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Commanders Need 'One Pressing Move' - Sign CB Joe Haden - Before Camp?

Joe Haden is a 12-year veteran and a Washington D.C. area native.

Did the Washington Commanders do enough this offseason to improve on last season's 7-10 campaign? Washington had quite the headline-grabbing offseason, trading for quarterback Carson Wentz and extending wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

However, the team still has some work to do, especially considering how each NFC East team has seemingly improved this offseason.

After finishing nearly dead-last in pass defense last season and then releasing Landon Collins, surprisingly Washington waited until the fourth round in the NFL Draft to take safety Percy Butler. Safe to say, improving the secondary would go a long way to help the Commanders in 2022. 

The most "pressing move'' for the Commanders to make is sign sign cornerback Joe Haden before the season begins, according to Bleacher Report.

The Commanders aren't especially deep in their secondary.

William Jackson III, Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste are the team's top three corners, with the flexibility of safeties Kamren Curl and Bobby McCain to drop into coverage. The unit's overall cornerback depth is suspect, with Danny Johnson and Christian Holmes as the primary backup options. Johnson has played in 26 games the last two seasons with only one start, and Holmes is a seventh-round rookie.

The addition of an established veteran would go a long way to solidifying this group after it finished 29th in pass defense last season.

Haden is a 12-year veteran and a Washington D.C. area native. The former All-Pro played his previous five seasons in Pittsburgh, helping the team to a late-2010s defensive resurgence. While Haden is coming off his worst statistical season in 2021, he was limited to 12 games due to a Lisfranc injury. 

We agree with B/R as the former first-round draft pick could have something left to prove and certainly would help bring experience to the Commanders secondary as the team looks to usurp the Dallas Cowboys (+120 favorites) as division champions. The NFC East has not seen a team go back-to-back in the division since the Eagles did so in 2004.

Should Washington add Haden, he would join a secondary group that, according to coach Ron Rivera, "is really coming together." 

But yes, it could "come together'' even more with Joe Haden in D.C.