The Washington Commanders were busy during the early days of free agency. They locked Daron Payne in a long-term deal, agreeing to sign a massive 4-year, $90 million contract with players tagged with their franchise. Washington then embarked on upgrading its offensive line.
The Commanders may need up to three starters in the trenches in 2023. Right guard Boy Turner is set to attack free agency and the team will be looking to upgrade this season. Wes Schweitzer is also a free agent along with Tyler Larsen, Nick Martin and Wes Martin.
All five freelance agents are insiders attacking inside, leaving the Commanders without much depth. The team could also move on from center Chase Roullier, who made a longtime start for the franchise but has battled injuries over the past two seasons. He has a $12.42 cap hit in 2023, but releasing him would save him $4.3 million over the limit.
That might be why the Commanders jumped into free agency early on and added Nick Gates, formerly of the New York Giants. Gates suffers a severe leg injury in 2021 and his return is sure to be a triumph. He will compete for the starting centre-back position and also provide depth in the defenders.
Washington also signed Andrew Wylie from Kansas City Chiefs. Wylie will probably start on the right tackle, kicking Sam Cosmi inside for protection. His familiarity with new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy may have contributed to his signing.
Despite adding two new players to the depth of the attack line, Commanders can still use at least one player of the original caliber. That void can be filled by Will Hernandez, who is arguably the best fit for freelance agency.
Hernandez had a strong campaign in 2022 with the Arizona Cardinals. After four poor seasons with the Giants, when he was a second-round pick in 2018, Hernandez is finally starting to show the skill that made him a high-draw pick as well. So.
Last season, he ranked seventh among defenders in pass block win rate and 19th in run block win rate. In addition, Sports Info Systems tracked him with only 10 blows in 13 starting games, which is also a very high number.
While signing Hernandez at this point might be seen as a luxury, you can never have too many deep attack capabilities. Hernandez will provide coverage in the event that Cosmi cannot handle the defensive play, giving them a player more than capable of entering the starting XI and succeeding.
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