Commanders’ biggest offseason gamble paid off with shocking result nobody expected in free agency

The Commanders risked losing their top free agent and ended up getting him back on a deal that nobody expected this offseason.

Josh Taylor — Washington Commanders News Writer
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The Washington Commanders were active in free agency, and they were the biggest spenders this offseason after bringing in new talent and extending franchise tackle Laremy Tunsil.

They brought back a few of their own early at the right price, but they also let some test the market. One of their top free agents was expected to have a strong market in free agency, so the Commanders rolled the dice and ended up coming away with the biggest win of the offseason.

Commanders re-signed LG Chris Paul to a cheap deal after testing the free agency market

The Commanders didn’t have a lot of free agents worth bringing back, and there are still a handful that haven’t been signed yet, but one was worth re-signing. LG Chris Paul was called one of the biggest sleepers in free agency, and was said to have a much stronger market than people realize, with a “he got paid what?” type of contract coming his way.

General manager Adam Peters didn’t stress it, and instead, he let the market tell Paul what he was worth and ended up bringing him back. There were projections of Paul making anywhere between $11 to $13 million, and the Commanders got him on a one-year, $3 million deal, which nobody saw coming.

Losing your starting LG wouldn’t have been ideal, but the Commanders were willing to risk it at the right price, and Paul is back to protect Jayden Daniels for another season.

The Commanders’ offensive line should be a strong unit once again

After extending Tunsil, bringing back Paul was the last move to make for the left side of the line, which will pick up where they left off last season.

The Commanders still have a giant question mark at the center position after releasing Tyler Biadasz, but they could add one in the NFL Draft to compete with Nick Allegretti. Whoever starts at center will at least have help to his left, with Paul only giving up two sacks last season as a surprising starter.

Paul does struggle in the run game, which is where the Commanders want to improve, but bringing him back after being one of the best pass-protecting guards in the NFL was the right move. A one-year deal shows that he is likely not the long-term answer, but the answer for next season at least.

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