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Commanders have to decide between extending Chris Paul or letting him hit the market & finding an upgrade<\/a><\/p>\n One of the biggest wild cards of free agency is left guard Chris Paul, who came out of nowhere and became the starter early in the season, and never looked back. Now, the former seventh-round pick is due for a new contract, and he\u2019s also a pending free agent who will have a market outside of Washington.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to predict what his market will be, and free agents will have inflated contracts this offseason as well, but I predict that Paul could net around $8-$12 million per year on his new deal. The Commanders could sign him to a three-year, $30 million contract, and it would be more than reasonable, while keeping him in a place where he\u2019s succeeding.<\/p>\n That contract would have him making the same as New York Giants<\/a> LG Jon Runyan Jr. and would be the 11th-highest-paid guard in the league.<\/p>\n Offensive linemen are a premium position in the NFL, and teams will absolutely have interest in Paul, so getting a deal done before the free agency tampering window opens on March 9th would be smart.<\/p>\n Heavy.com<\/p>\n Terry McLaurin : Headed for more volume in 2026?<\/a><\/p>\n New Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough wants McLaurin to get \u201c10 targets a game,\u201d according to UWSA9\u2019s John Doran. \u201cThis thing\u2019s going to be built around how do we get [McLaurin] 10 targets a game,\u201d said Blough. \u201cAnd get [McLaurin] explosive receptions after explosive receptions to kind of flip the field.\u201d It sounds promising from a fantasy standpoint, but McLaurin has reached eight targets per game just once in his seven NFL seasons (8.9 in 2020). He finished 2025 with career lows for games played (10), targets per game (6.0) and yards per game (58.2), among other statistics, though he also averaged 9.7 YPT and had a career-high 61.7 percent success rate on targets. There\u2019s a strong enough bounce-back argument for 2026, even if the volume mentioned by Blough is unrealistic.<\/p>\n Heavy.com<\/p>\n Trevon Diggs Worth the Risk for Dan Quinn<\/a><\/p>\n Given how his career has cratered in recent years, Diggs is an obvious risk for the Commanders. Quinn\u2019s presence would offset the risk because he called plays for the Cowboys\u2019 defense when Diggs snatched 11 interceptions in 2021.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Those picks made Diggs an All-Pro, and he became a back-to-back Pro Bowler the following season. Quinn designed a defense that allowed Diggs to take chances, an aggressive brand of zone coverage with deep help to let corners play off and jump the ball.<\/p>\n A torn ACL and a concussion wrecked Diggs\u2019 progress, with his decline gathering pace once Quinn left Dallas to join the Commanders in 2024. Even so, there are still compelling reasons to believe Diggs could rediscover his best form in Washington.<\/p>\n [Daronte Jones\u2019] familiarity with sophisticated blitzing is great news for one of the few matchup nightmares<\/a> on the Commanders\u2019 defense.<\/p>\n Making better use of personnel up front to generate greater pressure will naturally improve those on the back end. Specifically, by affording defensive backs more opportunities to pounce for turnovers, the kind of dynamic Diggs needs to thrive.<\/p>\n Riggo\u2019s Rag<\/p>\n Commanders 2026 NFL Draft: Ohio State TE Max Klare scouting report<\/a><\/p>\n Max Klare NFL Player Comparison: Noah Fant<\/p>\n Similar to Fant, Klare wins with speed, alignment flexibility, and receiving ability while continuing to develop as a complete tight end on run downs.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Max Klare NFL Draft Grade: Day 2 (Rounds 2-3)<\/p>\n Klare carries a Day 2 grade<\/a>, with upside that could push him higher as he gains experience. For Washington, he would project as a contributor early with the potential to grow into a featured receiving tight end. If developed patiently and deployed creatively, Klare could become a valuable offensive piece who expands Washington\u2019s passing game and forces defensive coordinators to account for his athleticism on every snap.<\/p>\n Pro Football Focus<\/p>\n 2026 NFL Free Agency: Top landing spots for the five best edge defenders<\/a>Jaelan Phillips<\/p>\n Best Landing Spot: Washington Commanders<\/p>\n After foregoing the opportunity to upgrade their edge defender unit last offseason, the Commanders paid the price in 2025, ranking among the NFL\u2019s lowest-graded defenses (53.7, 27th). A season-ending knee injury to Dorance Armstrong limited the rotation, resulting in the Commanders\u2019 23rd-ranked pass-rush win rate off the edge. Now, with their top pressure generators Von Miller and Jacob Martin scheduled to enter free agency, this projects as a good time to upgrade the position.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Although injuries limited his time on the field in previous seasons, Phillips showcased his talent as a pass rusher in 2025. He didn\u2019t rack up massive sack production, but he posted the seventh-highest pass-rush win rate (19.1%) among qualifying edge defenders while ranking in the 85th percentile in PFF pass-rush grade on true pass sets.<\/p>\n Podcasts & videosWill Positional Value Play a Role in Commanders Draft?NFC East links<\/p>\n Big Blue View<\/p>\n NY Giants NFL free agency 2026: Could the Giants go BIG at fullback?<\/a><\/p>\n Patrick Ricard appears likely to leave the Baltimore Ravens, and the Giants might be a logical landing spot<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n e don\u2019t know at this point in time if New York Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy will want to include a fullback in his offense. It is a pretty safe bet, though, that head coach John Harbaugh would prefer to have one.<\/p>\n A quick check of the 53-man rosters over his 18 years as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens shows only two seasons \u2014 2017 and 2018 \u2014 during which Baltimore did not carry a true fullback on its roster.<\/p>\n If the Giants want a fullback they could, theoretically, turn inward and convert 280-pound defensive tackle Elijah Chatman into a full-time player at that position. Chatman did dabble at fullback in 2025, playing three snaps on offense.<\/p>\n Or, the Giants could make about as big a splash as you can make in the modern NFL when you are signing a fullback by bringing 300-pound Patrick Ricard to New Jersey from the Ravens.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Ricard, entering his age 32 season, played both fullback and defensive tackle for Baltimore in his first three seasons. He has been a full-time fullback since 2020.<\/p>\n Ricard is a one-time First-Team All-Pro (2024), a two-time Second-Team All-Pro, and a six-time Pro Bowl selection.<\/p>\n NFL league linksArticles<\/p>\n Commanders Wire<\/p>\n Commanders, Eagles and Buccaneers in same boat heading into 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Nick Wright of Fox Sports recently ranked all 32 NFL teams<\/a> into 12 tiers. The Commanders, Eagles, and Buccaneers were all in the \u201cAnxious offseason\u201d tier.<\/p>\n