NFL free agency: Predicting the best free agent all 32 teams will sign
Predicting the best free agent the Washington Commanders will sign: Robert Hunt, G
The Commanders are in the early part of a complete teardown and rebuild, but new owner Josh Harris' club has the means to kickstart it in a big way this offseason. The Commanders possess the highest available cap space in the league, plus six picks in the top 102, including the No. 2 overall selection that will almost certainly be used on one of the top quarterbacks in the class (though it must be said that second-year QB Sam Howell did show promise before the season-long battering he absorbed took its toll).
Washington has needs all over the field, but the most glaring one is on the offensive line. The Commanders allowed 65 sacks last year, and their rushing attack ranked in the bottom 20% of the league. Bringing a rookie quarterback in only to get massacred on a weekly basis is a recipe for disaster, so finding some pieces that can keep Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels upright outranks even the need to improve a defense that gave up the most yards in the league. Those quarterbacks might be able to win a shootout, but not if they're getting sacked four times a game.
At the time of this writing, Washington is the last remaining team without a head coach. Whoever the new hire is will mean a great deal when it comes to this all-important free agency period, but an offensive line never goes out of style.
Robert Hunt of the Dolphins is a name to watch. Miami ranked sixth in the league in rushing yards, first in overall yards, and they gave up the fourth-fewest number of sacks. They're also in salary cap purgatory, which means their loss could be Washington's gain.
Hunt missed six games this year with a hamstring injury, but he never missed a contest in his previous three years. The Commanders need a lot more than one guard to get off the ground, but Hunt would be a good start.