Commanders’ approach at franchise tag window reveals bigger picture issue that needs to be fixed
The Commanders have the most free agents, but none are worth the franchise tag, which shows how bad the roster is right now.
The Washington Commanders are heading into an offseason with many roster changes ahead after revamping the coaching staff.
The first major event of the offseason is the franchise tag window, which runs from February 17th to March 3rd. Teams can franchise tag a player before they head into free agency, and it protects them from losing a top free agent on their team without paying them a long-term deal.
The Commanders will be one of the teams that stay put during the franchise window, which is concerning given their current situation.
The Commanders won’t use the franchise tag on anyone
The franchise tag window is now officially open, and there are plenty of candidates around the league who can receive it. The Commanders will be sitting back and watching who gets the franchise tag, and ultimately be removed from their free agency wishlist.
The Commanders won’t be placing the franchise tag on anyone, despite having an NFL-high 32 free agents this offseason. That’s very concerning, considering how many players are free agents, yet none are worth losing sleep over. The franchise tag is a high price to pay, and the Commanders’ top free agent is WR Deebo Samuel, who actually has a high market this offseason.
This shows you how bad the roster has been built over the last handful of offseasons, and why general manager Adam Peters needs to fix it this offseason.
The Commanders need cornerstone players to build around
It would be nice for the Commanders to have a George Pickens or a Trey Hendrickson, but the hard truth is that they don’t. They have three key cornerstone players in Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, and Laremy Tunsil, but that’s it.
Peters needs to swing big this offseason and land more players to build around, especially on defense. The Commanders have a top-5 salary cap space in the NFL this offseason, so they have plenty of ammo for fireworks. They can’t afford another cheap and older approach as they head into 2026.
The Commanders also have only six picks in the NFL Draft, so taking the absolute best players available should be the approach. Building out the roster and filling the holes in free agency should be the approach before the draft, and hopefully, certain teams decide not to use the franchise tag so the Commanders can swing on Kenneth Walker III, Kyle Pitts, or Breece Hall.
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