The Washington Commanders have been busy in the early going of free agency. They locked up Daron Payne on a long-term deal, agreeing to a massive four-year, $90 million contract with their franchise-tagged player. After that, Washington got to work upgrading their offensive line.
The Commanders could need as many as three new starters in the trenches in 2023. Right guard Trai Turner is set to hit free agency and the team is going to seek an upgrade this offseason. Wes Schweitzer is also a free agent along with Tyler Larsen, Nick Martin and Wes Martin.
All five free agents are interior offensive linemen, leaving the Commanders without much depth. The team could also move on from center Chase Roullier, who has been a long-time starter for the franchise but has battled injuries the last two seasons. He has a $12.42 cap hit in 2023 but releasing him would save $4.3 million against the cap.
That is likely why the Commanders jumped into free agency early and added Nick Gates, formerly of the New York Giants. Gates suffered a gruesome leg injury in 2021 and his return is certainly a triumphant one. He will compete for the starting center spot and offers depth at the guard positions as well.
Washington also signed Andrew Wylie away from the Kansas City Chiefs. Wylie will likely start at right tackle, kicking Sam Cosmi inside to guard. His familiarity with new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy likely played a part in his signing.
Despite adding two new players to the offensive line depth, the Commanders could probably still use at least one starting-caliber player. That void could be filled by Will Hernandez, who was named their best fit in free agency.
Hernandez had a strong 2022 campaign with the Arizona Cardinals. After four underwhelming seasons with the Giants, as he was a second-round pick in 2018, Hernandez finally began to showcase the skill that made him such a high draft pick.
Last season, he ranked seventh among guards in Pass Blocking Win Rate and 19th in Run Blocking Win Rate. In addition, Sports Info Systems tracked him at having only 10 blown blocks in his 13 games starting, which is a very strong number as well.
While signing Hernandez at this point would likely be viewed as a luxury, you can never have too much capable offensive line depth. Hernandez would provide insurance in case Cosmi cannot handle playing guard, giving them a player more than capable of stepping into the starting lineup and succeeding.
