After concluding the previous season with a 4-13 record, the Washington Commanders have garnered a great deal of accolades in the offseason, possibly more than any other team in history.
It’s important to remember that these are still the Commanders, and it won’t be easy to overcome their history of poor play and poor choices. Jerry Trotta of The Landry Hat made this point in his analysis of the team’s four free-agent acquisitions and new head coach Dan Quinn.
Of the $190 million the Commanders spent on new contracts in the offseason, those signings accounted for $76.4 million: defensive end Dorance Armstrong (3 years, $45 million), center Tyler Biadasz (3 years, $30 million), tight end Zach Ertz (1 year, $3 million), and running back Austin Ekeler (2 years, $8.4 million).
Quinn joins the Commanders after serving as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator for three seasons and the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach for six seasons prior.
Naturally, investing much in free agency isn’t always a guarantee of success, according to Trotta. “Quinn acquired Zach Ertz, a 33-year-old tight end who has appeared in only 17 games over the past two seasons, and overpaid free agents Dorance Armstrong and Tyler Biadasz of the Cowboys. While any of those decisions could backfire on Quinn, running back Austin Ekeler is one high-profile addition who already appears to be a bust.
Recently, Ekeler did something that no NFL player should do while switching teams: make any noticeable disparaging remarks about their previous team. Nothing ever works out well.
“On the Up & Adams podcast with Kay Adams on June 10, I think you can kind of see how they’ve (the Chargers) been building the team so far this offseason,” Ekeler stated. “It selected a tackle in the first round and acquired some larger backs from Baltimore.” “Hey, they want a guy they can turn over the ball to 300 times a year, and I haven’t had the capacity to do that,” is how it goes. That’s not how I play.
The Los Angeles Chargers were not going to ask Ekeler to carry the ball 300 times in any possible world. During his first seven seasons in the NFL, he averaged 141.4 carries per season after joining the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2017 out of NCAA Division II Western Colorado.
Only once in his career has Ekeler touched the ball more than 300 times: in 2022, he totaled 311 touches with 204 carries and 107 receptions en route to 1,637 yards of total offense and 18 touchdowns.
Despite missing 17 games, Armstrong has amassed 18.5 sacks over the past three seasons, including a career-high 8.5 sacks in just 7 games in 2022. In addition to making the Pro Bowl in 2022, Biadasz has been among the NFL’s finest centers for the past three seasons. Since 2021, he has also started all but two games.
