Tag: Kam Curl

Commanders didn’t even make an offer to safety Kam Curl

The Commanders didn’t even attempt to retain Kam Curl.

Over the past two seasons, former Washington coach Ron Rivera made it clear how important safety Kam Curl was to the Commanders. Ex-defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio often echoed those sentiments.

Rivera and Del Rio are gone. Washington has a new head coach (Dan Quinn) and a new general manager (Adam Peters). And through one week of free agency, we’ve seen Peters begin taking a wrecking ball to the roster Rivera assembled.

Still, many believed Curl would be among Washington’s free agents with a high probability of returning. It didn’t happen, as Curl signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams.

Before Curl signed with the Rams, the Commanders had already decided to move on from Curl after signing former Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn to a one-year deal.

Did Washington even attempt to keep Curl?

According to Sam Fortier of The Washington Post, the Commanders didn’t even make Curl an offer.

Why? Fortier offered the following:

Washington didn’t offer a deal to Curl because it believed veteran Jeremy Chinn would be a “better fit” at box safety for its new defensive scheme. (Chinn, 26, signed a one-year deal worth a base value of $4.1 million.) The official declined to elaborate on the specifics of the new scheme or why Chinn was a better fit.

Curl’s lack of turnovers iddn’t help his chances at a return. After recording three interceptions as a rookie in 2020, Curl had none over the past three seasons. Still, he was a good, dependable player and always assignment-sound.

It was no secret Curl wanted to stay in Washington. However, a flooded safety market due to multiple releases ahead of free agency hurt his market.

Peters has signed 20 players since free agency opened last week. Only four of the signees played for the Commanders last season. Most outside signees were signed to modest short-team deals as Peters sought to fill holes and maintain financial flexibility for future seasons.

Commanders avoid a franchise tag blunder

No franchise tag this year for Washington, and that’s a good thing.

The 2024 offseason franchise/transition tag deadlines passed at 4 p.m. Tuesday with most of the NFL, including the Commanders, taking a pass this year.

The Commanders did not tag any of their pending free agents. Only eight of the 32 teams used a tag.

Consequently, these eight players will not be able to negotiate with other clubs when free agency begins. Meanwhile, all of the Commanders’ pending free agents will be free to negotiate with other teams beginning March 11, the first day of the legal tampering period.

Some older Washington fans may recall the Washington Redskins’ first use of the franchise tag on one of their unrestricted free agents. It occurred in 1993 — the year the tag was introduced — when GM Charley Casserly placed the tag on linebacker Wilber Marshall.

Marshall had been an All-American at the University of Florida, and an All-Pro with the Chicago Bears, before he joined Washington in 1988. Marshall had big seasons for Washington in 1991 and 1992 and wanted to test the free agent market. Casserly applied the franchise tag. Marshall was upset, took the team to court and was subsequently traded to the Houston Oilers.

Who could forget Bruce Allen and former owner Daniel Snyder mishandling Kirk Cousins’ contract? Scot McCloughan urged Allen and Snyder in 2015 to extend Cousins because he was developing into a fine quarterback. Sure enough, Cousins led the Redskins to winning seasons in 2015 (9-7) and 2016 (8-7-1), but Allen and Snyder felt they knew best and never extended Cousins. He gambled on himself by playing on consecutive franchise tags and has made big money with the Vikings.

Some Washington fans never appreciated Cousins and still refer to him as a loser and a choker. However, the fact remains that Washington has not had a winning season since 2016.

Who is the one free agent the Commanders can’t afford to lose?

Who is the one free agent that the Commanders can’t afford to lose?

Free agency is one week away, and the Washington Commanders have an NFL-high $91.5 million in salary cap space, according to Over the Cap. Tuesday’s franchise tag deadline passed without the Commanders using the tag on anyone. Safety Kam Curl would have been the most likely to receive the tag, but it was not a consideration for Washington this time.

At this time next week, close to 30 Commanders will be free agents. There will be starters and key reserves looking to sign new deals in Washington — or elsewhere.

The Commanders’ top free agents are cornerback Kendall Fuller, wide receiver Curtis Samuel and Curl. Washington has the ability to keep several of its own free agents and add some from the outside, but with a new regime, there will be plenty of changes.

If you’re general manager Adam Peters, who is the one free agent you can’t afford to lose?

CBS Sports recently looked at one free agent from every NFL team that it couldn’t afford to lose. Fuller was the choice for Washington.

Kendall Fuller is one of the best defensive backs available this offseason: His 83.1 PFF defensive grade is the sixth-best among cornerbacks who played at least 100 snaps last season. Fuller, who snagged two interceptions, was one of the few bright spots on what was the NFL’s worst defense last season since their unit was the lowest ranked team in scoring defense (30.5 points per game), total defense (388.9 total yards per game), passing touchdowns (39) and passer rating (105.7).

Keeping Fuller around for the Dan Quinn era could pay massive dividends since Quinn took a Cowboys unit in 2020 that was dreadful and helped flip them into a top five group within a few seasons.

Curl’s age is certainly a reason for him to be the choice. However, we agree with CBS here. Why? Fuller’s age and knees are a concern, but it isn’t easy to find good cornerback play. Fuller may move to the slot or even safety, but he will thrive anywhere he lines up.

The Commanders’ secondary was bad last season, but the new coaching staff will get more out of this group. Sure, Washington will need to add to the defensive backfield, but letting go of its best player (Fuller) wouldn’t be a great start.

Of course, Fuller’s potential return will come down to cost. Washington ha the money, but will it choose to go younger?

Did Kam Curl say goodbye to the Commanders?

Once the franchise tag deadline passed, the Washington safety appeared to say goodbye.

When the Washington Commanders selected safety Kam Curl in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL draft, he was initially considered an afterthought. That’s often the case with seventh-round picks.

That was until training camp. It was clear early in training camp that Curl was a keeper. The 6-foot-2 rookie would play all 16 games for Washington, starting 11 and finishing with three interceptions, including a touchdown.

The arrow was pointing up for Curl. Washington found a seventh-round gem in the former Arkansas Razorback.

Curl followed up his next season by playing all but one game and making 14 starts. Curl’s impact was particularly felt in 2022 when he missed five games that season.

Former coach Ron Rivera and ex-defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio always stressed how important Curl was to the team. If Rivera had his way, he would’ve extended Curl after last season, but with the team for sale, those types of moves were on the backburner. Then, Josh Harris took over in July, and it appeared any lucrative extensions were shelved until after the 2023 season.

The 2023 season is over, and Curl is a free agent. And the Commanders will not be placing the dreaded franchise tag on Curl, either. The deadline passed on Tuesday, and Washington tagged no one.

Curiously, Curl took to X — formerly known as Twitter — shortly after the franchise tag deadline passed and posted the following message — or emoji.

Is that Curl saying goodbye to Washington? Or is that an emotional tweet?

It’s hard to tell. We know the Commanders would like to have Curl back, but the days of overvaluing their own are over under Adam Peters. That’s not a knock on Curl. He’s earned the right to be back. But Peters has an idea of what he is willing to pay, Curl’s value, and the players he already has on the roster.

What does that mean?

We’ll see next week.

The free-agent safety market is robust, even with tags applied to some of the better ones. Still, Curl will have a market. He is a good player. Will that market lead him back to Washington?

 

6 pending free agents the Commanders need to re-sign

We look at six unrestricted free agents the Commanders should bring back in 2024.

In two weeks, the legal tampering period of the NFL offseason begins. NFL teams can negotiate contracts with impending free agents from other teams for two days, but nothing can be signed until the new league year opens two days later on March 13.

That gives all 32 NFL teams the next two weeks exclusivity in negotiating with their own free agents. The Washington Commanders have 28 free agents, 18 of which are unrestricted free agents.

The Commanders have a new general manager (Adam Peters) and a new coaching staff led by Dan Quinn. So, while other teams have been preparing for free agency, Washington’s new staff has been evaluating the current roster, including its free agents.

How many of the Commanders’ free agents should they retain in 2024?

We name six free agents Washington should re-sign. Not included are wide receiver Curtis Samuel and cornerback Kendall Fuller. It’s not that the Commanders wouldn’t love both players back, but Fuller is older, has some knee concerns, and has earned a raise. Washington can look to the draft to replace Samuel’s productivity for cheaper.

Here are those six free agents, for which we will focus only on the unrestricted free agents.

Which 3 free agents named as ‘best fits’ for the Commanders?

Which free agents could “best fit” the Commanders?

It’s been a busy offseason for the Washington Commanders. After firing head coach Ron Rivera last month, the Commanders have hired a new GM (Adam Peters) and coach (Dan Quinn). Quinn then hired an experienced and balanced staff.

Next up is the NFL combine next week in Indianapolis. But the most important date for all NFL teams is the beginning of the new league year on March 13. On that day, teams can sign free agents from other teams. The legal tampering period opens two days before on March 11.

No team has more cap space than the Commanders. Washington has over $70 million in cap space and the ability to create more. While Peters stated the Commanders will build through the draft, free agency offers an opportunity for Washington to shore up some of its holes ahead of the 2024 NFL draft in April.

Former Washington safety Matt Bowen, one of the game’s best analysts for ESPN, recently previewed free agency and named the best team fit for the top 2024 free agents.

We’ll also include where Bowen said Washington cornerback Kendall Fuller, safety Kam Curl and former defensive end Chase Young would best fit in 2024.

 

Three NFL free agent defenders that are being slept on

From safety to edge rusher, these players will be valuable additions to any team this offseason

The first days of NFL free agency are some of the most exciting on the NFL calendar. The biggest available names ponder their futures and where their next home will be while we all just sit wide-eyed, mindlessly shoving popcorn down our gullets refreshing social media waiting for updates.

And while everyone will be curious to see where quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins end up, or the big name receivers like Mike Evans sign, there are plenty of talented players that don’t get the attention they deserve when discussing high-impact players- here are a few of those players.

Stay or go: Previewing Commanders’ top 11 2024 free agents

We look at 11 Washington free agents and determine whether they should stay or go in 2024.

Super Bowl LVIII is over, with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers. That means the offseason is upon us.

The offseason began for Washington five weeks ago after a Week 18 loss to the Dallas Cowboys handed them their eighth consecutive loss to finish the season with a 4-13 record.

Since then, Washington fired head coach Ron Rivera and hired general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn. And with the most salary cap space in the NFL and five of the top 100 picks in the 2024 NFL draft, including No. 2 overall, the Commanders have a chance to drastically improve next season.

But before Washington gets to free agency, it must decide on its 28 free agents. Some will remain, others will leave. Much of it will depend on the price.

We look at Washington’s top 11 free agents and determine if they should stay or go — and why.

2 Commanders ranked among ESPN’s top 50 free agents

Kendall Fuller will be in demand when free agency begins.

The Washington Commanders will look much different in 2024. Washington began its offseason of change at the NFL trade deadline by moving defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young.

The Commanders have nine draft picks in the 2024 NFL draft, including five in the top 100. But before the draft, there is free agency. No NFL team has more salary cap space than Washington. New general manager Adam Peters stressed the Commanders will always prioritize the draft, but use free agency to supplement the roster.

Washington will have numerous free agents in 2024. Among the more notable names are cornerback Kendall Fuller, safety Kam Curl, wide receiver Curtis Samuel, and quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

ESPN analyst — and former Washington safety — Matt Bowen recently ranked his top 50 free agents for 2024. Two Commanders made the list, beginning with Kendall Fuller at No. 19.

A veteran with savvy coverage technique and transition speed out of his pedal, Fuller grabbed two interceptions this season, giving him a total of 16 in his career. He’d be a smart fit for a quarters-based system. And Fuller can set an edge against the run, too, with 79 tackles in 2023. I see a player who can boost the profile of a contender’s secondary.

Fuller has spent six of his eight NFL seasons in Washington. Will a regime change mean he’s elsewhere in 2024? Every coach loves Fuller because he remains a terrific player who is versatile and great in the locker room.

Curl came in at No. 36:

I’d like to see Curl create more on-the-ball production — he hasn’t had an interception since grabbing three in his 2020 rookie year — but he’s a highly instinctive safety with the ability to align at multiple levels of the field. He fits best in a split-safety scheme where he can run the alley and drive top-down on the football. Curl had 115 tackles and forced a fumble in 2023.

Curl is another player Washington always wanted to keep. But with Peters now in town and a new defensive boss coming, will they value the former seventh-round pick the same way?

4 Commanders among PFF’s top 150 free agents

The Commanders have two of the top 25 free agents for 2024.

The Washington Commanders are due for an offseason of massive change. Those changes began two weeks ago when owner Josh Harris fired head coach Ron Rivera. One week later, Harris hired former 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters as the franchise’s new general manager.

Next up for Peters and Harris is hiring a head coach. That process may continue until after the Super Bowl, depending on who the Commanders want to hire.

Peters also has his hands full, remaking Washington’s roster. The Commanders have over 20 free agents this offseason but have the most cap space in the NFL and nine picks in the 2024 NFL draft.

Pro Football Focus recently released its list of the top 150 free agents, and four Commanders were among those players ranked.