Smith-Williams signed a one-year deal with the Falcons on Monday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Smith-Williams spent the first four seasons of his career with Washington, where he recorded seven sacks across 55 appearances. In 13 games last season, the 26-year-old logged 22 tackles and one sack. Smith-Williams should add depth at defensive end for the Falcons, and he'll likely slot in somewhere beind starters Ta'Quon Graham, Grady Jarrett (knee), and Zach Harrison (knee).
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Saints' Khaleke Hudson: Inks with New Orleans
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The Saints and Hudson agreed to terms Thursday on a one-year contract, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Hudson put together a career-best 2023 season with Washington, the final year of his rookie deal, when he notched 74 tackles (44 solo), two pass defenses and 1.0 sacks in 17 regular-season games. Eight of those contests were starts, and he contributed 341 snaps on special teams. He figures to handle a similar role with New Orleans.
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Commanders' Haggai Ndubuisi: Joins Washington
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The Commanders signed Ndubuisi to a contract Wednesday.
Ndubuisi missed the 2023 season, but he should now be fully recovered from the fractured finger he had surgically repaired last September. As part of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program, Ndubuisi will now get a chance to further his development and compete for an end-of-roster spot with Washington.
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Commanders' Mykal Walker: Goes to Washington
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Walker signed a contract with the Commanders on Tuesday.
Walker suited up eight times for the Steelers in 2023, recording 33 tackles (21 solo) and two passes defended, including one interception. It was a reduced role from his 2022 campaign with the Falcons, which saw him cross the century mark in tackles. He'll likely be a depth option in Washington's linebacker corps this season.
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Commanders' Clelin Ferrell: Heading to Washington
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Ferrell signed a one-year contract with the Commanders on Monday.
Ferrell spent the 2023 campaign with the 49ers, appearing in all 17 of the team's regular-season contests while producing 28 tackles and 3.5 sacks. The defensive end was forced to miss the team's run to the Super Bowl due to a knee injury, but he'll look to pick up where he left off as he begins his time in Washington.
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Bills' Casey Toohill: Heads to Buffalo
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Toohill (shoulder) signed a one-year contract with the Bills on Tuesday, Patrick Warren of the team's official site reports.
Toohill appeared in 16 games last season, missing the Commanders' final contest due to a shoulder injury. The Stanford product notched a career-high 5.0 sacks in 2023 and should bolster Buffalo's depth off the edge now that he's healthy.
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Commanders' Michael Davis: Inking in Washington
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The Commanders and Davis agreed to terms on a contract Monday, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.
Davis provides Washington with an experienced cornerback to help replace the void left by Kendall Fuller, who recently inked a deal with the Dolphins. The 29-year-old is coming off a mixed 2023 campaign in which he was benched at multiple points and allowed a career-high 13.8 yards per completion and 9.0 yards per target, as Rhim notes. He could compete for starting snaps with Benjamin St-Juste, while 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes will likely get another crack at a No. 1 role.
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Broncos' Cody Barton: Headed to Denver
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Barton signed with the Broncos on Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
The 2019 third-round pick out of Utah will be playing for his third team in three years after spending last season in Washington and the prior four seasons with Seattle. Barton missed four games while on IR with an ankle injury and registered 121 tackles (67 solo), one interception and one fumble recovery over 13 games in 2023. He could start alongside Alex Singleton at inside linebacker for the 2024 season, with Drew Sanders being direct competition for that spot.
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Rams' Kamren Curl: Bolsters Rams' secondary
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Curl (quadriceps) signed a two-year, $13 million deal with the Rams on Thursday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Curl was drafted in the seventh round of the 2020 draft, but he maintained a significant role on the defensive unit for the Commanders in all four of his seasons with the team. He topped 80 tackles in each of those campaigns and had at least four passes defensed on three occasions. The 24-year-old -- who is presumably past a quad injury that sidelined him in Washington's season finale -- is in line to play a key role in a revamped Rams' secondary that also includes the newly added Darious Williams.
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Commanders' Efe Obada: Back with Washington
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The Commanders re-signed Obada (lower leg) on Thursday.
Obada returns for a third consecutive season in Washington, after having played just five games in 2023 before needing to undergo right leg surgery. After a full offseason to recover, Odaba figures to be ready to contribute as a depth defensive end Week 1.
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Dolphins' Kendall Fuller: Finds home in Miami
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Fuller (knee) agreed to a two-year, $16.5 million contract with the Dolphins on Thursday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Fuller ended the 2023 season on IR after appearing in 15 games for the Commanders, but there are no indications he's still dealing with any knee issues. The 29-year-old cornerback replaces longtime standout Xavien Howard (foot), who the Dolphins recently released, as the starter across from Jalen Ramsey in Miami's secondary. Fuller remains a standout at his position, so his presence allows the Dolphins defense to continue leaning on its cornerback corps for an identity.
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Commanders' Anthony Pittman: Moves to Washington
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Pittman is signing with the Commanders on Thursday, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.
Pittman spent the previous four seasons with the Lions, seeing the vast majority of his snaps on special teams. The Wayne State product will likely be working to earn a similar role with his new team.
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Commanders' Jeremy Reaves: Stays with Washington
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Reaves (knee) re-signed with the Commanders on a two-year contract Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Reaves suffered a partial ACL tear early last season, limiting him to just five games in 2023. However, the 27-year-old was a special-teams Pro Bowler in his last healthy season in 2022, a level of play he'll be aiming to get back to in 2024.
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Commanders' K.J. Henry: Contributes as rookie
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Henry recorded 19 tackles 14 solo), two pass defenses and 1.5 sacks across 10 games during his 2023 rookie season.
The fifth-round pick made just one appearance before November, strictly playing special teams, but then got more playing time once the Commanders traded DEs Chase Young and Montez Sweat. Henry played at least 30 snaps on defense in each of the team's final seven games, but he won't necessarily have that kind of role in his second season, with the Commanders presumably looking to upgrade their shaky group of edge defenders this spring.
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Commanders' James Smith-Williams: Records just 1.0 sacks
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Smith-Williams recorded 22 tackles (11 solo) and 1.0 sacks across 13 games (seven starts) in 2023.
The 2020 seventh-round pick became a starter after the Commanders traded away fellow DEs Chase Young and Montez Sweat in October, but Smith-Williams then missed four straight games with a hamstring injury between mid-November and mid-December. When all was said and done, he'd actually recorded fewer snaps, tackles and sacks than in 2022, and now he's scheduled for unrestricted free agency with a resume that suggests he'll be looking for a backup role.
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Commanders' Terrell Burgess: Makes one start
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Burgess recorded 25 tackles (17 solo) across 12 games (one start) in 2023.
A 2020 third-round pick, Burgess made just three starts in three seasons with the Rams and mostly continued in backup role for the Commanders this past year. He did record 10 tackles in his lone start, Week 18, albeit as part of a Washington secondary that allowed the Cowboys to throw for 309 yards and four touchdowns. Burgess is scheduled for unrestricted free agency in the offseason.
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Commanders' Casey Toohill: Ends year with 5.0 sacks
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Toohill (shoulder) started eight of his 16 games in 2023 and finished the year with 26 tackles (17 solo), 5.0 sacks and one pass defense.
He became a starter after the Commanders traded defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat in October, though 4.0 of Toohill's 5.0 sacks actually occurred before those deals. He didn't have much luck rushing passers in a full-time role, and the 2020 seventh-round pick may have to settle for a backup job as he prepares for unrestricted free agency after missing Week 18 with a shoulder injury.
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Commanders' John Ridgeway: Finishes second year with 31 tackles
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Ridgeway had 31 tackles (16 solo) and one pass defense in 17 games in 2023.
The 2022 fifth-round pick has started six of 32 games through two pro seasons, recording 55 tackles on 636 defensive snaps. Ridgeway is still searching for his first NFL sack and figures to have a rotational role again in 2024.
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Commanders' Emmanuel Forbes: Struggles in debut campaign
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Forbes started six of 14 games during his 2023 rookie season, recording 38 tackles (35 solo), 11 pass defenses, one interception and one fumble recovery.
The 16th overall pick was a Week 1 starter, though he didn't get much playing time in the base defense, instead guarding the perimeter in nickel packages. Forbes got some unwanted attention after Eagles WR A.J. Brown dragged him around the field Week 4, with the rookie then logging just 34 defensive snaps over the next four games combined. In and out of the lineup for much of the year, Forbes handled an every-down role the final two weeks of the season but didn't exactly redeem himself. He also finished dead last in PFF run-defense grade among qualified cornerbacks, perhaps validating some of the pre-draft concerns about his lack of size (166 pounds at the combine) being a problem in the NFL. On the other hand, Forbes ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash after picking off 14 passes (six returned for TDs) in three seasons in the SEC, so a rebound in Year 2 of his professional career wouldn't exactly be a shocking. A new coaching staff in Washington can't hurt, and Forbes' status as a first-round pick should ensure he gets another chance to start.
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Commanders' Quan Martin: Finishes rookie season strong
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Martin (ankle) started five of 16 games as a rookie in 2023, recording 46 tackles (28 soo), four pass defenses, two interceptions and 1.0 sacks.
The second-round pick played just 17 defensive snaps before November but then got most of the work at slot corner during the second half of his rookie season. It's hard to say if that's truly where he fits best or just where he ended up because the Washington secondary was such a mess. Either way, Martin should have a prominent role in 2024 under a new coaching staff, as he was one of the relative bright spots this past season for one of the league's worst defenses. He's also one of the more athletic defensive backs in the NFL, boasting a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and 44-inch vertical from the 2023 combine.
