The Commanders are staring at a deadline decision that could shape both their present and their future, and Derrick Brown sits right in the middle of it.
Washington still believes it can make a run at the NFC East, but general manager Adam Peters also has to keep one eye on next year’s offseason. He has already made and received calls, though nothing has been confirmed, and a lot of this will hinge on what happens against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 9. If the Commanders pull off the upset, the entire conversation changes.
That’s where Brown enters the picture.
Peters could at least check in with the Carolina Panthers about the Pro Bowl defensive lineman, even if it would take a bold swing to pry him loose. Carolina has already had teams calling about Brown, and general manager Dan Morgan has reportedly been hesitant to move him. The Panthers are 3-4 and somehow still sitting atop the NFC South, while the recent firing of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero shows the situation in Carolina is not exactly settled.
For Washington, the fit is obvious enough to make the idea worth exploring. The Commanders have lost Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw for the season, and that leaves them thin in the middle of the defense.
Payne is out of contract and may have played his final game for the team, while Kinlaw could be a salary-cap cut candidate with one year left on his deal. Beyond 2026, only Tim Settle Jr. is under contract, which makes the long-term picture in the trenches look shaky.
Brown wouldn’t come cheap, but he would give Washington something it badly needs: a true interior anchor.
He’s a force against the run, someone who can take on double teams and hold his ground. His pass-rush production has never been elite, and he has not piled up big numbers this season, but he remains one of the league’s most talented defensive linemen inside.
The contract is the catch. Brown is signed for two more years after this season and is set to count more than $30 million against the cap each year, though none of that money is guaranteed.
That kind of deal, plus the price Carolina would likely demand, makes the whole thing a tough sell. A second-round pick and possibly more could be in play.
Still, if the Panthers lose to the Denver Broncos, Morgan might be more willing to listen. And if Washington beats the Rams, Peters could have a little more room to be aggressive before the November 10 deadline.
It’s a long shot, no question. But Brown would be a clean answer to the Payne problem, and he could walk into Daronte Jones’ defense and matter right away. For a Commanders front that needs help now and later, it’s the kind of move worth at least testing.
Just don’t expect it to happen.
In Other News...
Commanders Center Problem Has Become Impossible To Ignore
After the loss to the Rams dropped Washington to 2-5-1, the offensive line again became impossible to separate from the bigger story of how this season has gone. The center position, in particular, has turned into a weekly source of instability, and it is hard to ignore how much of that traces back to the offseason decision-making that left the Commanders leaning on Nick Allegretti after moving on from Tyler Biadasz.
The issue is not just one bad Sunday, either. Injuries have already forced the Commanders to keep adjusting in the middle of the line, and the result has been a unit that never seems to settle into a rhythm. For a team trying to build around a young offense, the center spot has become one of the clearest reminders that the margin for error is shrinking fast. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Nearly Flipped Last Rams Meeting But The Result Still Stung
The last time Washington saw the Rams, the game had the feel of a blowout before the Commanders made it interesting late. At SoFi Stadium in Week 15, Los Angeles controlled most of the afternoon and carried a 28-7 lead into the stretch, only for Washington to find some life behind Jacoby Brissett and a pair of late touchdown passes.
Even with the rally, the Commanders never fully erased the damage from the earlier mistakes and missed chances that put them in the hole. Los Angeles still walked away with a 28-20 win after closing out the final moments, leaving Washington with the kind of near-miss that lingers because it was close enough to wonder what might have changed with one cleaner finish. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Left Tackle Problem Is Becoming Impossible To Ignore
When Laremy Tunsil went down with a torn triceps in training camp, the Commanders had to reshuffle quickly and hand Brandon Coleman the blindside tackle job. It was always going to be a difficult ask, but the recent game against the Rams made the adjustment look even more precarious, with Colemans struggles putting a spotlight on a position the team can hardly afford to get wrong.
The bigger problem is the lack of easy answers behind him. Washington does not have much depth at left tackle, so every rough outing only sharpens the internal debate about how to stabilize the spot before it becomes a season-long issue. For now, the Commanders are left weighing whether to ride it out or make a move from outside the starting five. [Read more 🡒]