Who would you say are the Washington Commanders’ top three players? Any debate about Washington’s top players starts with defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
Those are the easy ones. Defensive tackle Daron Payne, especially based on last season, deserves a strong mention for that third spot.
Pro Football Focus recently named each team’s top three players for 2023. As expected, Allen and McLaurin topped the list for the Commanders. The third player was defensive end Montez Sweat.
In 2022, Payne was better than Sweat, but not by as much as you may think. Sweat was terrific last season, but people often focus too much on sack totals. Sweat was around the quarterback a lot last season and finished with eight sacks. His career high is nine, set in 2020. Sweat is a free agent in 2024 and while he’ll likely earn a big payday regardless, increasing his sack totals into double digits could make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid defensive ends for 2024.
Here’s what PFF said:
Washington has plenty of young talent to lean on, starting with Terry McLaurin. He’s been steady with no receiving grades below 77.0 in his four-year career, notching an 85.0 figure this past season. Allen’s 80.1 overall grade marked the third straight season of positive play. And believe it or not, Sweat leads the team in cumulative defensive grade over the past three seasons, at 89.9.
The next three players PFF considered were safety Kamren Curl, Payne and defensive end Chase Young. Not sure how Young made this list unless PFF is basing it off potential alone. Young, Curl and Sweat are all free agents next offseason. The team would love to get Curl re-signed this offseason, but the ownership situation has that on pause. Sweat and Young are likely battling one another for a lucrative extension next offseason.
While he may not be the best player, quarterback Sam Howell is Washington’s most important player for 2023.
Who are your top three players for Washington?