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The Washington Commanders will have a new owner in less than two weeks. The NFL is expected to vote to approve Josh Harris as Washington’s new owner, replacing Daniel Snyder later this month.
While there are a lot of questions about the Commanders in 2023, mainly due to head coach Ron Rivera needing to win and Sam Howell starting at quarterback. Howell is a talented prospect but has only one career start under his belt for a coach that needs to win for multiple reasons.
Washington has done an excellent job of locking up cornerstone players in recent years. The Commanders have re-signed defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, along with wide receiver Terry McLaurin to big-money deals.
The Commanders have a long list of free agents in 2024, led by defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young and safety Kamren Curl. The good news is that if it chooses, Washington will have plenty of money to keep some of its stars around.
Pro Football Focus recently analyzed the salary cap health of all 32 NFL teams over the next three seasons. Washington came in at No. 9. Here’s PFF’s analysis of the Commanders:
Washington’s string of four straight first-round defensive linemen has gone about as well as the franchise could have hoped. Interior defender Daron Payne signed a monster extension this offseason after Jonathan Allen put pen to paper on a new deal last offseason. Edge defender Montez Sweat is entering his fifth-year option season and could be next in line for a big deal, which then turns all the attention to Chase Young, who recently had his fifth-year option declined.
Second-year quarterback Sam Howell is the presumed starter and is set to make less than $3 million over the next three seasons. If he pans out like the Commanders appear to believe he can, they quietly have a quality roster for him to work with.
Harris enters a good situation for many reasons. He has plenty of goodwill as the owner who replaced Snyder, and the Commanders have some good talent already in place. Additionally, Washington will have plenty of money, beginning in 2024, with a projected $83 million in salary cap space, per Over the Cap. In 2025, Washington is projected to have over $153 million in cap space.