Hogs Haven
A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders
Washington’s positions of need: CB, EDGE
The Commanders gave up part of their draft capital to acquire Marshon Lattimore last season, and he will be part of their plans for the position for the foreseeable future. Mike Sainristil showed growth as an outside corner as a rookie and should be more involved in Year 2. However, it’s clear that the defense still needs more help at that spot, regardless of whether the team decides to bring back Benjamin St-Juste. Both the draft and free agency will be light on high-end talent, but it’s possible the Commanders could find depth by adding one or two players.
Dorance Armstrong had a strong season but only signed a one-year deal with Washington last offseason. Similarly to cornerback, though, the Commanders could do with more help at the position regardless of whether Armstrong re-signs with them. There will be more options in the draft, and many analysts are predicting that the Commanders will use their first-round pick to bolster their pass rush.
One player to watch: James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
Pearce certainly has the talent to be an effective NFL pass-rusher. He’s explosive and powerful, which led to him recording 17 sacks in his final two seasons with the Volunteers. He’ll need to bulk up a little bit to be a bigger presence in the run game, but his quickness and ability to get around blockers should help him become an immediate contributor to a team’s pass rush.
Taking a look at a couple of cornerbacks that the Washington Commanders could potentially target in free agency
High Profile: Charvarius Ward, 28
Ward is probably the name I see most Commanders fans talking about. He has an obvious connection to the Commanders in that general manager Adam Peters was in San Francisco when the 49ers signed Ward to a three-year, $42 million contract back in 2022. The former undrafted free agent had a breakout year in 2023 with a career high 23 pass break ups and five interceptions. Unfortunately, Ward had somewhat of a down year in 2024 but his season was heavily disrupted by the death of his daughter.
At 29 years old, Ward isn’t the youngest profile but he does have a ton of experience in the league and the Commanders have lacked that in the secondary for a while. In terms of what he can bring to the field, Ward offers the ability to line up in press coverage and be physical with receivers at the line of scrimmage.
Good Value: Byron Murphy, 27
While Ward will be 29 by the start of the 2025 season. Murphy only just turned 27 last month. That means there should be much more longevity to signing someone like Murphy compared...
