Major Cowboys deal bursts door open for Commanders to sign prolific free agent
The Washington Commanders knew what they were doing when they hired Dan Quinn to be their next head coach last offseason.
Not only did they bring in an elite motivator and proven winner with Super Bowl experience, but they decimated the rival Dallas Cowboys. It took away their defensive coordinator — and several key contributors in the process.
Defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr., center Tyler Biadasz, edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr., and wide receiver Noah Brown are among the players who followed Quinn to Washington from Dallas. Now, as this year’s free agency picture becomes clearer, there’s another former pupil of the coach who the Commanders might have their eye on.
The Cowboys’ four-year, $80 million extension of defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa means they’ll have much less money to spend elsewhere. One veteran player who they might be forced to let walk is cornerback Jourdan Lewis. The eight-year quality contributor has spent his entire professional career to date in Dallas, but that may change in 2025.
Commanders’ chances of landing Jourdan Lewis improve after Osa Odighizuwa extension
The Commanders would be a solid fit for Lewis, even beyond the obvious Quinn connection. Washington doesn’t need another star in its secondary with four-time Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore and promising youngster Mike Sainristil as its projected starters. Some depth could be useful, with Benjamin St-Juste set to be a free agent and 2023 first-round bust Emmanuel Forbes Jr. now on the Los Angeles Rams.
Lewis would be the ideal player to fill that role. The former third-round pick has shown that he can be productive as a team’s No. 2 or No. 3 cornerback. In Dallas, he has been overshadowed by Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland in recent years. Yet last season he set a career-high in tackles with 71. He’d also likely come at a cheap price considering the stage of his career.
For all of those reasons, Lewis is a player who the Commanders should target. Dallas’ financial predicament and his previous connection to Quinn only enhance Washington’s hopes.
He would give Washington’s defensive backfield some much-needed depth as a veteran presence who knows his role. Lewis can still move the needle as an impact player nearly a decade into his playing career.
The Michigan product would reunite with a coach who was a locker-room favorite in Dallas (and remains one in D.C.). Perhaps most importantly of all for Commanders fans, he’d score Washington some additional bragging rights as the team takes another contributor from its most bitter rival.
Let’s make this happen, Adam Peters. When free agency officially begins next week, Lewis should (hopefully) be a Commander soon after the legal tampering window opens.
