Commanders named potential landing spot for two former Pro Bowlers

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We're one week into the 2025 free agency period and there are still plenty of unsigned free agents on the market. Free agency doesn't have a hard end date, players can continue to sign with any team they like as long as they remain an unrestricted free agent. Many of the moves that will take place have already happened, but there are always stragglers sprinkled in for weeks to come.

The Washington Commanders have done well with their free agency activity thus far, and it's unlikely they are done. ESPN's Bill Barnwell recently named landing places for the top 13 remaining free agents, and the Commanders came up twice. Barnwell says that wide receiver Keenan Allen and edge rusher Matthew Judon would fit well in Washington.

For Keenan Allen:

Why teams should be interested: He can still get open. Maybe. Allen's 57 open score ranked 64th in the league, which isn't great given that he ranked first in the same metric in 2023, but 64th is still good enough to qualify for meaningful snaps in any offense that needs somebody to beat man coverage. Unlike Cooper, who didn't do much in a Bills offense where everyone was producing, Allen was stuck in an offense where everybody appeared to be operating at half speed and nobody played up to their potential.

Barnwell discusses how Allen's market value was dragged down by playing for the Chicago Bears in 2023 where no one performed well. He also mentions that Allen has been plagued with injuries and may be better served as a WR3 on a team with a star who will draw coverage and leave him open. Washington has that ability, especially with Jayden Daniels under center.

After discussing Judon's slow start with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024, there's still a reason teams should be interested in the veteran linebacker:

Why teams should be interested: Over the final seven games of the season, Judon got back on track, generating 4 sacks, 6 knockdowns and 1 pick-six. Admittedly, a closer look pokes some of the air out of that balloon: The four sacks include a play in which a lineman appeared to be tripped, a coverage sack and a snap in which two Commanders linemen converged on another pass rusher, leaving Judon free to take down Jayden Daniels. So, I'm not sure he was significantly better in the second half.

At the age of 33, Judon is likely a part-time player rather than a full-game guy. The Commanders lack any presence on the edge right now, so even a part-time edge rusher is better than nothing. Plus, bringing in Judon would allow the Commanders to draft an edge rusher and have a veteran in place to help mentor a young player. He may not be the whole answer, but he could be part of it.

The Commanders are setting themselves up nicely for a post-season run in 2025 and they aren't done yet. The draft is a month away and there are plenty of free agents they can choose from now that the immediate frenzy is over.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders named potential landing spot for two ex-Pro Bowlers

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