After the first night of this year’s NFL draft, with Washington taking outside cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, Commanders coach Ron Rivera was asked whether veterans Kendall Fuller or Benjamin St-Juste would kick inside and play slot cornerback. By the next evening, the question would already become outdated: In the second round, the Commanders drafted Illinois safety Quan Martin — who instantly became the clear frontrunner to fill that spot.
Martin’s selection provided clarity, in a sense. But it did little to resolve the status for Fuller and St-Juste.
Though adding help in the secondary was a priority for Washington during the draft, there’s suddenly a logjam in the defensive backfield. The Commanders often deploy a third safety on the field in lieu of a traditional slot cornerback, so if Martin slides into that role, then that means one of Fuller or St-Juste — last year’s starters on the outside — is poised to lose playing time to Forbes.
In Fuller’s case, the veteran cornerback is set to enter 2023 in the final year of his contract with a high cap hit ($11.6 million). His base salary isn’t guaranteed, so the Commanders could save $8.5 million if they decided to cut him.
Is that a move the Commanders are willing to entertain?
“It’s way too early to discuss all that stuff,” Rivera said. “Guys are here. They’re working out; they’re working hard. This is how the draft has fallen for us.”
Fuller becoming a cap casualty is far from guaranteed. For one, Rivera is entering a must-win year and Fuller was arguably the team’s most-productive corner last season. The 28-year-old has excelled in Washington’s defense because of his ability to play with his eyes and read opposing offenses. Yes, Fuller’s release would create a good amount of cap space, but it’s not clear what Washington would use that money toward with the first wave of free agency over.
St-Juste, too, hasn’t been able to stay consistently on the field. Across two seasons, he’s missed a total of 13 games — including five of the last six in 2022. St-Juste has played well when healthy, especially on the outside, and has good size (6-foot-3) for the position.
Washington’s best option may be to keep Fuller and let him, Forbes and St-Juste compete for the two starting spots. Another possibility is to have all three on the field at the same time, with one of them kicking inside. Fuller and St-Juste have both played in the slot, albeit with less success than they’ve had on the outside in Washington’s defense.
Even if Fuller is kept, there will likely still be cuts to come. Twice this offseason, Rivera has failed to mention Andrew Norwell when talking about the open competition at left guard, the spot Norwell started 16 games last season. Norwell’s release would save almost $2.3 million, and Washington drafted two offensive linemen in Ricky Stromberg and Braeden Daniels who could be insurance options at left guard.
Rivera has said he plans for Chris Paul — a seventh-rounder in 2022 — and Saahdiq Charles to be the main competitors at left guard. Stromberg and Daniels, meanwhile, figure to begin workouts at their primary positions of center and tackle.
Stromberg’s selection, though, could also affect center Chase Roullier’s status. The Commanders have now added three players at Roullier’s position this offseason by signing veteran Nick Gates (three years, $16.5 million), re-signing Tyler Larsen (one year, $1.1 million) and drafting Stromberg. But that wasn’t a surprise given that Roullier has suffered back-to-back season-ending injuries. The 29-year-old was limited to just two games in 2022.
Cutting Roullier would save $4.3 million and $8.3 million if designated with a post-June 1 release, according to Over The Cap. But the Commanders have yet to do so and Roullier remains a participant in the team’s voluntary offseason workouts.
Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew said the Commanders weren’t done adding to the roster. And while that’s true — the team signed 12 undrafted free agents this week — it’s hard to see the Commanders making a splash with any outside additions in the coming months.
The more realistic scenario could be that once the team’s ownership situation is settled, the Commanders pivot to trying to work out extensions for those like edge rusher Montez Sweat and safety Kam Curl. The Commanders drafted two edge rushers, but have five defensive ends on expiring contracts next season — including Chase Young after declining his fifth-year option.
“It was the football decision that we made,” Rivera said of declining Young’s option. “And for the most part, it’s one of those things that we want to take care of our own. We want to go out and we want ‘em to play well. And if that’s what happens (with Young), then we have a really good problem to have.
“And it’s something that we’ll have to work through once we know where everything is.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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