The 5 O’Clock Club: 2023 Commanders players who left in free agency or via offseason trade

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere…

The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.

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Eleven players from the Commanders 2023 roster signed as free agents with other teams this offseason. Also, Sam Howell got traded in the offseason.

I thought I’d check online to see what kind of early offseason reports I could find on each of them.

WR Curtis Samuel, Buffalo Bills

Samuel has to get acclimated to his new surroundings, which has been a little easier due to his previous work with offensive coordinator Joe Brady during his time in Carolina.

For Allen, Samuel is already developing into one of his favorite targets as OTAs continue.

“A lot of speed,” Allen said of Samuel. “We’re going to ask him to do a lot of different things for us. He brings an element of speed, an element of toughness, but he’s very smart football player too. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him, he’s one of the locker room guys we can talk with and hang out with. His mindset’s been very good since he’s been here. I’m excited for it, he’s been showing some flashes and I love throwing to him.”

The former second-round pick hasn’t set the NFL alight yet, but in Buffalo, we imagine he will get plenty of chances to do so and with his chemistry with Allen already in good shape, maybe Samuel could be the ace up Allen’s sleeve in 2024.

DE Casey Toohill, Buffalo Bills

Let’s not kid ourselves, Toohill isn’t likely to rocket up the depth chart to surpass Von Miller, Greg Rousseau, and A.J. Epenesa. Toohill is here for depth.

Toohill should be considered depth, but my hunch is that this means “depth who will see time in the rotation” rather than “break glass in case of emergency.” For the record, that’s also the kind of depth that can change. Could another step forward from Kingsley Jonathan or an as-yet-unsigned player step up and push Toohill down the chart? I wouldn’t be shocked.

LB Cody Barton, Denver Broncos

[T]here will be a competition to replace Josey Jewell between Cody Barton and Jonas Griffith, at least as things currently stand. Other inside linebackers on the roster are Justin Strnad and a pair of undrafted free agents, Levelle Bailey and Alec Mock.

That’s not really encouraging. The Broncos signed Barton in free agency but he struggled at times with Washington last season. Griffith has an injury history. The other players are spot starters at best unless Bailey or Mock breaks out this summer.

The Broncos may need to consider adding one of these veteran options to shore up the position before training camp.

CB Kendall Fuller, Miami Dolphins

Yahoo.com

The Dolphins signed Kendall Fuller, 29, to replace Xavien Howard, 30.

Fuller has experience playing slot corner and boundary corner, though we suspect he’ll start outside, opposite Jalen Ramsey.

Sports Illustrated

[T]he list of players we didn’t see at this OTA at the Baptist Health Training Complex inlcuded …CB Kendall Fuller

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DE James Smith-Williams, Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta agreed to terms on a one-year contract with former Washington Commanders defensive end James Smith-Williams, his agent Mike McCartney announced Monday [April 8]…. Smith-Williams first visited the Falcons on Sunday [April 7].

The 6-4, 265-pound Smith-Williams was selected in the seventh round by the Commanders in 2020 but has outperformed his draft slot, appearing in 55 games with 27 starts across four seasons in Washington.

Falcons assistant general manager Kyle Smith was the Commanders’ vice president of player personnel when Smith-Williams was drafted, creating a natural connection between the player and front office staff.

Now, Smith-Williams and Graham will look to hit quarterbacks – just not Cousins.

QB Jacoby Brissett, NE Patriots

New England Sports Network

Veteran Jacoby Brissett took the first reps in quarterback drills and “competitive” periods against New England’s defense, which out-performed the offense on the whole. Brissett had more than double the amount of reps as Zappe and Maye in team drills including 11-on-11 and 7-on-7.

Patsfan.com

[A] big part of the present and the near future is Jacoby Brissett. Not only is he expected to push Maye, Bailey Zappe, and Joe Milton for the starter job as the Patriots starting QB, he’s supposed to be a mentor for the other QBs.

But to Brissett, he isn’t just interested in mentoring QBs but every young player on the roster. Brissett is a rarity in the NFL, among quarterbacks. He’s perfectly willing to mentor a young gun (in this case Maye) to take his job.

Asked if there would be any awkwardness in competing with Maye while expected to mentor him at the same time, Brissett’s selflessness came through.

“I have no ego in this. … Whatever is going to happen for me is going to happen.”

“I’m a teammate first,” Brissett added. “I hope I can be a good teammate to not only him but everyone on this team.”

Patriots.com

New England should have two primary focuses: 1. Preparing Brissett to start the season, and 2. Developing Maye, a raw prospect who needs the fundamental work. Everything else is a waste of time.

RB Antonio Gibson, New England Patriots

Patriots.com

During the spring, a few skill players always catch the eye. Some don’t pan out, but Gibson has enough proven NFL production to treat this differently. The free-agent addition was active in the passing game and showed some juice. He looks like a natural pairing alongside Rhamondre Stevenson in the Kareem Hunt role to Stevenson’s Nick Chubb.

Pats Pulpit

Free agent addition Antonio Gibson’s speed was evident in the no-contact setting, as well as his wide receiver background. Gibson should have a role for himself in this offense.

K Joey Slye, New England Patriots

Boston Herald

Slye provides competition for Patriots 2023 fourth-round pick Chad Ryland, who converted just 64% of his field goal attempts as a rookie. He did hit 96% of his extra point attempts last season.

Fighting Gobbler

New England Patriots beat writer Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald placed seven Patriots under the most pressure during OTAs and minicamp and Ryland was one them after New England brought in Slye three weeks ago.

“The most obvious name on the list (Chad Ryland). Ryland’s rookie campaign was an unmitigated disaster, save for his game-winning kick at Denver last Christmas Eve. He went 16-of-25 on field goal attempts and made just half of his tries beyond 40 yards. Ryland has direct competition in veteran journeyman Joey Slye, who signed late this offseason. The leg strength isn’t a question, and neither is the work ethic, but Ryland’s future as an NFL kicker has never been cloudier.”

– Andrew Callahan

Last season Slye was better than Ryland when he kicked for the Commanders. He was 19-for-24, going 7-for-7 from 30-39 yards, but was much better than Ryland, going 10-for-14 from 40 yards or longer. His longest field goal was from 61 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 29 in a 38-31 loss.

You have to think that this move by the Patriots to bring in Slye is nothing more than to send a message to Ryland, but it would not be surprising to see him win the job if he is just the better kicker than Ryland.

S Kamren Curl, LA Rams

Primarily, Kamren Curl played safety for the Washington Commanders. He played a fair amount at slot corner, and out wide. Even lined up at outside backer from time to time.

“Coach McVay was telling me he wants to tap into all my other skill sets as well, everything that I did in Washington plus some,” Curl said during a Zoom call with reporters. “I’m just ready to see what he’s got set up for me.”

Curl fits the mold of the type of players the Rams have tried to add in the secondary in recent years. Safety Quentin Lake and cornerback Cobie Durant have been prized for their versatility and their ability to line up at dime linebacker and star corner, respectively.

Curl adds to that mix-and-match ability for new defensive coordinator Chris Shula, and at 24 is a match for the rest of the youth movement at secondary for the Rams.

LB Khaleke Hudson, New Orleans Saints

Rattler, meanwhile, had one pass intercepted when he fired too hard and high for running back Jacob Kibodi in the flat. The pass bounced off Kibodi’s hands and was picked off by Faion Hicks. A few passes later, Rattler didn’t see Khaleke Hudson sitting in a zone, and the linebacker jumped the route and nearly picked off another pass.

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QB Sam Howell, Seattle Seahawks

Asked how Howell is progressing, Macdonald said: “I think he’s coming along fine. Again, we’re at practice two. You sit in the offensive staff watching practice with guys and there are things that offensive coaches notice with the whole team that you don’t necessarily see from the defensive perspective. But I thought he had a really good practice. He’s slinging it. But just like the rest of the team, he’s got a lot of work on. I got a lot to work on. But I think we all have that mentality of how we want to approach it, so I think Sam is right there. I think it’s an exciting future.’’

Smith said he doesn’t care about any conjecture of a possible competition and said the focus for now is each QB learning the offense and each other.

Smith and Howell were each recently part of a group of about 15 offensive players who recently vacationed in Cabo San Lucas.

“Sam, we been hanging out playing Booray (a card game), went to Cabo, did some golfing, developing our relationship,’’ Smith said. “Sam is a really, really talented young player. He played a lot of football to be that young. Did a lot of great things and showed a lot of great things on tape.

OL Saahdiq Charles, Tennessee Titans

Entering the offseason, the thought was that Dillon Radunz and Daniel Brunskill would be the favorites for the right guard job in 2024. However, a recent free-agent acquisition has entered the mix.

According to Zach Lyons of Stacking The Inbox, Saahdiq Charles was in the rotation at right guard during practice, along with Brunskill.

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