We dropped a Friday afternoon post asking the HH community a question designed to generate discuss Commanders football in early July.
If you were Washington’s GM, what’s one move would you make?
While the query’s pretty straightforward, this community found nuance in it. I’ve only been here a few months, but that was no surprise. I’d expect nothing less from a crew that prefers to view its football team in three dimensions.
We’ve got 183 comments as of this Sunday afternoon ET writing, and not all are
questions teed up for me to answer. The discussion has done some of my work for me, weighing pros and cons of these proposals to make the Commanders better heading into training camp later this month.
Some of you suggest trades to make the 2026 roster better. Others are looking for future draft capital for players unlikely to find a role. A few of you also said a prudent thing: do absolutely nothing right now. Roll with what you’ve got. There’s nothing wrong with that at this point in the calendar, even with some weaker position groups needing fortification. Sometimes development is the best fix, even though that doesn’t make the best article.
All the points brought up in the thread were good, but I’ve pick out a few to discuss in my response to Friday’s thread. If a topic I don’t talk about isn’t mentioned below, feel free to analyze it in the comments below.
Sign Stefon Diggs
Signing Stefon Diggs was a common refrain in the comments, but I thought LionRoars 1987 explained the logic well. It’s a move the Commanders could make without giving something, either in trade compensation or future salary-cap space.
The Commanders are $43 million under the cap, so they could easily give Diggs $10-12ish million for one season to fortify the receiver corps with a DMV native and a University of Maryland product. Diggs has exceeded 1,000 receiving yards in seven of the last eight seasons, including last year’s venture with the New England Patriots.
Placing him in pattern with Terry McLaurin and Antonio Williams and tight end Chig Oknokwu makes the Commanders dangerous. It’s clear Diggs is in shape, as his Instagram profile will show you.
Diggs’ remaining legal issues could be a red flag. Also, it’s fair to wonder how Diggs will react if the early season goes south. At this point, after all the Brandon Aiyuk nonsense, Diggs is the best option available to upgrade the receiver corps.
Trade Daron Payne (or Frankie Luvu)
I included two comments back-to-back here, with some of you suggesting the Commanders trade some players away to add NFL draft captial for 2026. Daron Payne was a frequent trade candidate, considering his talent and physical skill. He can be a monster, even though we can all agree he hasn’t lived up to four-year, $90 million deal signed in 2023.
Payne is in a contract year, which, as we all know, brings out his best. Payne’s just 29 and is surely looking for that third contract. He had 11.5 sacks and 18 tackles for a loss in his last contract year, a 2022 campaign where he made the Pro Bowl.
Is the best of Payne for one season, in a new defense where Commanders hopes are high, worth some likely Day 3 draft capital? I’ll take the performance over the pick.
There’s also that pesky $27 million cap hit in 2026 that few teams could absorb. What about Frankie Luvu or an edge rusher left without a role now that the position group’s a lot deeper? I’d sit and wait for camp to see how those players perform and for injuries to create trade demand. What might not be advisable now could be an option in August.
Continue center search
I get the desire for an upgrade at center, with presumptive starter Nick Allegretti primarily a guard in the NFL and no proven backup at this time. Sixth-round draft pick Matt Gulbin could be good in time, but that’s no guarantee. Here’s the issue with trying to find a center upgrade right now: that position benefits greatly from an offseason program. That’s especially for a David Blough offense expected to be Ben Johnson-like. Johnson’s system puts a ton on the center, so losing the spring work would be tough. The Commanders sure hope Allegretti pans out, and there’s confidence he can despite an unproven NFL track record at the position.
Go after Chris Olave
This is a pie-in-the-sky-ish scenario, but topics like this are what makes these discussions fun. It was done in the spirit of a fun offseason discussion, and I appreciate Ptowny757 for setting us up with an outside-the-box idea. Chris Olave would surely upgrade the receiver corps over the longer term. The Commanders wouldn’t trade for Olave without being able to workout a long-term deal with him. Would the Saints trade him now? Probably only for a premium. At the trade deadline? He might be cheaper, but the Commanders would have to have stood pat this summer and had a hot start to the season.
He has had more than 1,000 yards in three of his four NFL seasons and can be a dominant force in the pattern. His toughness is McLaurin-like, which is commendable. That move would cost draft capital and invest a ton in receivers a year before quarterback Jayden Daniels becomes extension eligible. While it seems unlikely, it’s fun to discuss.
Since we’ve gone over what moves you’d make in the discussion post, how about you jump into the wayback machine (see, John Portis? I’m learning) and give us a move you would’ve made back in March, pre-free agency and draft in the comments below.
