Three impending free agent pass rushers that make a lot of sense for the Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders have a ton of cap space, the NFL's most to be exact, but they also have a ton of holes to fill when it comes to the roster.One glaring weakness is defensive end. The Commanders shipped off both Montez Sweat and Chase Young before the trade deadline, leaving massive holes on each […]
The Washington Commanders have a ton of cap space, the NFL's most to be exact, but they also have a ton of holes to fill when it comes to the roster.
One glaring weakness is defensive end. The Commanders shipped off both Montez Sweat and Chase Young before the trade deadline, leaving massive holes on each side of DaRon Payne and Jonathan Allen, arguably the NFL's best interior defensive line duo.
Fortunately for new head coach Dan Quinn, new defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. and pass rush specialist Ryan Kerrigan, there are plenty of quality free agent options for the Commanders to take a look at this year.
1) DE Jonathan Greenard
One of the best pass rushers heading toward free agency, Greenard is in his prime and coming off a career-best 12.5 sacks. Per Spotrac, he shouldn't wildly expensive at a projected $13.4 million per year, either.
It remains to be seen exactly what the philosophy behind the Commanders defensive line is, because Quinn mixed it up a lot in Dallas thanks to the presence of Micah Parsons. However, Whitt Jr. said during his opening presser that this is a "position-less" defense and he's more than willing to be creative and work around his guys' strengths.
Enter Greenard, who could easily fill the role of a three-point defensive end in the Commanders defense. Per ESPN, Greenard finished 2023 tied for the sixth-highest pass rush win rate and he tied for the fifth-most sacks (13) out of a true pass set, according to Pro Football Focus.
There's also a coaching tie: Commanders defensive line coach Darryl Tapp coached under Houston Texans head coach, DeMeco Ryans, for two years in San Fransisco. So, Tapp has a direct line when it comes to getting the most out of Greenard.
2) OLB Leonard Floyd
There was a reputation following Floyd, prior to 2023, that most of the success he had in Los Angeles was due to the presence of Aaron Donald. After all, the former first-rounder amassed 29.0 sacks in three seasons with the Rams compared to 18.5 in four seasons with the Chicago Bears.
Floyd proved everyone wrong last year, though. He led the Buffalo Bills with 10.5 sacks and had a very solid year.
If Quinn and Whitt Jr. want to have a two-point rusher/a guy they can move around the defense like they did Parsons, Floyd isn't a bad option. He shouldn't be very expensive, either, and could even serve as a veteran placeholder for a Day 2 draft pick. Either way, with two 10+ sack seasons and nearly 40.0 sacks over the last four years, it's clear Floyd is playing his best ball at 31-years-old and it wouldn't be a bad idea to ride the momentum.
3) DE Danielle Hunter
Hunter is arguably the top three-point pass rusher in this year's free agent class and he's going to get paid as such after a career-high 16.5 sack season that ended in a Pro Bowl nod and even had him in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation, at one point.
Hunter also led the NFL with 23 tackles for a loss, on top of 22 QB hits, four forced fumbles, and 83 total tackles. All those numbers either matched a previous career-best or surpassed it.
This is where things get really expensive for the Commanders. Hunter made it very clear he wanted a raise, last year, and he eventually got one. Currently, Spotrac projects him to make $20 million per year, but it could easily be a few million higher than that, based off our own projection. Hunter still has several good years left at just 29, so not only does he have excellent leverage – he also knows this is his last chance at signing a huge deal.
If the Commanders want to do it, they can. And the trio of Hunter, along with Payne and Allen will terrify the opposing 31 offenses.
Final word
Realistically, the Commanders are only signing one of these guys and that's the point – any of them make sense. If Washington really wanted to dip into the market and get some veterans on board, then Floyd, along with either Hunter or Greenard could happen, but probably not likely.
Either way, it'll be a big surprise if the Commanders don't add an established veteran to its pass rush in free agency.
