Three cut candidates for Commanders to free up more salary cap space before 2026 NFL free agency period
The Commanders have three cut candidates who could free up even more salary cap space before they go on a spending spree in free agency.
The Washington Commanders are well-equipped to go all-in during free agency and make some splashes on the roster.
General manager Adam Peters had a quiet offseason last year, which set them back this year, but this is his opportunity to spend and rebuild the roster. They’ll have many difficult decisions to make with 32 pending free agents this offseason, but they also have a top-5 salary cap space in the NFL.
Three obvious cut candidates could free up even more salary cap space, and they could easily be replaced and upgraded in the process.
Marshon Lattimore, CB
Cornerback Marshon Lattimore is the most obvious cut candidate with a 2026 salary cap saving of $18.5 million, and no dead cap hit. The trade for Lattimore, which involved multiple draft picks, turned out to be a disaster and a massive mistake by Peters. Now, Peters has to cut his losses and save that salary cap for more players in free agency.
Lattimore suffered a torn ACL that complicates things this offseason, but his off-the-field issues didn’t help him one bit either. There’s no doubt the Commanders will cut Lattimore; it’s just a matter of when, with all the factors included in the decision.
Nick Allegretti, OL (Post June 1st)
Nick Allegretti signed a three-year, $16 million deal with the Commanders back in 2024, which is a reasonable deal, but things never worked out with him being a full-time starter at left guard. Allegretti played 1,146 snaps in 2024, but then quickly lost his job to Brandon Coleman, who then lost it to Chris Paul, who is a free agent this offseason.
The Commanders have depth and will likely bring Paul back at the right price, and they should have no problem finding another depth guard player this offseason. Releasing Allegretti with a post June 1st designation would save the Commanders $6 million in 2026, and only carries a dead cap hit of $1.178 million over each of the next three years.
Quan Martin, Safety
This one might surprise some people, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they moved on from Quan Martin. Head coach Dan Quinn benched Martin after he gave up the long touchdown to Dallas Cowboys WR KaVontae Turpin on Christmas Day, and that’s with the secondary as bad as it was. Martin showed some flashes in 2024, but 2025 was as bad as it gets.
The Commanders will have plenty of opportunities to upgrade with a loaded safety draft class and a deep group of free agents as well. Moving on from Martin saves the Commanders $3.6 million in 2026, and carries a dead cap hit of just $638,695. The Commanders can’t afford to have a liability in the secondary anymore.
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