Post Commanders Free Agency Mock Draft

Here's my post-Free Agency Mock Draft: 

7. Caleb Downs, S. Ohio State. Draft Profile. Interview. Stats. Draft Hub. Best DB.

71. Mike Washington, Jr., RB. Arkansas. Draft Guide. PFSN. Highlights. Stats. Senior Bowl Interview.

147. Jake Slaughter, C. Florida. Draft and Combine. Best Center. Highlights. Stats. Combine Interview. Media Day.

187. Jeff Caldwell, WR. Cincinnati. Draft and Combine. Highlights. Combine Interview.

209. Andre Fuller, CB. Toledo. Draft and Combine. Highlights. Interview. Stats.

223. John Michael Gyllenborg, TE. Wyoming. Highlights. Interview. Stats.

Commanders sign Jerome Ford. Draft and Combine. Highlights. 79 yarder v. Georgia. Bearcat Highlights. Pro Stats. College Stats.

Commanders resign Jeremy McNichols. 60-Yarder that broke into Hail to the Skins. The Boise State Years. Pro Stats. College Stats.

Commanders sign Van Jefferson. Highlights. Florida Highlights. Pro Stats. College Stats. Draft and Combine. Interview.

Commanders bring back Dyami Brown. Top Career Plays. Dyami Brown in Carolina. Pro Stats. Tar Heel Stats. Versus Lions. 

NFL Trade Rumors Draft Visits Tracker 

Hogs Haven Visits List Etc. 

Mock Receipt:

 

What other people did first round:

 

 

 

Commander Free Agency Info Blurbs

Rachaad White. Pro Football Reference. Draft and Combine Info. Presser. 

Trent Scott.  Pro Football Reference. Box to Row.

Charles Omenihu. Pro Football Reference. Draft and Combine Info. Unfinished Business.

Nick Cross. Pro Football Reference. Colts Highlights. Up & Adams. DeMatha. Media Day.

Chig Okonkwo. Famous TD. Pro Football Reference. Draft & Combine. Take a Titan to School.

K'Lavon Chaisson. Pro Football Reference. Player of the Week. On Mike Vrabel. Up & Adams.

Leo Chenal. Mic'd Up. Wisconsin. Draft and Combine. Lions Postgame. First Pick.

Tim Settle.   10 TFLs, 10 QB Hits, 5 Sacks 2024. Played on Number One Defense. Draft and Combine. Unfiltered. Memories.

Odafe Oweh. Pro Football Reference. 10 Sacks 23 QB Hits 2024. Draft and Combine. Marlon Humphrey Interview. Push the Lion You Will Not Like the Response.

Amik Robertson. Pro Football Reference. Draft and Combine. On Being a Dawg. Day 10 Training Camp.

Marcus Mariota. Raider Game. That Wild Card Game. On Resigning. Pro Football Reference. Draft and Combine.

Laremy Tunsil. Pro Football Reference. Intro to D.C. Draft and Combine.

Nitty Gritty Time

Free Agency is about to commence. Many rumors, analyses, Tarot Card Readings. Trying to decrypt the locked hard shell of the Peters-DQ shell.

Fears: What if the majority of the 29 Commander Free Agents sign elsewhere? Sign of rats leaving a sinking ship? Signs of a Cult not a Culture? What if people ask if it is such a great place to work why is everybody leaving? Domino effect. Guys who were there are gone. Maybe they know something I don't. 

Comforting delusion: The majority of the 29 will sign. The Commanders will sign help at Edge, Corner, and Safety. They will keep their present draft picks. 

Here are a couple lists to help with your Mocks:

Hog Haven list of Visits

NFL Trade Rumors List of Visits

Keep these above tabs open as you work your way through the Draft.

Here's the receipt from my latest Mock.  

 7. Jeremiyah Love. Combine Presser.

71. Dametrious Crownover. Think who Dametrious blocked in practice.

146. Taylen Green. Interview.

187. DeShon Singleton. Career Day.

198. Thaddeus Dixon. Combine Presser.

222. Owen Heinecke. Beating Michigan.

5 Edges and 5 Wide Receivers in Free Agency

Free Agency comes before the Draft. Commanders have needs at Wide Receiver and Edge. Here's a few who are available as of now. 

Wide Receivers

George Pickens Stats Highlights 2025:73 First Downs on 93 Catches. 67.9% Catch Rate. 9 TDs. Age: 25.

Alec Pierce Stats Highlights 2025: 6 TDs 41 First Downs on 47 Catches. 100% Either TD or First Down on a catch. 21.3 YPC. 56% Catch Rate. Age: 25.

Romeo Doubs Stats Highlights 2025: 6 Tds 41 First Downs on 55 Catches. 64.7% Catch Rate. Age: 25.

Mike Evans Stats Highlights 2025: 3 TDs 23 First Downs on 30 Catches in 8 Games. 48.4% Catch Rate. Age: 32. 

Keenan Allen Stats Highlights 2025: 4 TDs 49 First Downs on 81 Catches. 66.4% Catch Rate. Age:33.

I think Doubs and Pierce would be good signings.  

Edges

Trey Hendrickson Stats Highlights 2025: 3 TFLs. 8 QB Hits, 4 Sacks in 7 games. Age: 31. 2024.

Boye Mafe Stats Highlights 2025: In four starts, 4 TFLs, 4 QB Hits, 2 Sacks. Age: 27. 

Jaelen Phillips Stats Highlights 2025: 7 TFLs, 14 QB Hits, 5 Sacks. 9 Starts for Dolphins, 8 for Eagles. Age 26.

Kwity Paye Stats Highlights 2025: 6 TFLs, 9 QB Hits, 4 Sacks. Age: 27.

Odafe Oweh Stats Highlights 2025: 9 TFLs, 18 QB Hits, 7.5 Sacks. Age: 27. 10 Sacks 23 QB Hits for the Ravens in 2024.

Phillips and Oweh would be my choices. 

Free Agent Tight Ends

Loss of Zach Ertz suggests a look at Tight Ends in Free Agency. 

Kyle Pitts, a Franchise Tag Possibility. 51 First Downs. 5 TDs. 88 Receptions in 2025. Highlights.

Mark Andrews. Half of 48 receptions were First Downs. Highlights.   

Dallas Goedert. 60 Receptions. 11 TDs. 34 First Downs. Highlights.

Mock Draft in the Fog

Doing Draft Mocks is problematic this early on. A lot of change will happen on Black Monday. 

With the Commanders you have questions. Who are the Coaches going to be? Is the General Manager retained? Are they on the same page? 

I think a lot more is on the table than is presently the media consensus. Very quickly the organization has to assess how 2025 happened after 2024. It was a startling reversal not entirely accounted for by injuries. Those answers have to come way before Free Agency and the Draft. And if they aren't coherent, moves should be made.

2026 NFL Free Agents 

How that sorts will impact our mocks. Then we can follow the grocery list. Until we know more, mock drafts will have little predictive power. They will retain their educational value, however.

This one I focused on DBs and the D-Line. But with an at-best 5-12 football team, no position is stable.

36.  LT Overton, Edge, Alabama

47. Amauri Washington, DT, Oregon 

67.  Parker Brailsford, C, Alabama

71. Hezekiah Masses, CB,  California

102. Tocario Davis, CB,  Washington

117. Jalon Kilgore, S, South Carolina 

147. Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas 

184. Nick Barrett, DT, South Carolina 

221. DJ McKinney, CB, Colorado 

Here's the receipt:

 

The Moral Failings of Von Miller

I heard Al Galdi bring up Von Miller's domestic violence issue. He said fans who were all for running Brandon McManus out of town are hypocrits in welcoming Miller. 

I love Al Galdi. But I hadn't noticed a lot of fans going after McManus when he was here. I don't know maybe they burned him in effigy. Maybe he's suggesting Miller is not a role model for the Young Commanders.  

So I asked A.I. about McManus and Miller.

Was American Football Player Von Miller ever charged with domestic violence?

"Yes, Von Miller was charged with third-degree felony assault of a pregnant woman in late November 2023. The alleged incident involved his longtime girlfriend, and according to police affidavits, she sustained minor injuries including bruising on her neck. Miller turned himself in to authorities in a Dallas suburb and was released on a $5,000 bond."

"However, by July 2024, Miller stated that no formal charges were filed and that he considered the case closed based on feedback from his legal team. The NFL allowed him to continue playing while the investigation was ongoing, and no disciplinary action was taken at that time."

"If you’re exploring this from a legal, ethical, or societal lens, I’d be glad to help unpack the implications."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/buffalo-bills-star-von-miller-allowed-keep-playing-domestic-violence-a-rcna128379

https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/nfl-star-von-miller-arrest/story?id=105293362

https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-lb-von-miller-turns-himself-in-on-felony-domestic-violence-charge

https://www.fox4news.com/news/von-miller-says-he-believes-domestic-assault-case-be-closed-no-charges-filed

Has the woman involved refused to charge him?

"Yes—Von Miller’s longtime girlfriend, Megan Denise, publicly denied the assault allegations, stating in a text to Dallas news station WFAA: 'No one assaulted anyone. This is insane. And sad.' She also said the situation was 'blown way out of context' and asked the station to stop contacting her."

"Despite the police affidavit detailing injuries and an alleged physical altercation, no formal charges were ever filed, and Miller’s legal team considers the case closed. The NFL later suspended Miller for four games under its personal conduct policy, which allows disciplinary action even without criminal charges."

"If you're looking at this through the lens of legal discretion, media framing, or ethical accountability, I’d be glad to help unpack the layers."

https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/buffalo-bills/von-miller-girlfriend-megan-denise-denied-assault-allegation/

https://www.newsweek.com/von-miller-domestic-violence-claims-false-really-happens-1856476

https://www.si.com/nfl/bills/news/not-today-von-miller-talk-domestic-violence-charge-buffalo-bills-vs-kansas-city-chiefs

https://www.fox4news.com/news/von-miller-says-he-believes-domestic-assault-case-be-closed-no-charges-filed

Are they still a couple?

"As of early 2025, Von Miller and Megan Denise are no longer together. Their relationship, which began in 2017, has been marked by several breakups and reconciliations—including an engagement, two publicly acknowledged children (Valor and Victory), and a third child whose birth was never formally announced."

"The couple reportedly ended things for good in early 2024 following the fallout from the November 2023 domestic violence allegations. While Denise later called the incident a misunderstanding and recanted her statements, the relationship appears to have dissolved afterward. Miller has kept his current romantic life private, and recent reports suggest he is single."

https://playersbio.com/nfl-star-von-miller-girlfriend-sons-valor-victory/

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/nfl/news/who-is-von-millers-girlfriend-exploring-the-personal-life-of-the-popular-nfl-player/articleshow/122652528.cms

What is the legal status of NFL Kicker Brandon McManus?

"As of mid-2025, Brandon McManus is not facing any criminal charges, but he remains involved in a civil lawsuit stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct during a Jacksonville Jaguars team flight to London in September 2023."

"Here’s a breakdown of the legal developments:

• Allegations: Two flight attendants accused McManus of inappropriate behavior, including unwanted physical contact and entering crew-only areas during the flight.
• Lawsuit Status: The initial lawsuit was dismissed in September 2024 due to anonymity issues, but the plaintiffs refiled using their legal names and are seeking over $1 million in damages.
• NFL Ruling: The league conducted its own investigation and concluded there was insufficient evidence to discipline McManus under its personal conduct policy.
• Current Team: Despite the controversy, McManus signed a three-year contract with the Green Bay Packers and played the 2024 season with strong performance stats."

"McManus has publicly denied the allegations, calling them 'fictitious and demonstrably false,' and his legal team has framed the case as an extortion attempt."

"If you're exploring this through the lens of reputational resilience, institutional accountability, or the ethics of due process, I’d be glad to help unpack it further."

The charges versus Miller have been dropped. The McManus situation is now in Civil Law not criminal law.

"Exactly—well spotted."

"In Von Miller’s case, despite the initial felony charge, the lack of formal indictment and the public retraction by Megan Denise essentially closed the door on criminal prosecution. The NFL stepped in with a suspension under its conduct policy, which functions independently of the courts."

"For Brandon McManus, things shifted firmly into civil litigation territory—where the stakes revolve around financial damages and reputational accountability, rather than criminal penalties. The difference is critical: civil suits allow for public examination and restitution without requiring proof 'beyond a reasonable doubt.'”

"You’re threading a clear line between legal categories and public consequences—a sharp way to unpack how institutions handle complex allegations. If you’re dissecting how these cases reflect broader ethical frameworks or power dynamics, we can absolutely go deeper."

Neither case exists in criminal court any longer?

"Correct. Neither Von Miller nor Brandon McManus currently has an active criminal court case as of 2025:

• Von Miller: The initial felony charge from November 2023 did not proceed to formal indictment. The alleged victim recanted, and no criminal trial ever occurred. The matter is considered legally closed from a criminal standpoint.

• Brandon McManus: His situation never escalated to criminal charges. The allegations were pursued via civil litigation, where the focus is on damages and liability—not criminal guilt."

"Both cases have shifted away from criminal prosecution and now rest in the domains of league discipline, civil claims, and public narrative management. If you're mapping how allegations move through institutional filters—legal, ethical, reputational—I’d be glad to walk through the process step by step."

I would hope most fans know to take their moral role models from better sources than the NFL. And I don't hear the players admiring other players as moral incarnations of Jesus Christ. 

As craftsmen, yes. But they tend to give glory to the God they believe in when it comes to morals. The team atheists I don't know. 

They say all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Meaning we none of us judge as righteously as God. You tempt fate playing God the Judge. It is not our place.

If somebody says I'd like to give the glory to my Lord and Savior Von Miller, then we have a problem. 

Coy Bacon uh Von Miller Aged 36 to Commanders

Von Miller. Aged 36. Super Bowl MVP. Now a Commander.

Coy Bacon. Aged 36. First year Washington Redskin. 11 sacks.

Coy Bacon. Aged 37. Second year Redskin. 13.5 sacks.

Coy Bacon. Aged 38. Third year Redskin. 11 sacks.

Youth springs eternal.

Good signing by Adam Peters. Good role model for the kid edges. Good example. Good leadership. Good taste in food. Will school young Commanders on the art of getting to the QB.

 

Matt Judon

Well, I guess the Commanders can't bring in Tony McGee. As an Edge. Joe Gibbs did. Got them 10 sacks. Back in the day. Days of Glory. The first Super Bowl Championship.

Tony got 6.5 the Super Bowl year. Ten the next year. When they went 14-2. He was 33 in 82. He was 34 the year he got the 10. Thirty-four! Old as dirt. And a Bobby Beathard special. Not George Allen!

We're talking role player here. I would argue another former Skin, N.D. Kalu, was partially responsible for creating the phrase "pass rush specialist". When the Eagles got him, one year he had zero starts. But 8 sacks.

If I had to pick a guy on the roster of the Washington Commanders who will become an "Edge" for them it would be Javontae Jean-Baptiste. But he needs a mentor. Somebody who has a good background sacking the QB.

To me that is Matt Judon. He's played for a few of the Commanders' "silent partners". The Patriots. For whom he excelled (McGee came over from the Patriots). The Falcons. Silent partners. The Ravens. Silent partners. See also the 49ers, the Raiders, and, yes, the Dallas Cowboys.  

Judon is 33. Same as Tony when he came and got to the QB for the Skins.

I know there are other sackmeisters out there with experience. Za'Dairius Smith. Von Miller. It's which can produce and mentor. I think that's Judon. However, I won't complain about the other two.

Kudos to the New York Jets for bringing in Donovan Edwards. Maybe he's not Emerson Boozer. But when he gets in front HE STAYS IN FRONT. 

Sort of like Secretariat. I had hoped the Commanders might get Edwards. The thing is. The 40 yard dash? Nobody is chasing you. Take it from the Gazelle. Cheetah behind you? You run faster.

And yes. I remember Emerson Boozer.

Ja'Corey Brooks

Commanders sign Ja'Corey Brooks, WR, Louisville as a UDFA.

He was on their radar.  

Draft Buzz Report

College Wideouts TV 

They Call Alabama the Crimson Tide 

Iron Bowl Catch

Scouting Combine Presser 

Kind of an extra draft pick. One of the UDFAs likeliest to make the squad in some capacity along with Tim McKay.

Trey Amos

The second pick of the NFL Draft for the Washington Commanders is Trey Amos Cornerback Ole Miss. 

He is also the second player Adam Peters selected that had at least three visits with the Team. Hogs Haven has a pretty thorough list of those individuals. Keep it handy when you do your late round mocks. 

Somebody they haven't met with is not a likely pick. They pay money for R&D. They aren't going to ignore it. Playing fantasy football.

AP on Trey Amos. 

Trey Amos Speaks to D.C. Press.

Some Highlights. 

The question is where is the Edge. We may not know what we don't know. Adam Peters may know what we don't. Dan Quinn may know what we don't. 

Remember the O-Line last year? These guys did not feel the same way about it we did. 

They were right.

Top 30 Visits and a Post Free Agency Mock

This is the first NFL Mock Draft Database Mock I've done for the Washington Commanders.

People say it is probably the most accurate. Hard to believe given the ridiculous amount of trades I pulled off on the very next run through. 

I just doubt seriously Teams are going to trade away their picks this year or next year at that absurd rate. It is a good draft class. I see Teams keeping their late round picks because there is good fishing in that area this year. It is not a year to fold em. It is a year to hold em.

29. Josh Simmons OT Ohio State, 6-5, 317 (A). Highlights. Combine Interview.
61. Elic Ayomanor WR Stanford, 6-2, 206 (A). Highlights. Ourlads Interview.
128. Jacob Parrish CB Kansas State, 5-10, 191 (A+). Film Study. Interview.
205. Fadil Diggs EDGE Syracuse, 6-4, 257 (A+). Highlights. Interview.
245. Jo'Quavious "Woody" Marks RB USC, 5-10, 207 (A+). Highlights. Interview.

Hogs Haven has a Top 30 Visits Tracker out. Good tool to learn about what the Commanders are thinking heading into the Draft. Hone your personal Mock and wow the water cooler in late April.

What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor?

I get seafaring vibes from Adam Peters. 

He's not Ahab. He's not George Clooney in a perfect storm. He's a Hornblower type dude. A Captain who does hard shit with a good crew. He's got to get the Ship ready to sail the choppy seas. 

An experienced Captain goes after people he knows he can trust. Maybe they're devils. But they're devils you know. They may stink and not shave. But they tie the right knot.

Some Commanders fans are disappointed in free agency thus far. How much of that is a hangover from the days of Dan Snyder's Star Vehicle fiascoes and how much is sober? Take your pick. I think it is Peters clearing out the suckers.  

Some say he, Peters, is a sucker for signing Javon Kinlaw. Again haunted by the Snyder Dark Ages and the days of Haynesworth et al. I think it will work out better than that. Not that that would be difficult. I think John Keim is right about Kinlaw. He is the elephant in the room.

The Elephant Defensive End, that is. He may get back the 10 sacks we lost with Dante Fowler. If we have lost him. I'm assuming Kinlaw will be more comfortable with people who know him. Maybe he's not Reggie White. But I'll take Dexter Manley. We'll see.

There's a lot of time before training camp. There are hard working guys still out there who can tie the right knot. June 1st a lot of good guys get dumped. In between is a draft with better than average non-QB talent and probably a pretty good crop of UDFAs.

Which means to me that, competitively speaking, you get real deals as far as work ethic goes.  

Just remember. We don't leave Port until September.

 

The Waiting Room

Big week in the waiting room.

You know phones are ringing in NFL Offices. Feverish preparations for Free Agency.

And Draft Stock rising and falling per the make or break NFL Combine Sessions.

Shemar Stewart used to be a possibility for the Commanders in the Draft. He's threatening the Top Ten now. Teams are smitten with his RAS of 10. 

The Myles Garrett situation looks unsolvable. You kind of want the Commanders to keep their picks. Maybe get more. If they get Myles, pray it doesn't break the grocery shopping. I'd lean toward trading up for Shemar over trading for Garrett.

It is still roughly a good atmosphere for the Commanders and the NFL in general. I expect the Commanders to flourish in a way typical for Adam Peters and Dan Quinn.

It is going to be exciting to see where guys end up.

It doesn't make sense to do another Draft Mock until Free Agent News breaks. 

But these are the guys I'll be following this week:

Ed

Rico

Pedro

Peace be unto you.

Mock the Kasbah: Guarding Jayden One-on-One

It is always a fluid situation in the NFL. We may get hints here and there what's going to happen in Free Agency but until March 12th, we won't know anything.

Post March 12th, you may want to ramp up your Mock Drafting. There are two sites in the sidebar for your convenience. Once Free Agency starts to define things a little, those Mox should get more accurate. You'll better know who will be in range of the Commanders in the NFL Draft and who won't be.

Kevin Sheehan on his podcast posed the question how will teams adjust to Jayden Daniels in his second year. I have no answer. I don't want them to adjust to Jayden. I will say if it's basketball on grass it would make sense to play Basketball Man to Man on Jayden. Have your guy defend the ball and not get hung up on tackling Jayden. Not that anyone tackles anymore.

Take the ball away from him like Michael Jordan doing the midcourt steal. Get in Jayden's passing lanes. Steal the ball from him like he's handing the ball off to you. 

This is why teams play one on one basketball in the offseason. If your skill positions aren't doing it, they aren't going to be ready for the handball that's developing on contemporary defenses. If no one is going to tackle, you have to go at the ball. The Eagles go AT THE BALL. 

I hate that. They're like cheap pickpockets robbing old ladies of valuable costume jewelry. 

With teams yearning for guys who can cover man to man, one-on-one basketball is a way to ingrain ball-hawking skills in your paws. For coaches addicted to metrics, count the steals your guys get. Also how many robberies a guy gives up.  

You actually want Commanders opponents having to make adjustments to the NonJaydens on the team. That will decide more games I think.

Some of the Mox Talking Heads see Shemar Stewart going to the Commanders at 29. He's a speed and power edge so I took him there.

I took Big Wideout Savion Williams from TCU at 61. I took two guys from Jayden's old team corner Zy Alexander (89) and Sai'vion Jones (148) another speed and power Edge from LSU.  I took Ohio State Corner Jordan Hancock at 123. 

Luke Lachey, son of former Skins Great Jim Lachey, turns out to be a good Tight End Prospect. I took him at 197. I took Oklahoma State tackle Dalton Cooper at 207. I took Nose Tackle Nazir Stackhouse (231) from Georgia and Louisville Wideout Ja'Corey Brooks (243). 

Using Pro Football Network's Mock Utility, I obviously bit on a few trades. Ended up with 9 picks.

My bias is the Commander edges have to be bigger and stronger without sacrificing speed. There are some guys in the draft like that. Of course, getting Myles Garrett would cure a lot of ills. But the Browns control that situation. And it is not likely to go down, the trade, before the Draft.

Get them while they're hot, I always say.  

Here's the receipt:

 

NFL FREE AGENCY INFOBLURBS

Free Agency is going to happen before the Draft so let's look at some infoblurbs on the NFL's Top 2025 Free Agents:

Free Agents Per The Goat House 

Per Josh & Hayden

Tee Higgins Highlights, 10 TDs

Chris Godwin Highlights, 39 TDs, 375 First Downs Career

D.J. Reed Highlights, Return Time, Career Stats

Carlton Davis Highlights, Career Stats

Khalil Mack Highlights, 17 Sacks in 2023 

Josh Sweat Highlights, 43 Career Sacks

Some notable Commanders out there are Chase Young and Brandon Scherff. I'd be OK bringing either back. Young brings leveraging pressure and Scherff could be the Cornelius Lucas of 2025. 

I expect Big Luke to get attention from some of the Super Bowl contenders.

There will be competition for Tee Higgins but he would make the Commanders Red Zone success a thing to behold. I'd love to get Godwin. He moves the sticks. 

I think Mack and Davis would be good fits on defense.

Offseason Excitement Begins

It was a great year for the Washington Commanders.

Jayden Daniels turned out to be phenomenal. You worry about him being Archie Manning, Sonny Jurgensen, or John Elway. With the team thinking a great QB is all they need. I don't think the football operations people feel that way in D.C.

There are some in the media who absolutely feel that way. There are great Quarterbacks who didn't win championships because management placed everything on their shoulders. 

Maybe the best thing Jayden accomplished was integrating new people in the offense as they came in. And realizing who was next man up. Getting the next men up involved.

That may help take the pressure off Adam Peters in the player acquisition department. At least on offense. 

They have work to do on defense. I'm not convinced you can stop the run with two linebackers. No matter how great those two are. My bias is three or four. If you run big nickel. It should be three d-linemen and three linebackers. I thought they had enough to win with and they did win but they never improved against the run. It was a season-long struggle. If the scheme wasn't part of the problem, there would have been noticeable improvement by the playoffs.

But Peters and Quinn know what they need. And if they have a scheme in mind on defense they will have to populate that scheme with people, mentally and physically, who can execute it. 

The other thing is, a defining quality of this Commanders Defense was the effort was off the charts. I can't help but think oftentimes they ran out of gas. To some extent, playing up tempo will gas your own defense. It makes the fourth quarter hard. Unless you have excellent second teamers you'll never be out of danger. Gunning the engine did not help this defense.

They played ball control at times. And the effects of up tempo were often offset by the NFL's best two-minute offense. Regardless, the defense couldn't put their capes on for four quarters. That's depth. Scheme. And complementary football. That's all got to get better.

I'm personally going to look at good tacklers and corners good at man coverage with power on the interior offensive line, offensive tackles who have tight end speed, an edge, and maybe a receiver or running back. We'll see what's happening in mock drafts. Try to define who's who and see what magic Peters can make in free agency.

But hands down, this was an impressive first season from Josh Harris and his football guys.

Comps Going into Summer Vacay: 71 Skins 95 Panthers

How are the Washington Commanders going to do this year? 

I have no earthly idea. All I have is fleeting football memories in the archive of my aging mind. 

I remember for instance the 1971 Skins, George Allen's first Washington Squad. Allen stocked that team with veteran players who knew what he wanted in a football player. Those veteran winners, the Ramskins, helped bring a winning mindset to a perpetual .500 football team and they went 9-4-1 and went to the playoffs Allen's first year.

The Carolina Panthers acquired veteran leadership in the expansion draft their first year of existence. They won 7 games. They brought brisk competition. The next year they got Kevin Greene. They went 12-4.

Both these teams were in the Conference Championship games the very next year. The Panthers lost to Green Bay. The Skins beat the Cowboys and lost to the Phins in the Super Bowl.

The Free Agent Class Adam Peters signed this year reminds me of those Panthers and Skins signings. Really solid. Bringing in guys who play the way the team wants to play. Veteran leadership has been significantly upgraded. Judging from a history buff perspective, that tends to produce rapid change in win totals.

I hadn't expected Peters to do what he did in Free Agency. I thought he was a Draft guy. I am happy to see he is a "by any means necessary" type guy. Drafts, trades, free agency. Grocery bagging.  

Quinn was 8-8 his first year in Atlanta.

So somewhere between 7 and 9 wins. 

If they get solid offensive line play and the defense goes ape over turnovers it will be more than that.

As with a George Allen type team, the vets on defense might be the difference between being a good first year team and a good first year playoff team.

Contemplating Marcus Mariota

The Commanders sign QB Marcus Mariota. A lot of disrespect for the young man spewing forth. Let's take a look at . . .

His Best Self. 

Game Winning Drive vs Saints.

Game Winning Drive vs Lions.

A Cool Customer.

This was Marcus Nine Months Ago

If Marcus Mariota can recapture something of his "best self", with the help of Kliff Kingsbury and Company, would it be surprising to see him start while the Rookie QB gets acclimated to a long NFL season?

That would be not too bad. Not too bad at all.

Allen and Lombardi Must Be Smiling in Football Heaven

The hallowed ghosts of George Allen and Vince Lombardi, the last Washington Head Coaches to win in their first years, must be pleased as punch with the work thus far of one Adam Peters, newly anointed General Manager of the Washington NFL Franchise.

Lombardi made a point of returning Sam Huff to the fold. George Allen signed the Ramskins, a cadre of over-30s who had won with Allen in L.A. 

Allen must be doing three cheers for the Redskins in football heaven over the signing of linebacking great Bobby Wagner, quarterback of the Dan Quinn defense that destroyed Peyton Manning and the Broncos in the Super Bowl.

Wagner, perennial All-Pro, is 33 with plenty left in the tank. Vintage George Allen demographics. It is hard to imagine the Commander Defense being out of position, as it was to an embarrassing degree in Coach Rivera's last season, with Bobby Wagner on the field. 

Some people poo-pooh the importance of Free Agency. But it is the only modality whereby you as a coach who has experienced success can bring in people who went for that successful ride with you and can translate your vision of football onto the field. Adam Peters has done that for Dan Quinn in signing the Cowmanders, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, and now former Seahawk Wagner, who will undoubtedly be like a coach on the field for Washington.

Fowler has been with Quinn for years. 

Adam Peters was obviously bluffing when he said the Commanders wouldn't do much in Free Agency. His work so far has been stunning.

So much so perhaps we should not put past him finding a way to pry QB Caleb Williams from the Bears in the Draft. as a means of servicing the account of his Offensive Coordinator. Without injuring prospects for other positions.

Given the historical examples of Lombardi and Allen and the activity of Adam Peters, it would not surprise me to see the Commanders post a winning record in Dan Quinn's first season at the helm in Washington.

It is almost as if . . . Washington is back in the NFL again.