The Washington Commanders have been busy through the first 4 days of NFL free agency at almost every position with one notable exception — edge rusher.
The latest bit of inactivity on the part of the Commanders saw last season’s sacks leader, edge rusher Dante Fowler, return to an NFC East rival by signing a 1-year, $6.5 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys on March 14.
“Fowler played for the Cowboys in 2022 and ’23 before leaving with former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to the Washington Commanders last year and putting up 10.5 sacks,” ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote. “Fowler’s deal is worth $6 million and can move to $8 million based on incentives.”
The Commanders were encouraged to offer Fowler a contract extension late in the season as he became one of the key defensive pieces on a team that advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991. Fowler played for Washington on a 1-year, $3.25 million contract in 2024.
“One of the former Cowboys that Quinn lured over from Dallas, the 30-year-old has been impactful as a rotational edge-rusher this season,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder wrote on November 27. “The Commanders should be looking to get younger on the edge, but Quinn knows what he has in Fowler. Extending an offer before Fowler hits the open market again would be sensible.”
Fowler Went From No. 3 Overall Pick to Journeyman
Fowler was a 2-time All-SEC pick at Florida before the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft but his career got off to a terrible start when he tore his ACL on the first day of minicamp his rookie year and followed with a scandal, when he was illegally fined $700,000 by Executive VP and former head coach Tom Coughlin, which led to Coughlin’s firing in December 2019.
The Jaguars traded Fowler to the Los Angeles Rams midway through the 2018 season, where he played his way into a 1-year, $12 million contract in 2019 and a 3-year, $45 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020.
Fowler played in 2022 and 2023 on 1-year contracts with the Cowboys before signing with the Commanders. His 10.5 sacks were his highest total since having 11.5 sacks with the Rams in 2019.
Fowler’s Play in 2024 Made Him Top 50 Free Agent
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox had Fowler at No. 42 on his list of the Top 50 NFL free agents in the 2025 cycle.
“Commanders pass-rusher Dante Fowler Jr. figures to be one of the more underrated free agents this offseason,” Knox wrote. “The 30-year-old could be looking for his fourth team in five years and has never spent three full seasons with a franchise. However, Fowler was extremely productive in his latest stop, finishing the 2024 season with 10.5 sacks and 20 quarterback pressures. Teams looking for a budget sack artist this offseason should have Fowler atop their lists.”
The Commanders have already been criticized for their biggest move of the offseason so far — signing defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw to a 3-year, $45 million contract.
“Javon Kinlaw, I think, was the biggest shock deal early on,” The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz said on March 10. “Three years, $45 million for a player that has largely been forgotten since his days in San Francisco … Kinlaw was a free agent last year and signed a 1-year, $7 million contract and had 2 1/2 sacks in 12 games. He wasn’t even on my radar as a Top 50 free agent.”
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