Here’s a look at the players headed to Washington in free agency:
Armstrong to bolster pass rush
Washington is starting to rebuild its pass rush. The team agreed Monday to a three-year, $33 million deal with former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Dorance Armstrong, two people knowledge of the situation said. The contract is worth up to $45 million with performance incentives.
The Commanders are betting Armstrong will continue growing as he did over six seasons with the Cowboys, whose defense was helmed by Quinn the past three years. He entered the league at just 20 — a fourth-round pick out of Kansas in 2018 — and developed into a solid, versatile rotational edge rusher. Now, Washington will probably give Armstrong, 26, his biggest role yet as a regular starter.
The question is whether Armstrong can keep producing in more snaps. He had a mini-breakout in 2021 and over the past two seasons complemented the Cowboys’ elite front in 34 games (six starts) with 16 sacks and 17 tackles for loss.
Since 2022, his pressure rate has been an excellent 13 percent, according to TruMedia, which is a good sign for the Commanders because pressure rate is a more predictive metric than sacks.
While Armstrong usually lined up on the edges, Quinn occasionally shifted him inside on obvious pass-rushing downs and a couple times even dropped him into coverage. On tape, Armstrong looks comfortable as a stand up rusher or with his hand in the dirt.
The question is whether Washington will continue moving him around or ask him to focus on playing as an edge rusher.
Biadasz fills void at center
Quinn is turning to another familiar face to anchor the Commanders’ offensive line. Former Cowboys center Tyler Biadasz agreed to a three-year, $30 million deal with Washington, according to two people with knowledge of the agreement. The 26-year-old fills a significant void up front for the Commanders, who have dealt with a string of injuries and performance issues at center over the past few years.
Biadasz, the son of dairy farmers, was selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft out of Wisconsin. He started all but two games over the past three seasons, allowing only three sacks and earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2022.
Ertz signs one-year deal
Zach Ertz, the three-time Pro Bowl tight end and Super Bowl LII champion, agreed to a one-year contract with the Commanders worth up to $5 million with incentives, according to two people with knowledge of the deal. Washington released Logan Thomas in early March, so Ertz, who was with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona in 2021 and 2022, provides needed experience at the position and familiarity with the offense.
Ertz, 33, spent his first nine years in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and was most recently with the Detroit Lions for less than a week during their playoff run. His future in Washington could depend on his health; Ertz has played just one full season in the past five years, largely because of injuries.
