Following a surprising run to their first appearance in the NFC Championship Game since 1992, the Washington Commanders will enter the 2025 season with legitimate Super Bowl hopes for the first time in decades, and they'll have roughly $65 million to spend in the offseason to build a worthy contender. The Commanders have already acquired Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers to boost one of the league's best offenses, and now there is buzz that they could end up being in the mix for a Super Bowl game-wrecker who has already been residing in the NFC East for the last 7 years.
Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus makes his case that the Commanders should be pursuing a deal for free agent edge rusher Josh Sweat this spring.
“What makes him (Sweat) a nice fit in Washington’s 4-3 defense is that his 85.9 PFF pass-rushing grade in that scheme ranks fifth among qualified edge rushers over the past two years. Considering that only one Washington defensive lineman even eclipsed a 70.0 PFF pass-rushing grade or a 10.5% pass-rush win rate in 2024, Sweat could transform the unit overnight,” Locker says. “After torturing the Commanders for years on end, it would sure be comforting to steal him from a divisional rival.”
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Seven of Josh Sweat's 43 career regular season sacks have come against Washington, the most of any Eagles opponent.
Putting sentimental attachment to Jonathan Allen aside, Sweat would be an upgrade over the recently cut franchise cornerstone who arrived in D.C. as the 17th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Allen earned two Pro Bowl nods during his eight seasons and departs Washington with the 10th-most sacks in franchise history, but Josh Sweat's ceiling raises the Commanders' ceiling in a way that Allen couldn't. And in an ideal world, second year defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton would seamlessly be able to step in and fill that void in the interior of Washington's defensive line.
The Commanders will be in the mix for any marquee defensive end who comes available this offseason, whether it be Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Trey Hendrickson or Myles Garrett. But wouldn't it make it even sweeter for the Commanders to know that they were simultaneously weakening their biggest NFC East rival if Josh Sweat ended up being their guy?
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University.