Washington Commanders News & Rumors

McKissic backed out of a two-year, $7MM Bills agreement to sign with his previous team. Considering where the Bills and Commanders are viewed leaguewide, that represented an interesting decision from the veteran passing-down back. Bills GM Brandon Beane was no fan of the Commanders continuing to pursue McKissic after his Bills agreement emerged, but the four-team veteran will stay put. With Brian Robinson out for a while, Antonio Gibson and McKissic stand to be the backfield’s regulars. McKissic, 29, provided a nice outlet option for Smith during his comeback year, catching 80 passes (by far the most among running backs in 2020) for 589 yards. An injury shortened McKissic’s 2021 campaign.

Becoming a haven for veterans whose previous teams did not prioritize them, Washington went to the retread well with McCain shortly after his Miami release. The longtime Dolphin started 16 Washington games and intercepted a career-high four passes. The 29-year-old defender is part of an experienced secondary, which features seventh-year cornerbacks William Jackson and Kendall Fuller, and has restabilized his career as a Commanders safety.

Notable losses:

• Kyle Allen, QB (nontendered as RFA)
• DeAndre Carter, WR
• Landon Collins, S (designated as post-June 1 cut)
• Jamil Douglas, OL
• Corn Elder, DB
• Deshazor Everett, S (released)
• Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB (retired)
• Ereck Flowers, G (released)
• Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR/TE (retired)
• Garrett Gilbert, QB
• D.J. Hayden (released)
• Adam Humphries, WR
• Matt Ioannidis (released)
• Darryl Roberts, CB
• Brandon Scherff, G
• Ricky Seals-Jones, TE
• Tim Settle, DT

PFF graded Washington’s O-line sixth overall last season. Generally teams with upper-crust O-lines do not produce poor records, though Washington being saddled with a full season of Heinicke does differentiate its previous situation. But the best Washington O-lineman is now gone, ending another two-franchise tag saga.

Scherff’s two-tag period did not produce the fireworks Cousins’ did, and his free agency run received a fraction of the interest Cousins’ generated four years ago. But it will be a tough ask for the Commanders to replace the five-time Pro Bowler. Turning 30 last December, Scherff had neither received a long-term contract nor enjoyed a free agency bid. His atypical contractual path aside, the former top-five pick delivered on Washington’s 2015 investment.

Washington is believed to have offered Scherff a deal that made him the league’s highest-paid O-lineman. Considering the second of Scherff’s franchise tags was worth $18.04MM — a salary that bettered Joe Thuney‘s then-guard-high AAV figure by more than $2MM — the Iowa product moved into a high-leverage position. His age and injury history (22 missed games since 2018) perhaps contributed to a Jaguars deal worth “only” $16.5MM on average. Scherff’s fully guaranteed money ($30MM) does not top the market, either. But a panel of anonymous NFL execs, via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, rated Scherff as the league’s third-best interior O-lineman this offseason. This type of talent is rarely available in free agency mid-prime, illustrating Scherff’s strange path out of Washington.

Washington began the 2020 season with Ioannidis, Settle and Ryan Kerrigan as backups. Known for the four first-round picks leading the unit, that acclaimed D-line brought rare depth as well. Ioannidis, who missed most of the playoff season due to injury, led the 2019 squad in sacks with 8.5. Settle capitalized on Ioannidis’ injury and recorded five sacks in 2020. That season undoubtedly helped him score a two-year, $14MM Bills deal. Ioannidis, who had signed a three-year extension worth $21.75MM Washington extension in 2019, was not happy about the way his D.C. exit went down but received a one-year Carolina offer to rejoin his college coach (Matt Rhule).

Collins, 28, came back from a 2020 Achilles tear and worked as a linebacker/safety hybrid. The Commanders wanted retain him, just not on a team-high $16.1MM cap number. Washington’s previous front office overpaid for the ex-Giants safety in 2019, with Collins (via a six-year, $84MM deal) becoming the first safety to crack the $14MM-per-year barrier. Collins did well as a first-time free agent, but the Rivera regime bailed halfway into the deal. McCain and Kamren Curl have become the team’s safety tandem. With Scherff and Collins gone, the Commanders cleared some big cap numbers off their payroll. They will be hit with $5MM-plus in dead money next year for the Collins cut, however.

Extensions and restructures:

• Reached agreement on three-year, $69.6MM deal ($34.65MM guaranteed) with WR Terry McLaurin

After Josh Doctson showed he would not live up to Washington’s first-round investment, the team found a safety net in McLaurin. The 2019 third-round pick producing amid this historic stretch of quarterback instability revealed the Bruce Allen regime landed a gem on the way out. It was up to Martin Mayhew and Co. to determine McLaurin’s value, and that determination helped set a key 2022 market.

McLaurin, 27 next week, amassed 3,090 yards over his first three seasons. That came in just behind D.K. Metcalf for the most among the 2019 receiver class, and McLaurin’s 67.2 yards per game tops the higher-profile Seahawks weapon. After ditching the Commanders’ OTAs early and holding in at minicamp, McLaurin secured a deal that will both reward him for carrying Washington’s past three aerial attacks and may allow for a late-prime payday.

The Ohio State alum’s $23.2MM-AAV figure sits ninth among receivers, but it ranked higher at the time of signing. Washington’s extension came after Philadelphia’s $25MM-per-year A.J. Brown deal, but McLaurin’s pact did better to set the market. The Seahawks, 49ers and Steelers gave their top receivers deals in the weeks following McLaurin’s, with Metcalf and Deebo Samuel signing three-year deals that narrowly topped McLaurin’s AAV and Diontae Johnson scoring a lower-priced two-year accord.

With the Commanders’ modern receiving success coming from free agents (Jackson, Garcon, Laveranues Coles) or trade acquisitions (Santana Moss), it has been a while since the team landed a 1,000-yard talent in the draft. The franchise will bank on McLaurin, with a likely quarterback upgrade, anchoring its receiving corps through his age-30 season.

Draft:

• 1-16: Jahan Dotson, WR (Penn State)
• 2-47: Phidarian Mathis, DT (Alabama)
• 3-98: Brian Robinson, RB (Alabama)
• 4-113: Percy Butler, S (Louisiana)
• 5-144: Sam Howell, QB (North Carolina)
• 5-149: Cole Turner, TE (Nevada)
• 7-230: Chris Paul, G (Tulsa)
• 7-240: Christian Holmes, CB (Oklahoma State)

Being unable to staff its No. 2 wideout job during McLaurin’s tenure, Washington devoted its top offseason resource in an attempt to do so. The team’s receiver interest became known pre-draft, but rather than reunite McLaurin with ex-Ohio State teammate Chris Olave at No. 11, Mayhew and Co. took a risk by moving down. The Commanders made Dotson the fifth receiver chosen, acquiring third- and fourth-round picks to help the Saints climb five spots.

Adding a third former Buckeye receiver to the McLaurin-Samuel stable could have created a Commanders fan hub in central Ohio, but Dotson does give the team an All-Big Ten trio. Following a 1,182-yard, 12-touchdown junior season (one that did not feature bowl-game stats due to early draft prep), Dotson posted a 4.43-second 40 time at the Combine. Dotson is viewed as a quality route runner, which helped a 5-foot-10 prospect rise to the top half of the first round. The Commanders have a $20MM-plus wideout, a $10MM-plus wideout and a first-round pick invested here. The franchise needs to see non-McLaurin production this season.

Passing on the Ohio State receiver triumvirate, the Commanders did expand their Alabama defensive tackle pipeline. Mathis’ arrival also could point Daron Payne out the door in 2023. Mathis is now under contract through 2025, joining Jonathan Allen in being signed long-term. Rivera said Payne was an extension candidate at the Combine, but nothing emerged on that front. Mathis’ arrival probably had something to do with that.

Washington has big contracts likely on tap for Montez Sweat and Chase Young, with the latter a better bet to cash in, and Allen already signed to a top-five D-tackle deal. The team rebuffed Payne trade inquiries this offseason and still has the option of a 2023 franchise tag. But the team is not expected to have much cap space next year (barely $8MM, though it is obviously early here); a tag would eat into that. Payne may have to land his second contract elsewhere.

Obtained with one of the picks from the first-round trade-down, Robinson was quickly moving toward the Commanders’ RB1 role. The carjacking incident, during which Robinson sustained two gunshot wounds, changed the team’s plans. But the former Crimson Tide rusher somehow has a chance to return before the midseason point. Robinson (1,343 rushing yards, 14 touchdowns) turned his extra senior year — via the COVID-19 eligibility tweak — into a Day 2 draft landing. Robinson operated as an Alabama backup during his previous four seasons, sparing him some wear-and-tear. Whatever Robinson can provide in 2022 will be a bonus, considering the scary incident that had him hospitalized in August.

Before his junior year, Howell was a first-round prospect. He finished his underclassman seasons with a 68-14 TD-INT ratio. But after the Tar Heels’ skill-position group (featuring Javonte Williams, Michael Carter, Dazz Newsome and Commanders 2021 draftee Dyami Brown) departed, Howell’s stock plummeted in 2021. Still, the 6-1 quarterback landed in late-first-round rumors — as part of a class that mostly did not impress NFL evaluators — but waited longer than the Desmond Ridder–Malik Willis–Matt Corral crop. Landing Howell in Round 5 nevertheless represented nice value for the Commanders, who can place him on the developmental track behind Wentz and Heinicke this season.

Other:

• Changed team name from Washington Football Team to Washington Commanders
• Placed DE Chase Young on reserve/PUP list
• Picked up DE Montez Sweat‘s $11.5MM fifth-year option
• Signed OC Scott Turner to extension
• Fired defensive line coach Sam Mills III; hired Ryan Kerrigan as assistant D-line coach
• Dan Snyder testified before House Oversight Committee
• Signed 13 UDFAs

Young’s status perhaps deserves some more attention. The 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year did not produce on that level last season, tallying just four quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks. It is certainly possible Young was playing hurt, considering the impact he made as a rookie. The ACL tear he suffered in November will lead to him being out of the mix for almost a year.

Rivera called Young’s ACL tear more severe than Logan Thomas‘. Washington’s starting tight end is questionable for Week 1, returning to regular work despite going down a few weeks after Young did. Young underwent reconstructive surgery that required a graft from his left patellar tendon, and a recent report indicated he will be out longer than the PUP-mandated four-week timetable. This absence could severely limit the Commanders’ pass rush.

Sweat can more than hold his own, but the team has 2020 seventh-rounder James Smith-Williams (2.5 sacks in two seasons) set to be Young’s primary replacement. That will be a tough ask. While the team has Sweat and its talented interior-line trio to fall back on, this D-line may not look formidable again until Young returns.

It will be interesting how the Commanders proceed with Sweat. The team’s No. 2 pass rusher is ahead of its No. 1 for an extension, timeline-wise. Saving a big 2024 payment for Young could complicate a 2023 deal with Sweat. The Raiders and Titans have two edges making north of $16MM per year, but with the salary cap’s climb restored this year, Sweat will likely be aiming higher. Only one team — the Chargers — has two edge defenders earning north of $20MM annually, but the Bolts are not responsible for the guarantees on Mack’s deal. The Bears paid those. By operating as the Commanders’ lead rusher for a chunk of this season, Sweat (21 career sacks) can raise his value ahead of contract talks.

Even as well-regarded staffers like Rivera, Mayhew and team president Jason Wright are leading the team now, Snyder’s presence still overshadows his franchise’s football matters. Early in his third decade in charge, Snyder has become one of the least popular owners in American sports history. His 2021 offseason, which featured a $10MM fine and de facto suspension after an NFL investigation into sexual harassment allegations from 15 ex-team employees, preceded a rockier 2022. The NFL is believed to have nixed the planned written report associated with the Washington investigation.

Snyder, 57, has been in Congress’ crosshairs since late last year. The embattled owner refused to appear before the Oversight Committee alongside Roger Goodell in June. Although Snyder did later testify, he refused to do so under oath, allowing the evasion of certain questions. It does not sound like Snyder is on the verge of being voted out by his fellow owners, but his constant controversies have tripped alarms among the ranks. Washington has not made consecutive playoff berths under Snyder and has just two 10-win seasons this century.

Top 10 cap charges for 2022:

1. Carson Wentz, QB: $28.3MM
2. William Jackson, CB: $13.81MM
3. Curtis Samuel, WR: $12.63MM
4. Kendall Fuller, CB: $11.13MM
5. Chase Roullier, C: $9.88MM
6. Jonathan Allen, DT: $9.5MM
7. Chase Young, DE: $9.43MM
8. Daron Payne, DT: $8.53MM
9. Charles Leno, T: $8.5MM
10. Terry McLaurin, WR: $7.33MM

From 2020-21, Washington’s defense fell from third to 27th in DVOA. Young’s absence undoubtedly factored into that freefall, but the team paid up for its starting corners (Jackson and Fuller) and has first-round picks at nearly every front-seven position. The Commanders have no shot to be an NFC factor if Jack Del Rio‘s troops deliver a similar performance.

Rivera is a fixture toward the top of “first coach fired” odds, and a third straight sub-.500 season would mean five such seasons in a row for the former NFC champion HC. Quarterback luck has betrayed the popular coach since Cam Newton‘s injuries started to mount. While the Commanders can escape the Wentz contract free of charge in 2023, would the organization allow Rivera to be around by then if this QB plan fails? If made available next year, however, this job might not be the most popular for aspiring coaches.