The Washington Commanders face a defining offseason headlined by what the franchise does with the No. 2 overall pick. The consensus is that the team will draft a quarterback to begin this new era, but the draft decisions aren’t the only ones that need to be made.
As we head towards free agency, the Commanders have a significant amount of cap room and with general manager Adam Peters stating that Washington will look to add some pieces via free agency, what moves could the franchise make?
Well, how about getting a new offensive weapon for the new quarterback? Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd is expected to hit the market and NFL.com thinks that he could be an underpriced target for teams due to the depth of the receiver position in the upcoming draft.
“Given the dearth of high-end wide receivers hitting free agency, we could see a few eye-popping numbers tossed around at the top of the market,” NFL.com writes. “However, things could fall off as clubs decide to wait for a deep draft at the position. Boyd could slide into the void as a big-slot veteran. Coming off a down season in Cincy, the 29-year-old’s market figures to be suppressed. In the right scheme, he could be a great buy-low option for a team seeking slot production.”
New offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury already has a couple of nice weapons in Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Brian Robinson Jr. to work with, but behind them, things get a little thin.
While Boyd had a down year statistically, due in part to Joe Burrow being injured and out for most of it as he totaled 667 yards and two touchdowns from his 67 receptions, he could still prove to a valuable addition.
He had consistent patches of form in 2023 has he had recieving totals of 52, 39, 26, 39, 38, 40, 56 and 117 to start the year. But once Burrow went down with injury, his form suffered.
With the Commanders entering an important phase of their new regime, grabbing bargin free agents to help push Dan Quinn’s vision will be key.
If a new quarterback is taken with the No. 2 pick, getting him another veteran weapon to pair with McLaurin could prove to be a shrewd piece of business and at just $8.7 million APY, the Commanders should at least make a call.