Thirteen teams have exactly three wins heading into Sunday, and perhaps no team has more riding on the next two games — which are the final two before the NFL trade deadline — than the Washington Commanders.
The 3-3 Commanders face the Giants today with a rematch at home against the Eagles in Week 8. Two wins, coupled with an Eagles loss Sunday night against the Dolphins, and the Commanders can leapfrog Philadelphia in the NFC East division. Two losses and Washington would be 0-3 in the division with diminished playoff hopes.
With so much riding on these two games, the Commanders are not yet eager to make any sudden movements regarding trades, sources tell CBS Sports.
Though internet trade machines have hummed with mock deals involving Chase Young and Montez Sweat, there have been no internal conversations about moving either player. Both Young and Sweat are set to be free agents at the end of the season, though it’s nearly certain the team would retain at least one of the players via the franchise tag.
Young has seven quarterback hits and four sacks this season, while generating a pressure rate of 18.3 percent that leads the team’s defensive linemen. Sweat has nine quarterback hits and a team-high four-and-a-half sacks.
The Commanders signed Jonathan Allen to a four-year deal in 2021, and they inked Daron Payne to a four-year contract this past offseason. In a perfect world, both Sweat and Young have great seasons and the Commanders are able to retain both, either with a contract extension or use of the tag.
Since trade conversations haven’t taken place surrounding either of those players, it’s unlikely — for now — that they are moved ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline. They’ll have a great opportunity Sunday to add to their sack total against the Giants, who have given up 33 sacks so far this season.
Meanwhile, rookie Emmanuel Forbes is expected to play, but not start, against the Giants, sources say. Forbes did not play a single defensive snap last week against the Falcons after the coaching staff benched him following two bad games against the Eagles and Bears.
Forbes gave up six catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns when matched up against A.J. Brown in Week 4. Through the first five weeks of the season, no one allowed more receiving yards as the nearest defender than Forbes with 405, according to Next Gen Stats.
The hope is the immensely talented rookie used the downtime to refocus and play within the defensive scheme.