One thing seems certain for the Washington Commanders in the 2025 offseason. They need to land a receiver to complement Terry McLaurin. Perhaps it could be Deebo Samuel? Or maybe Garrett Wilson? The Commanders have other needs, too. And here are two NFL free agents who are sneaky good options to sign.
Washington finished with a record of 12-5 last season, and made it to the NFC Championship game. But they did it with a poor overall roster, which got exposed to a near-maximum level by the Eagles.
Head coach Dan Quinn did a masterful job, and should have been given more consideration for coach of the year honors. But he will need better players in 2025 to hold up against a tougher schedule.
Cowboys CB Jourdan Lewis could help
The Commanders have been bad in the secondary for many years. They just haven’t found many standouts on the back end. They’ve drafted poorly, and need to shake things up.
It started with a trade for Marshon Lattimore. They hope he will be healthy in 2025 and perform better than the 2024 version, who looked overmatched against top-level receivers.
Lewis could be the right player to sign because of his price tag. He could get a one-year deal for $2.8 million. That’s not a bad price for a guy who started 13 games and posted an overall grade of 71.7 last season. That ranked No. 36 among cornerbacks, putting him just outside of the range of a No. 1 starter. And his coverage grade, something the Commanders desperately need, came in as elite at 79.0. That ranked a few spots outside the top 10 in the NFL at No. 14.
Also, Lewis is the physical type of football player Quinn wants in his defensive scheme. Lewis also brings a no-excuse attitude. His response to the way the Detroit Lions poured it on the Cowboys last season shows this, according to espn.com. The Lions used a tackle eligible play nine times and attempted a hook-and-ladder to tackle Penei Sewell while leading by four touchdowns.
“They were trying to be sarcastic with it,” Lewis said after the game. “They were trying to embarrass us, but I mean at the end of the day, they can do whatever they want to do. It's our job to stop it.”
Of course, the Cowboys might not let Lewis go, according to dallascowboys.com.
“Jourdan's just an uber competitor,” said executive vice president and director of player personnel Stephen Jones. “He's a guy who's out of contract, and obviously a guy that we want to have back on this football team.”
Plus, Lewis said he wants to stay in Dallas.
“Always,” he said. “Dallas is my home. My kids were born here. We'd love to have another season here, or a few seasons here. My wife loves it. But I know it's a business, and we don't know what the front office needs.”
