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
- Re-signed: WR KhaDarel Hodge, OL Storm Norton
Baltimore Ravens
- Re-signed: S Ar’Darius Washington
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OT Jake Curhan
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: DB C.J. Goodwin
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: LB Kristian Welch
Indianapolis Colts
- Re-signed: RB Trey Sermon
Kansas City Chiefs
- Re-signed: DT Tershawn Wharton
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: TE Jody Fortson, DL Jonathan Harris
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Trent Sherfield
New York Jets
- Re-signed: OL Jake Hanson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LS Christian Kuntz
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: LB Jack Gibbens
Washington Commanders
- Signed: LB Anthony Pittman
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:
- Giants: CB Nick McCloud
- Rams: LB Michael Hoecht
- Seahawks: CB Michael Jackson, LB Jon Rhattigan
Non-tendered:
- Cardinals: DL Jonathan Ledbetter
- Commanders: LB Jabril Cox, RB Derrick Gore, LB De’Jon Harris
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Panthers: RB/KR Raheem Blackshear
- Titans: LB Jack Gibbens
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/13/24
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Amen Ogbongbemiga, OL Matt Pryor
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Tony Brown, TE Giovanni Ricci
- Re-signed: P Corey Bojorquez
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT David Sharpe
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: LB Caleb Johnson
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: RB Salvon Ahmed
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: FB Adam Prentice
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: DL Kevin Givens
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Nick Harris
- Re-signed: CB Artie Burns
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: RB Julius Chestnut
Washington Commanders
- Re-signed: S Jeremy Reaves
WR Jamison Crowder Re-Signing With Commanders
Jamison Crowder‘s second stint in DC is set to continue. According to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, the veteran wideout is returning to the Commanders on a new one-year deal. 
The Commanders’ front office has been busy so far in free agency, bringing in a number of attractive names while also keeping some contributors home. Crowder is the latest to join that group. The 30-year-old will be heading into the second year of his second stint with the team after spending three years with the Jets and a fourth in Buffalo.
Crowder’s best seasons came early in his career, delivering two strong seasons each with both Washington and New York. Injuries derailed his final season in Washington and his last two years with the Jets, and his short stint in Buffalo ended with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 4. He signed with the third New York team last offseason, but the Giants released him just prior to the start of the regular season.
Crowder rebounded by signing to the Commanders’ practice squad a week later, getting promoted to the active roster just five days after that. Crowder’s contribution in 2023 was far from what he provided years ago, but he is a reliable, veteran backup on a team loaded with young talent at receiver. He also served as the team’s primary punt returner, breaking off a season-long 61-yarder in Week 6.
Fellow receivers Curtis Samuel and Byron Pringle are also free agents, so Crowder returns to play alongside Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Dyami Brown. The team may still attempt to bring back Samuel or Pringle, or they may try to replace their production through the draft. Regardless, they have Crowder in the fold as a veteran backup and an experienced return man.
Latest On Potential NFL Trade Deadline Change
It sounds like some NFL teams have made progress in their quest to push back the trade deadline. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, there were two recent bylaw proposals to move the trade deadline back from its current date of the Tuesday after Week 8.
[RELATED: Teams Proposing Pushing Trade Deadline From Week 8 To Week 10]
The Steelers proposed a bylaw that would see the deadline pushed back a week, which would make it the Tuesday after Week 9. The Browns, Lions, Jets, Eagles, and Commanders were looking to push it back even further, proposing the deadline fall on the Tuesday after Week 10.
The NFL moved the deadline to Week 8 back in 2012, but they didn’t make an adjustment when they added a week to their schedule in 2021. That’s led some GMs to propose pushing the deadline back and lining it up with other major sports’ trade deadlines.
While the hypothetical recently gained some traction, there were reportedly some GM and owners who questioned if the change even needed to be made. While Browns GM Andrew Berry previously expressed his belief that pushing the deadline would help improve the “competitive integrity” of the NFL, there was some fear that a deadline move could only incentivize tanking. Berry seemed to disagree with that notion, though, saying last month that a deadline change would only keep teams more competitive.
“We think as a league it makes sense to give teams the most flexibility as long as possible to have the best product down the stretch run of the playoffs,” Berry stated (h/t Spencer German of Browns Digest). “We wanted to make sure we maintained the competitive integrity of the season so you don’t get into player dumping late in the year.”
The next round of league meetings are set for March 24-27.
Commanders To Add LB Bobby Wagner
Dan Quinn has reunited with multiple Cowboys since taking over as Commanders head coach; he will now circle back to one of his former Seahawks charges who remains active.
Bobby Wagner is heading to Washington on a one-year deal worth $6MM guaranteed, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Quinn coached Wagner during his run as Seahawks defensive coordinator, overseeing the former second-round pick’s breakthrough years. Wagner, who will join a third team in three years, can max out at $8.5MM on his latest NFL contract.
[RELATED: Commanders Sign DE Dorance Armstrong]
Wagner, 33, will head from Los Angeles to Seattle to Washington in a three-season span. But the future Hall of Famer has remained productive into his 30s. Wagner is riding a remarkable streak of 10 straight seasons with a first- or second-team All-Pro honor on his resume. The past two years have brought second-team distinctions, but Wagner will stroll into the Hall of Fame following his career. A Washington chapter may well become part of his Canton montage.
The Seahawks were viewed as unlikely to bring Wagner back, despite the 12-year veteran excelling upon returning to Seattle. Wagner will also reunite with ex-Seahawks DC Ken Norton Jr., whom Washington hired as linebackers coach. This marks the second straight year the Commanders will bring in a Seahawks linebacker; they signed Cody Barton to a one-year deal in 2023. This year, the Commanders are bringing in two of the NFL’s most productive linebackers over the past two years, with Frankie Luvu heading to D.C. as well.
A 2012 second-round draft choice, Wagner played under Quinn for two years. The Seahawks brought him back to replace Gus Bradley as DC in 2013 and ’14. Wagner quickly becoming a star — for back-to-back Seahawks Super Bowl teams — helped Quinn land the Falcons’ HC job. Of the troops on Quinn’s two Seattle defenses, Wagner is the only one left playing.
Pro Football Focus rated Wagner seventh among linebackers; despite his age, the Utah State alum led the NFL with a career-high 183 tackles. That doubled as Wagner’s third tackles title. Over the past two seasons with the Rams and Seahawks, Wagner also took on a bigger role as a blitzer, totaling 9.5 sacks in that span. Over the past two years, Wagner has combined for 21 tackles for loss.
Although teams do not make a habit of handing out notable money to aging linebackers, Wagner and Lavonte David have collected decent guarantees on one-year pacts this week. Wagner will bring six first-team All-Pro honors to Washington, representing a leadership presence as Quinn and football ops boss Adam Peters — an ex-49ers exec who has certainly seen his fair share of the decorated linebacker — attempts to craft a turnaround effort.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/24
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OT Hakeem Adeniji
- Re-signed: OL Michael Dunn
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: LS Trent Sieg
Denver Broncos
- Re-signed: FB Michael Burton
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: OL Dan Skipper
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: CB Corey Ballentine, TE Tyler Davis
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
Kansas City Chiefs
- Re-signed: S Deon Bush
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: LB William Kwenkeu
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: LB Christian Elliss, OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: LS Rick Lovato, P Braden Mann
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: P Cameron Johnston
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Pharaoh Brown
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Saahdiq Charles
Washington Commanders
- Signed: LS Tyler Ott