Commanders Free Agency: Oweh Signing Highlights Busy Day

It felt like four years to Commanders fans, but in fact it took General Manager Adam Peters about four and a half hours.

Just after 4:30 Monday afternoon, the Commanders announced the signing of Chargers edge rusher Odafe Oweh to a four-year, $100 million deal with $68 million guaranteed.

Prior to Oweh, Peters locked up left tackle Laremy Tunsil with a two-year, $60.1 million extension and signed free agent cornerback Amik Robertson of the Detroit Lions and re-signed backup quarterback Marcus Mariota.

The signing of Tunsil avoids the long, drawn-out negotiating process the team suffered trying to get wide receiver Terry McLaurin under contract last offseason. Earlier in the day, Washington was rumored to have been heavily involved in pursuit of Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce, who decided to re-sign with Indianapolis. Fans in the Twittersphere and on talk radio were openly frustrated with the fact the team did not land Pierce, who got about $28 million a year, a price that left several top-tier receivers making more than the fourth-year pro.

Oweh immediately improves the defense, specifically the pass rush. After a slow start in Baltimore last season, Oweh was traded to Los Angeles where he recorded 11 sacks and 24 hurries. He finished the year ranked as the 16th-best pass rusher as graded by PFF.com. His pass-rushing grade of 81.0 was better than Nick Bosa, Maxx Crosby, and T.J. Watt.

As of now, Oweh will be counted on to start opposite Dorance Armstrong, who is expected back after a season-ending injury in Week Seven. At 27, Oweh is coming off his rookie contract, and the expectation is that he will be coming into his own as a pass rusher with a number of productive years ahead.

Robertson was not one of the marquee names at cornerback but was impressive against some of the league’s top receivers last year. More importantly, he is best suited to play nickel, enabling Mike Sainristil to move outside where the Commanders feel he will be more effective.

What comes next?

That’s a good question. Washington still needs a wide receiver opposite Terry McLaurin. As of this writing, Romeo Doubs, Juwan Jennings, and Rashid Shaheed are still on the market (among others), while Pierce, Mike Evans, and Jalen Nailor signed with Indy, San Francisco, and Las Vegas respectively. Brandon Aiyuk is still rumored to be on the Commanders’ radar, but after a nightmare season with the 49ers which saw him leave the facility and never come back, it’s unlikely Washington would gamble big money on a player with both on- and off-field issues.

Homecoming for a Hokie

Late in the afternoon, defensive tackle Tim Settle signed a three-year, $24 million contract. Settle was drafted by Washington in 2018 and has served as a good rotation piece not just for Washington but also for Buffalo and Houston. Last year, he had 10 tackles and 16 hurries in 13 games. He will bolster a defensive line that is switching from a 4–3 base to a 3–4, and Settle will be counted on to take up space.

Elsewhere around the league

The Las Vegas Raiders opened the checkbook on Day One, spending $194 million on center Tyler Linderbaum, Nailor, Eric Stokes, and Kwity Paye. That’s a new center, receiver, cornerback, and edge rusher respectively. They’ll need all four to pan out if they hope to close the gap with the rest of the AFC West.

The Tennessee Titans were also busy, doling out $238 million in free agent contracts. The Titans signed linebacker John Franklin-Myers, cornerback Alontae Taylor, wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, quarterback Mitch Trubisky, and cornerback Cor’Dale Flott.

The biggest name still uncommitted is also the biggest name on the list, edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. The Cincinnati Bengals decided not to use the franchise tag on Hendrickson, but as of this writing, he remains unsigned.