Commanders add insurance plan at critical position by signing two free agents while they wait for major domino to fall
The Commanders addressed their biggest need by adding two free agents while they wait for the inevitable to happen finally.
The Washington Commanders have reloaded this offseason in free agency, and general manager Adam Peters has put on a masterclass this week.
Both sides of the ball have drastically improved with key additions at almost every position, but one still lacked a free agent signing after striking out multiple times. Peters made aggressive offers to wide receivers Alec Pierce and Romeo Doubs, but the Commanders finished second both times.
While they also await the release of Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers, they add two depth options to fix a glaring weakness.
Commanders sign free agent WR Dyami Brown
Peters didn’t want to wait around for Aiyuk to be released, so he went ahead and brought in a familiar face in the meantime to improve the depth in the WR room. The Commanders signed WR Dyami Brown to return to Washington after spending one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, which didn’t go well.
Grading the signing of WR Dyami Brown
The Commanders needed more bodies in the WR room, and Brown had a solid connection with Jayden Daniels in the playoffs two seasons ago, but he didn’t do much at all in the regular season in his four seasons in Washington. The plus side is that it’s only a one-year, $3 million deal, which is practically nothing after signing a one-year, $10 million deal with the Jaguars.
Brown can stretch the field as we’ve seen, and fits what David Blough wants to do on offense. He isn’t a roster lock by any means, but he’s a much better option than Chris Moore and Robbie Chosen for another season.
Grade: B-
Commanders also sign free agent WR Van Jefferson
They didn’t stop after signing Brown; they also added veteran WR Van Jefferson minutes later. Jefferson is another WR who has a need for speed and can stretch the field vertically, which they desperately need. The Commanders signed Jefferson to a one-year deal as well, and he’s in the same boat as Brown, as they both will compete for a roster spot.
Grading the signing of WR Van Jefferson
Jefferson isn’t a roster lock either, but another one-year deal that protects the Commanders’ WR room, which fell apart with injuries last season. Jefferson has been productive in his career, and despite a smaller role over the last two seasons, he still averages almost 12 yards per catch.
It’s impossible to hate either of these signings, and anything is better than what we saw. Peters knows not everything goes your way, so having a backup plan is critical, and there will be some intense battles for a roster spot in the WR room. A veteran also helps a younger QB in key moments, and Jefferson is 29 years old.
GRADE: C+
The bottom line regarding the Commanders’ WR room
The fact is that Peters has a plan in place that leaves every option on the table for the No. 7 overall pick. The Commanders can draft a WR early or wait until later on in the draft. This changes absolutely nothing with their plans in the NFL Draft, or with adding Aiyuk whenever he’s officially free.
What these two signings are saying is that they saw firsthand how bad the WR room was once Terry McLaurin went down, and they couldn’t let it happen again by adding multiple players midseason. I’d rather have these two than what we watched last season, but they also aren’t locks to make the team.
The Commanders have finally built a stable foundation for the entire roster in free agency, and the NFL Draft will be all about adding the best players available who can turn a good team into a special team.
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