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Former New York Giants and current Washington Commanders tight end Lawrence Cager.
If you’re looking for a position that represents the general sense of unease around the Washington Commanders right now the tight ends room seems to be a good example of how the bigger problems for the franchise mostly play out.
The Commanders were living on borrowed time with 36-year-old tight end Zach Ertz the last 2 seasons, getting big numbers out of the 3-time Pro Bowler on a series of 1-year contracts until he suffered a catastrophic, possibly career-ending knee injury against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14.
The Commanders selected a tight end, Ben Sinnott, in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft but basically haven’t played him the last 2 seasons — the reasons behind that decision aren’t totally clear.
Want more weirdness? The Commanders signed tight end John Bates to a 3-year, $21 million contract before the 2025 season. That’s insane money for a player who is almost primarily used as a blocking tight end and hasn’t had more than 150 receiving yards in a single season since his rookie year, when he had career highs of 20 receptions for 249 yards in 2021.
The key thing to remember is none of it makes sense, which you can say about the team as a whole after going 5-12 in 2025 just one year after going 12-5 and making it to the NFC Championship Game.
It also means the Commanders are going to have to continue trying anything they can to solidify the spot, including taking a flyer on 6-foot-5, 220-pound tight end Lawrence Cager with a futures/reserve contract.
“Commanders sign Lawrence Cager to reserve-future deal,” NFL reporter Aaron Wilson wrote on his official X account on Wednesday, January 7.
Cager Brought Up to Roster For One Game in 2025
Cager signed with the Commanders in January 2025 and made it through the offseason and until the last cut before the 53-man roster was announced. He spent almost the entire 2025 season on the practice squad — he was elevated to the active roster for one game, in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on December 20.
“Cager did not make the Commanders’ initial 53-man roster but was signed to the practice squad in August,” Heavy.com’s Douglas Bonjour wrote on September 30. “He had four catches for 54 yards across three preseason games. The 28-year-old tight end split his first three NFL seasons with the New York Jets and Giants, making 19 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns.”
Cager has played the majority of his 22 NFL games with the Giants, with 17 games in 2022 and 2023.
Commanders Need to Make Decision With Sinnott
The biggest question for the Commanders at tight end in 2026 is going to be whether they think Sinnott can be their full-time starter or if they need to go after a tight end in free agency.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton already seems like he might be a good fit — and an economical one. If the Commanders want to take a bigger swing and cough up a little more cash, they could go for Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely or even Atlanta Falcons tight end and former No. 4 overall pick Kyle Pitts.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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