Tracking the latest free agency rumors and signings for the Washington Commanders

The name may have been new, but the situation was all too familiar for the Washington Commanders. Another supposed answer at quarterback didn’t pan out, and the team missed the playoffs for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. This year, the Commanders will be looking to remedy their quarterback situation once again, eyeing an offseason approach that can put them back in competition as their division rivals all sit at least a tier or two ahead.

2022 in review

Washington finished 8-8-1 last year, a very slight improvement over their record the previous season. The big story for the Commanders, on the field anyway, was the Carson Wentz experiment. Hyped as The Answer when they signed him in the offseason, Wentz was terrible, before and after he spent some time on injured reserve last year.

That forced a constant rotation at quarterback for Washington—the most consistent option being Taylor Heinicke—that held back a talented group of skill players led by Terry McLaurin and rookie running back Brian Robinson. The Commanders averaged just 18.9 points per game. They gave Wentz his walking papers early in the offseason, and they’ll be looking for a quarterback once again this year.

On defense, the Commanders put forth a top-10 effort, allowing just over 20 points per game to opponents, which is somewhat incredible when you consider just how bad the offense was. Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne combined for 19 of the team’s 43 sacks. Some help in the secondary could easily make Washington one of the toughest pass defenses in the league.

In addition to cutting Wentz, the Commanders made a few other offseason moves. Most notable was placing the franchise tag on Payne, who had 11.5 sacks. They also released defensive back Bobby McCain.

Commanders free agency rumors, signings and losses

Signings

• The Commanders are signing former Browns QB Jacoby Brissett, per Dianna Russini. He should compete for a starting job with Sam Howell.
• Commanders re-signed DE Efe Obada to a one-year contract, per Ian Rapoport.

Losses

• Former Chiefs RT Andrew Wylie is signing a 3-year, $24 million contract with the Washington Commanders — Ari Meirov
• Commanders release RB J.D. McKissic, per Tom Pelissero.
• QB Taylor Heinicke has been signed by the Atlanta Falcons. He will likely compete with Desmond Ridder for the starting job — Ian Rapoport