The Commanders have a full offseason roster…and then some
On Monday, the Commanders announced that they had agreed to terms with 11 undrafted college free agents who will be added to the roster.
We have agreed to terms with 11 undrafted free agents
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 29, 2024
This does not end the roster construction process. In May, the team will hold a rookie minicamp, and a number of other undrafted players will be invited to attend for a ‘tryout’ with the team. If those players can convince decision-makers that they deserve a roster spot, they can supplant a player — even one listed on yesterday’s announcement.
In fact, with the addition of 11 new players, the roster should rise to 93 players. As we all know, the usual limit is 90, though the inclusion of Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi via the International Player Pathway program allows the Commanders to have 91 players on the roster.
It appears as if the team will need to move two players off the roster, either by releasing them or by moving them to a reserve list (e.g., injured reserve).
The numbers that appear beside some players’ names are 2024 cap hits per Over the Cap.
Please note that assigned positions and color coding are my own personal opinions. They do not necessarily represent the thinking of Washington’s coaches or front office, nor are they necessarily consistent with fan consensus. This chart represents my personal interpretation, and may not reflect the thoughts of other writers on Hogs Haven. Finally, when it comes to backup players, I don’t put much effort into making sure that they are on the right or left or behind the specific player that they backup. I mostly just try to fit everyone on the chart efficiently.
In an effort to ensure that my chart above is correct and that I hadn’t overlooked the release of two players recently, I reconciled my chart against the team’s website. The only anomalies I found were that the website does not list Cornelius Lucas on the roster, and does not include Luke McCaffrey among the unsigned draft picks. I assume that an intern will add both players soon.
It appears to me that my chart reflects the current state of the announced roster; that is, that the team has:
- 11 Unsigned Undrafted College Free Agents
- 9 Unsigned Draft Picks
- 1 International Pathway Program Player
- 72 Experienced NFL players under contract
The current split between offense and defense is 46:44, in favor of the defensive side of the ball, which is a mild indication that any players leaving the roster in the coming days are likely to come from the defense.
Like all NFL teams, the Commanders will be holding a rookie minicamp in early May for all the drafted players, UDFAs, and tryout players. It is not uncommon for the team to announce the addition of one or two tryout players following the completion of that minicamp. Roster-construction is a continual process that will go on until the end of the team’s 2024 season.