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Before the start of the season, it didn't look like the Washington Commanders were going to be very big players at the 2024 trade deadline.
Sure, they had an exciting new franchise quarterback, at least in theory, and secured the serves of a new head coach and offensive coordinator to shake up systems that weren't particularly compelling in 2023, but after trading away an expected starting wide receiver a few weeks before the season started, things weren't looking too promising.
Oh, what a difference six weeks can make.
Suddenly, the Commanders have the best record in the NFC East, have the best quarterback in this draft class – unless you live in Chicago – and have consistently found ways to win meaningful football games. Defeating bad teams with ease while keeping it close with the good ones, even if it doesn't always result in a win, the Commanders look like a legitimately good football team and now might be willing to shell out for an upgrade to really take themselves over the top down the stretch.
Fortunately, even after missing out on the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes, the Commanders still have a few interesting options they can attack the trade market, including swapping out one draft bust for another and bolstering their defensive line after losing a legit difference-maker to season-ending IR. If the Commanders want to pony up a future pick for a current asset, this might be their year in more ways than one.
1. Swap out Emmanuel Forbes for Jonathan Mingo
When it comes to cornerbacks on the trade market, Emmanuel Forbes might just be the most interesting.
A former first-round pick out of Mississippi State, Forbes put some quality play on tape in 2023 as a rookie, even if his campaign overall was pretty up and down, and might have taken a step forward in Year 2 had he been afforded a chance to keep things copasetic in Ron Rivera's system.
Unfortunately, things have remained anything but consistent for Forbes, as he's had to go from Rivera's system to Dan Quinn's, become a reserve where he was once a pretty consistent starter, and now is lucky to see the field for more than 40 percent of the team's defensive snaps versus 50 percent the year before. Forbes has appeared in just three games, with one start in 2024, and his play really hasn't shone when he has seen the field, holding a 34.9 rating from PFF.
Fortunately, Forbes is still a great athlete and was still drafted in the first round back in 2023, so there are teams around the NFL who would surely like to bring him to town, either as an outside cornerback in a zone-heavy scheme or as a slight weapon in the slot who can hang with vertical or horizontal WR3s.
One team that may be interested in Forbes' talent is the Carolina Panthers, a team the Commanders know very well from Scott Fitterer's time working for the organization. With a big need for cornerback help at the spots opposite Jaycee Horn, Forbes is the kind of player the Panthers could covet as a long-term play, and they have the perfect player to swap for the defensive back, wide receiver Jonathan Mingo.
Originally drafted with the 39th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Mingo looked like a future WR1 coming out of Ole Miss but really hasn't found much success at the pro level, failing to catch a touchdown and falling further and further down the depth chart for Carolina under new head coach Dave Canales. If Fitterer still likes what Mingo brings to the table and believes he can become a top-tier talent at the NFL level, swapping out one cornerback his team won't play for a wide receiver who has a clear role on the team, a one-for-one swap feels like good business for the Commanders.
2. Trade a conditional sixth-round pick for Sebastian Joseph-Day
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After placing Jonathan Allen on IR, the Washington Commanders may view themselves as a team in need of help on the defensive line.
Sure, there's still Daron Payne, who is a premier talent, and they have a few more interesting talents like Johnny Newton, Jalyn Holmes, Phidarian Mathis, and veteran journeyman Sheldon Day. But if the Commanders want to further fortify their depth and secure another capable player who can rotate in on the interior, there are a few interesting options on the market.
From a value standpoint, there might not be a better buy than Sebastian Joseph-Day, who currently operates in the middle of the Tennessee Titans' defensive line.
Standing 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, Joseph-Day is a former sixth-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams who has played for four different teams over his professional career. He's played nose tackle, he's been a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme and is currently holding things down next to Jeffery Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat in the Titians' 3-4 starting lineup.
Currently playing on a one-year contract worth just under $4 million, the Titans may be willing to move off of Joseph-Day if they lose a few more games before the November 4th deadline and might have a buyer in the Commanders, who could be in the market for his services if the price is right.
Slide Joseph-Day next to Allen, and he should be able to do fine in the Commanders' defense, playing with Payne or rotating in when the star tackle needs a break alongside rookie Newton. Either way, if the Titans will take a mid-Day 3 pick, Joseph-Day should be a Commander for Week 9.
Commanders Bonus: Trading Jahan Dotson was a stroke of brilliance
No matter how the 2024 NFL trade deadline shakes out, the Commanders already have to go down as one of the biggest winners of the year, as they pulled off an absolute robbery by getting a third-round pick from the Philadelphia Eagles for Jahan Dotson.
Now, at the time, the deal was controversial, as trading a former first-round pick in-division is a tough ask, especially when the team in question already has an explosive offense, but how has it turned out? Well, goodness, the Commanders couldn't ask for anything better, as Dotson somehow only has six catches for 35 yards as the most disappointing WR3 the Eagles have had in years.
Could Dotson ultimately figure it all out, finding his niche in Nick Sirianni and Kellen Moore's offense and earning the trust of Jalen Hurts? Sure, that's possible, but for now, this looks like an incredible move by the Commanders and a major black eye for Howie Roseman.
