The Washington Commanders have made some big moves ahead of free agency, with the biggest of the bunch seeing them trade for star wide receiver Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers. On Sunday night, the Commanders made another move to keep one of their tight ends in town after they previously re-signed Zach Ertz.
In his first season with Washington, Ertz emerged as a safety blanket option for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, leading to him hauling in 66 passes for 654 yards and seven touchdowns. He re-signed with the team on a one-year, $6.25 million deal ahead of free agency, but he isn’t the only tight end returning for the 2025 campaign, as the team handed John Bates a three-year deal, keeping him from hitting the open market.
“The Commanders are re-signing TE John Bates, per source. 3-year deal,” Ben Standig of The Athletic reported on Sunday night.
Commanders keep tight end depth chart in tact with John Bates move
The Commanders selected Bates in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft, but he hasn’t made a massive impact as a pass catcher during his time in the league. Through four seasons, Bates has 61 receptions for 592 yards and two touchdowns. However, he does make an impact as an extra blocker when he’s on the field, and Washington decided they wanted to keep him in town, especially with Ertz set to enter his age 35 season.
With this move, the Commanders are keeping their top two tight ends from the 2024 campaign in town in an effort to keep Daniels as comfortable as possible under center. The front office has already shown they aren’t afraid to make moves this offseason, and they will be worth keeping tabs on as free agency opens, as they are armed with over $86 million in cap space, which is the third highest total in the league.
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