New Commanders regime taking smart approach to free-agent spending

In theory, the Washington Commanders could have outbid any team in the NFL for any free agent on the market. With more than $90 million in salary cap space to burn, they could have signed two or three of the highest-priced, biggest-name free agents in the league.

That had to be tempting for a new owner who is determined to make a strong first impression on a long-disillusioned fan base. Josh Harris didn't become a billionaire by simply being patient and waiting for things to happen. And now he had a perfect opportunity to start his tenure with a splash.

So what did the Commanders do instead? They handed their biggest deal of free agency to … defensive end Dorance Armstrong? Then they landed a center rated by Pro Football Focus as the fifth best on the market, a guard who started 13 games in the last five seasons, a safety who spent parts of the last two years on injured reserve, a 33-year-old tight end who has played in just 17 games the last two seasons, a 34-year-old linebacker and a 29-year-old running back who's production declined alarmingly last year.

That's not the splash that many of Harris' new fans were expecting. But for a team with a new general manager and head coach and staring at a years-long rebuilding process, it was exactly the right thing to do.

Because while that might seem like an inauspicious debut for the new Washington regime, the truth is they're doing what smart teams do — especially at this stage of their growing process. They didn't need one or two big splashs as much as they needed a bunch of little ones. They essentially have to completely refill their own pool — as in a near total rebuild of their crumbling roster. New GM Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn are starting from scratch, building a team in their own image.

And for a change, the spending in Washington isn't irresponsible. So far, through the first few days of the offseason, the Commanders are spending smartly.

It's not always easy to do that, especially with so much cap room to use. But they recognized they weren't in a good position to overspend for a quick fix. They entered free agency with huge needs all along their offensive line, at tight end and at quarterback and they needed help at every position on defense except for tackle. They need starters and depth. They need to add youth to a team that is going to grow the next few years around the quarterback they draft with the No. 2 pick next month, a certainty now that incumbent Sam Howell has been traded to the Seattle Seahawks.

That's a lot more than a high-priced free agent or two could have given them.

And no, the list of 13 free agents they had signed or agreed to terms with by the start of the signing period on Wednesday wasn't overwhelming and wasn't going to sell many tickets. No Commanders fans were rushing out to buy jerseys of Armstrong, a rotational edge rusher in Dallas, or center Tyler Biadasz, or defensive end Clelin Ferrell.

But look closer at what the Commanders did and you'll see the start of a better team and deeper franchise. Almost every single player they added in the first few days — and almost all of their signings came from outside the roster they inherited, while they let most of their own free agents go — is an upgrade over the player he's replacing. And they all came relatively cheaply on deals that won't crush the Commanders' salary cap situation in the future even if they don't work out.

In other words, the Commanders improved, but more importantly, left themselves room to get even better in the future.

For a team that's basically starting from rock bottom, what's not to like about that?

Just look at what they did on defense, for starters. They had nothing left at the edge rusher position after trading away Montez Sweat and Chase Young last October. Armstrong (three years, $33 million, $16.1 million guaranteed) may not have been a starter in Dallas, but he had 16 sacks over the past two seasons. Ferrell (one year, $3.75 million), once the fourth overall pick, had 3.5 sacks last season and might still have some untapped ability. And Dante Fowler had 10 sacks the last two seasons in a limited role in Quinn's defense.

And they're backed by major upgrades at linebacker where the Commanders signed Frankie Luvu (three years, $31 million, $19.1 million guaranteed) and veteran Bobby Wagner (one year, $8.5 million) — who played for Quinn in Seattle — who is the perfect mentor for a young defense destined to go through changes the next few years.

They also upgraded an offensive line that gave up an awful 65 sacks last season with a solid center in Biadasz (three years, $29.25 million, $20.7 million guaranteed), and guard Nick Allegretti (three years, $16 million, $9 million guaranteed), who was a backup in Kansas City and played well when he started in the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl. Tight end Zach Ertz (one year, $5 million), if he stays healthy, is a far better receiver than Logan Thomas was. And Brandon McManus (one year, $3.6 million) is a far more reliable kicker than Joey Slye.

Add in Austin Ekeler (two years, $8.4 million, $4.2 million guaranteed) — a major upgrade over the departed Antonio Gibson and who could make a nice 1-2 punch in the backfield with Brian Robinson — and veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota (one year, $6 million) as the perfect mentor/spot starter, and it's easy to see the pattern. The Commanders brought 13 players in and all but one are obvious upgrades. The lone exception might be safety Jeremy Chinn (one year, $4.1 million), who will likely have to replace Kam Curl.

It's not a powerhouse roster. It's not a star-studded lineup. But what it is, is a solid start to a rebuilding project that is undoubtedly going to take some time. The new Commanders regime looked at the roster it was handed and made the correct judgment that they would do a lot better replacing as many players as they could.

Would they have been better with a few big-ticket items? Sure. But they still probably wouldn't have been a playoff team and that would have only been a temporary fix on their way to being a perennial contender. Spending money can be tempting. It certainly can be popular. But it's not the way to build a winner in the NFL.

Spending smartly and drafting well is the way to do it. And it's a good thing that the new Commanders regime seems willing to stay on that path.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.