Three free agent safeties the Washington Commanders could target in 2026

After last season’s 5-12 finish, one thing is abundantly clear for Washington football fans. The team needs to add a significant amount of talent during the offseason. While Adam Peters will continue to use the draft, the Commanders GM will also have an estimated $82 million in cap space at his disposal after various projected restructures, releases, and dead cap hits. Jayden Daniels is entering his third year, and the clock is ticking on the franchise quarterback’s rookie contract, making this arguably the most critical free agency of the new millennium for Washington. With free agency set to open on March 11th, Hogs Haven will be working to bring you articles on potential targets to fill various positions of need:

Top Needs:

• Edge
• Center
• Safety
• Linebacker
• Wide Receiver
• Cornerback
• Tight end

Secondary Needs:

• Running Back
• Defensive Tackle

In each article, we will briefly summarize the team’s current situation at the position, traits the coaching staff will prioritize, along with a list of the top free agents and a detailed look at a few players that fit the team at different projected average annual values (AAV), typically one high-, one moderate-, and one low-cost contract.

Today, we continue our series with the safeties.

Position Summary

Currently Under Contract:

• Will Harris: On final year of 2-year deal.
• Quan Martin: On final year of rookie deal.
• Jeremy Reaves: On final year of 2-year deal.
• Percy Butler: On final year of 2-year deal.
• Tyler Owens: On final year of 3-year deal.
• Robert McDaniel: Reserve/Future contract.
• Qwuantrezz Knight: Reserve/Future contract.

Significant Free Agents

• None

A look at the safety room demonstrates the lack of building blocks at the position. Both of last season’s starters are working on the final year of their deals. Free agent addition Will Harris suffered a fractured fibula in Week 3 and did not look particularly good in limited action upon his return. Second-round selection, and Ron Rivera holdover, Quan Martin regressed significantly and was one of the worst safeties in the league last season. Jeremy Reaves saw the most defensive snaps of his career in place of Harris, and, while he played with an aggressive attitude, his athletic limitations showed on the field.

Percy Butler and Tyler Owens have both been given opportunities on the defense, but so far have proven best suited for special teams. Robert McDaniel was never elevated from the practice squad and did not record a snap during the season. The Commanders are expected to prioritize aggressive, scheme-versatile players, with new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones utilizing three-safety looks with interchangeable deep safeties. The third one could be viewed as more of a hybrid player closer to the box.

Top 2026 Safety Free Agents:

Cobe Bryant

Bryan Cook

Kamren Curl

Jaquan Brisker

Jalen Thompson

Jaylinn Hawkins

Kevin Byard

Geno Stone

Reed Blankenship

Donovan Wilson

Tony Adams

Dane Belton

Nick Cross

Kyle Dugger

Bryan Cook, 26, Chiefs

Height/Weight: 6’1”, 206 lbs

Career Stats:

Defense & Fumbles Table

							Def Interceptions					Fumbles						Tackles
Season	Age	Team	Lg	Pos	G	GS	Int	Yds	IntTD	Lng	PD	FF	Fmb	FR	Yds	FRTD	Sk	Comb	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits	Sfty	AV	Awards
2022	23	KAN	NFL	S	16	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1.0	33	22	11	1	2	0	1
2023	24	KAN	NFL	S	12	12	1	9	0	9	2	0	0	2	59	1	0.0	42	26	16	1	0	0	5
2024	25	KAN	NFL	FS	17	17	2	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	78	55	23	1	0	0	6
2025	26	KAN	NFL	S	17	17	0	0	0	0	6	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	85	50	35	1	0	0	7
4 Yrs					62	47	3	9	0	9	15	0	0	2	59	1	1.0	238	153	85	4	2	0	19
17 Game Avg					17	13	1	2	0	9	4	0	0	1	16	0	0.3	65	42	23	1	1	0	5

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/3/2026.

Spotrac Projection: 4 years, $56,763,776

AAV: $14.2M

Bryan Cook is an ideal fit for a team looking for a versatile, aggressive safety. Cook has started 47 games over the last four seasons. He can function as a box safety and also fits single-high or split-safety looks. Cook is a reliable tackler. He only missed 11 tackles over the past two years, and in 2025, he ranked seventh among safeties in missed tackle rate (5.6 percent). Cook doesn’t shy away from contact and has a quick trigger on screens and swing passes with a physical, aggressive presence.

Importantly, Cook has improved in coverage as well, although it is still the weakest part of his game-his passer rating of 128.5 last season was actually a career best. His 4.59 speed is not overly impressive in the deep middle, but he has the size and length to make plays:

Pass is intercepted by Bryan Cook! @AyoCook_6#ChiefsKingdom

📺: #SBLIX on FOX
📱: Tubi + NFL app pic.twitter.com/jb47IuplpL

— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025

Cook is an ideal fit, with a less than ideal price tag. Spotrac currently has him at the top end of the market with Coby Bryant, a similar safety with better coverage numbers. Cook’s 14.2 AAV is also more than the projected salaries for Jalen Thompson, Jaquan Brisker, and Jaylinn Hawkins. All three are young, versatile safeties that profile similar to Cook and would be welcome additions at a lower price tag.

However, none are the total package that Cook offers, and while my preference would be Bryant, his tackling numbers were not as good as Cook’s, and the Seahawks seem likely to re-sign him. The Chiefs are once again up against the cap, and with potential replacements available at a lower cost and a draft deep at the safety position, they seem likely to let Cook walk in free agency. The Commanders could benefit by using their abundance of cap to add a versatile, physical safety in Bryan Cook that would be an immediate fit for Daronte Jones.

Jalen Thompson, 27, Cardinals

Height/Weight: 5’11”, 190 lbs

Career Stats:

Defense & Fumbles Table

							Def Interceptions					Fumbles						Tackles
Season	Age	Team	Lg	Pos	G	GS	Int	Yds	IntTD	Lng	PD	FF	Fmb	FR	Yds	FRTD	Sk	Comb	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits	Sfty	AV	Awards
2019	21	ARI	NFL	SS	15	9	1	18	0	18	3	0	0	1	24	0	0.0	57	45	12	0	1	0	3
2020	22	ARI	NFL	FS	5	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	19	16	3	0	0	0	2
2021	23	ARI	NFL	FS	17	12	3	49	0	33	7	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	121	79	42	3	2	0	5
2022	24	ARI	NFL	SS	17	17	1	0	0	0	8	0	0	1	0	0	0.0	110	79	31	1	1	0	6
2023	25	ARI	NFL	S	15	15	4	49	0	35	9	1	0	0	0	0	1.0	78	59	19	5	3	0	5
2024	26	ARI	NFL	SS	15	15	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	2	0	0	0.0	98	61	37	3	2	0	5
2025	27	ARI	NFL	S	15	15	0	0	0	0	6	1	0	0	0	0	1.0	95	58	37	2	0	0	4
7 Yrs					99	87	9	116	0	35	37	2	0	4	24	0	2.0	578	397	181	14	9	0	30
17 Game Avg					17	15	2	20	0	35	6	0	0	1	4	0	0.3	99	68	31	2	2	0	4

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/2/2026.

Spotrac Projection: 2 years, $18,958,308

AAV: $9.5M

Readers that were paying attention in the first profile would expect to see at least one name from above listed here. Jaquan Brisker has some coverage issues and a history of concussions. Hawkins would be a great option, but Jalen Thompson wins the spot for our next profile for two reasons. A long history of consistent production and his effectiveness in the slot position.

Thompson is a reliable, versatile safety with over 900 snaps played in each of the past five seasons with the Cardinals. As tracked by PFF, Thompson’s 2025 snap count was as follows: 389 at deep safety, 320 as a box safety, and 249 at slot cornerback. The additional ability in the slot wouldn’t be hugely valuable to some teams, but for the Commanders it would be a nice security blanket. Thompson excels in coverage, allowing a catch rate over expected of -1.1 percent, excelling in zone coverage, including quarters and half-field responsibilities. Jalen is also a sound tackler with a low missed tackle rate:

UFA Safety Jalen Thompson

-Velociraptor

-Significant snaps deep & in the box + in the slot. Experience & effectiveness in a variety of roles & assignments

-Sound tackler (career 7% miss rate)

-Foot speed + range + good eyes/processing + good angles

pic.twitter.com/4WfrBPgpKZ

— Anthony Cover 1 (@Pro__Ant) February 19, 2026

The biggest knock on Thompson is his lack of ball production in the turnover and pressure departments. Although he reeled in four interceptions in 2023, he has none over the last two seasons. In addition, he recorded only two forced fumbles and two sacks over his five-year career. Still, Jalen Thompson brings a lot of what Bryan Cook does for a more reasonable price tag. His future with the Cardinals is unknown after they fired HC Jonathan Gannon, but retained defensive coordinator Nick Rallis. However, with a budding replacement in-house, they may let Jalen walk if his price tag starts to climb, and the Commanders could be the ones to escalate it.

---

Alohi Gilman, 28, Ravens

Height/Weight: 5’10”, 201 lbs

Career Stats:

Defense & Fumbles Table

							Def Interceptions					Fumbles						Tackles
Season	Age	Team	Lg	Pos	G	GS	Int	Yds	IntTD	Lng	PD	FF	Fmb	FR	Yds	FRTD	Sk	Comb	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits	Sfty	AV	Awards
2020	23	LAC	NFL	S	15	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	7	5	2	0	1	0	1
2021	24	LAC	NFL	S	11	3	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	42	28	14	0	0	0	1
2022	25	LAC	NFL	S	17	5	1	18	0	18	3	1	0	2	4	0	0.0	58	35	23	0	0	0	3
2023	26	LAC	NFL	S	14	14	2	0	0	0	10	3	0	2	52	0	0.0	73	49	24	2	0	0	5
2024	27	LAC	NFL	FS	11	11	1	18	0	18	4	0	0	0	0	0	1.0	50	34	16	1	0	0	4
2025	28	2TM	NFL	S	17	17	0	84	1	84	9	1	0	2	11	0	0.0	90	50	40	1	1	0	6
2025	28	LAC	NFL	S	5	5	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	22	11	11	0	0	0	2
2025	28	BAL	NFL	S	12	12	0	84	1	84	6	1	0	2	11	0	0.0	68	39	29	1	1	0	4
6 Yrs					85	51	5	120	1	84	27	5	0	6	67	0	1.0	320	201	119	4	2	0	20
17 Game Avg					17	10	1	24	0	84	5	1	0	1	13	0	0.2	64	40	24	1	0	0	3
LAC (6 Yrs)					73	39	5	36	0	18	21	4	0	4	56	0	1.0	252	162	90	3	1	0	16
BAL (1 Yr)					12	12	0	84	1	84	6	1	0	2	11	0	0.0	68	39	29	1	1	0	4

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/2/2026.

Spotrac Projection: 2 years, $8,286,832

AAV: $4.1M

At the bottom of the market, fans might be thinking about limited players that specialize inside the box or at one type of coverage, but the quality of this year’s safety group is such that you can still find one that can do both. Alohi Gilman is an ideal candidate after being traded to the Ravens last season, where he demonstrated how he could work behind a player of Kyle Hamilton’s caliber.

Alohi carved out a role on the back end of the defense, showing off his instincts, communication, and the ability to play downhill. Gilman has become extremely versatile the last few seasons, and 2025 was a prime example. Across 1,026 snaps, 543 were at free safety, 314 in the box, 106 from the slot, 49 alongside the defensive line, and 14 as an outside cornerback. Along the way Alohi notched 67 tackles, six pass breakups, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and a defensive touchdown.

Never seen a hand-off on a pick-6 this smooth

BALvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVntpic.twitter.com/DfxhsQXjAV

— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2025

Gilman doesn’t have quite the skill set of his more expensive counterparts, but he is still a versatile, dependable safety you can put on the back end to cover his assignments. Valuable in and of itself, when paired with a playmaker like Hamilton or, possibly, Caleb Downs, Gilman can help elevate a defensive secondary to the next level. For $4 million a year, that is definitely worth adding to the room.

Bottom Line

I do not think it is a stretch to say that the low-budget option on this list is arguably better than any safety currently on the Commanders roster. While Daronte Jones singled out Will Harris and Quan Martin for their versatility in his presser, the pair’s performance last year in relation to potential cap savings should put them on the roster bubble. Percy Butler’s time in Washington should be over, while Jeremy Reaves will most likely survive another coordinator change.

As mentioned at the start of the article, Daronte Jones is expected to run a lot of three-safety looks. Given the talent available with this year’s group, Adam Peters should be able to find two starters via free agency and potentially draft a player for the third role. It is time for Washington’s safety room to have versatile starters that can perform in different roles, not just project to them.