Washington Commanders unexpectedly reunite with old friend during NFL free agency to solidify questionable roster position

The Commanders are bringing back a familiar face to sure up a pivotal position on defense under Daronte Jones next season.

Josh Taylor — Washington Commanders News Writer
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The Washington Commanders are looking to bring in new talent to help out the roster, but sometimes that could be with a familiar face as well.

The defense has been the biggest focus of free agency after the Commanders dropped a massive bag on EDGE Odafe Oweh. That wasn’t their only move on the defensive line, and they now have an answer to help the interior as well, with an old friend coming back at defensive tackle.

Commanders sign DT Tim Settle in free agency

Getting help on defense is always welcomed, but so is bringing back a fan-favorite to do the job. The Commanders are bringing DT Tim Settle back to Washington after he spent the last two seasons with the Houston Texans and two seasons with the Buffalo Bills before that. The Commanders have agreed to a three-year, $24 million deal with Settle, and they’re hoping to get more pass rush from the interior.

Settle will bring size up front at 6-3, 313 pounds, and he was the 10th-highest graded pass-rushing defensive tackle last season. The sack numbers weren’t there, but he was very disruptive up front and had 17 pressures in 13 games before a foot injury kept him out after Week 13.

The Commanders lacked pass rush from the interior with Daron Payne, Javon Kinlaw, and Johnny Newton, and hopefully, Settle can bring some juice when he rotates in. They also didn’t have a sure player to fill in the nose tackle position in Daronte Jones’ odd-man fronts, but now they do.

The Commanders’ defensive line looks improved

The defensive line got better and younger after adding 27-year-old Oweh, and Settle is still just 28 years old as well. They still have plenty of moves left to make, but there were a lot of questions to answer at defensive tackle, especially with Payne having a hefty salary cap hit.

Settle gets a three-year deal to secure the position for the future as well, with Payne under contract for one more year. Hopefully, Newton can take a step forward, and Kinlaw has an out in his contract after the season as well, which is very likely to happen. The defensive tackle room can look completely different after the season, and Settle brings security and fills the nose tackle role.

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