The Washington Commanders have already spent the offseason upgrading their defense, but Adam Peters still has room to keep tinkering if the right move comes along. One of the cleaner spots to revisit is cornerback depth, where the top three names appear settled but the rest of the rotation still has plenty to sort out.
That’s where Jeff Okudah enters the picture.
Okudah spent last season with the Minnesota Vikings, working under Daronte Jones - the same coach projected to run Washington’s scheme. He only got into six games because of injury, but the results were serviceable. For a Commanders team weighing its options behind Trey Amos, Mike Sainristil and free-agent addition Amik Robertson, that kind of familiarity could matter.
The resume is still a tricky one. Okudah arrived in the league with major expectations after the Detroit Lions took him No. 3 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, and he was billed as a shutdown corner.
Injuries wrecked his first two seasons and changed the shape of his game in coverage. Since then, he’s been bouncing around, but he remains young enough to potentially reset his career if the landing spot is right.
Washington could be that place.
There’s already a connection with Jones, and the role wouldn’t require Okudah to be anything more than a fourth corner. Amos, Sainristil and Robertson look locked into their spots, so the appeal here is straightforward: add a body who knows the system and can help stabilize the back end if needed.
Health, though, is the obvious concern. Okudah landed on injured reserve last season because of a concussion, and that has to be part of any evaluation. The Commanders would need to be comfortable with the medical side before moving forward.
They also may decide they’re fine as is. Quan Martin and Tyler Owens could end up seeing more time in the nickel, and a stronger front seven should help the secondary as a whole. Even so, Ahkello Witherspoon’s underwhelming minicamp has opened the door for Peters to consider more help in the corner room.
Okudah isn’t the only possible gamble on the market, and a player like Trevon Diggs might offer more bounce-back upside. Still, this would be a relatively low-cost shot if Washington believes Okudah is healthy enough to get his career back on track.
The Commanders have the cap space to keep their options open, and nothing appears to be off the table. Whether Okudah ends up in the mix is unknown, but Washington could do a lot worse than taking a look.
In Other News...
Commanders Fans May Be Reconsidering That $96 Million Oweh Gamble
The Commanders did not hesitate when they handed Odafe Oweh a four-year, $96 million contract in free agency, betting big on an edge rusher they believe can lift a pass rush that needed more bite. Former tight end and team analyst Logan Paulsen came away impressed with what he saw during the offseason program, and that kind of internal buzz matters when Washington is trying to reshape the front under new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones.
Owehs early impression has only added to the optimism around a pass-rush group that has been reinforced in other spots as well. Washington brought in more help to chase quarterbacks, but the real question now is whether Oweh can turn those encouraging spring signs into the kind of consistent pressure that makes the rest of the defense work the way the Commanders envisioned when they made the deal. [Read more 🡒]
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Washingtons offense is heading into a different phase after David Blough was promoted to offensive coordinator in place of Kliff Kingsbury, and that shift could matter for players beyond the obvious names like Terry McLaurin. Ben Sinnott is one of the more interesting watchpoints, because the second-year tight end is positioned to have a larger role as the Commanders adjust what they want to do structurally and how they want to feature the middle of the field.
Former tight end Logan Paulsen sees a path for Sinnott to benefit from the change in scenery and the change in scheme, even with Chig Okonkwo now in the building. He pointed to the way Trey McBrides role grew after coaching changes in Arizona, which is the kind of comp that hints at opportunity without guaranteeing it. For Sinnott, the question now is less about whether the opening exists and more about how quickly Washington turns it into real production. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Offensive Line Suddenly Has Fans Second Guessing Everything
The Commanders offensive line is drawing a fresh round of scrutiny after a recent all-32 ranking slotted the group 22nd in the league, a reminder that even with some major investment up front, the picture is still a work in progress. Washington has made Laremy Tunsil the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL, and that kind of commitment usually signals stability, but the rest of the unit has been in more of a shuffle than a finished state.
Nick Allegretti is now positioned to handle center after getting a one-year extension, Chris Paul is back on another one-year deal and set to battle Brandon Coleman for the left guard spot, and the front office has clearly left itself room to keep sorting things out. The biggest question for the Commanders is whether the current mix can become a reliable five-man group quickly enough, because the evaluation of this line still seems to hinge on what happens next rather than what has already been settled. [Read more 🡒]