseph-for-Noah Igbinoghene swap did not move the needle. Rolling out a Gilmore-Bland-Lewis trio, the Cowboys ranked fifth in pass defense. Pro Football Focus did not view Lewis’ first season back from injury in a positive light, however, ranking him in the bottom 10 among cornerback regulars. The Michigan alum did force three fumbles and intercept a pass. Lewis ranks behind only DeMarcus Lawrence as the longest-tenured Cowboy defender.

The Commanders have added Dorance Armstrong and Tyler Biadasz from the Cowboys, but they have not made a move at corner yet. Both Washington’s secondary starters who entered free agency among the best options available — Kendall Fuller, Kamren Curl — are unsigned on Day 4 of free agency.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/13/24

Here are today’s free agent tender decisions:

RFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/13/24

Today’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders