Getty Washington Commanders defensive end Dante Fowler Jr.
The Washington Commanders are making a lot of money for themselves in 2024 with a rejuvenated franchise. Fans are coming back. Jerseys are flying off the racks. Business is booming.
Like any good business, the employees are benefiting financially.
One such employee who could cash in after 2024 is defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., who Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder predicts will sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South after signing a 1-year, $3.25 million contract with the Commanders in March 2024.
“Tampa Bay could use some help at edge-rusher now and that’s only going to get worse in the offseason when Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson become free agents,” Holder wrote. “While Fowler doesn’t offer much run support, he can be a good sub-package pass rusher. The 30-year-old gets after the quarterback as he has 51.5 career sacks, including 6.5 through nine games this fall.”
Fowler Went From No. 3 Pick to Journeyman DE
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.
Jacksonville wasn’t a very welcoming home to Fowler and his time there was defined by one of the more bizarre front office incidents in league history.
Fowler was illegally fined $700,000 by former head of football operations and 2-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Tom Coughlin for missing rehab and doctor’s appointments — a voluntary activity — which led to Coughlin’s firing and the NFLPA issuing a warning to potential free agents about signing with Jacksonville.
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 Dallas Cowboys before signing with the Commanders and has been one of the key parts in the team’s revival — his 8.5 sacks through the first 10 games are his highest sack total since having 11.5 sacks with the Rams in 2019.
Buccaneers Have One of NFL’s Worst Defenses
The Buccaneers could definitely use some help on the defensive side of the ball — now or in the future.
Under head coach and former defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, the Buccaneers have plummeted in the NFL’s defensive rankings over the last 3 seasons, going from 10th in 2022 to 23rd in 2023 to 31st in the NFL through 10 games in 2024.
The Buccaneers leaders in sacks are a pair of defensive tackles in Vita Vea (5.0 sacks) and Calijah Kancey (4.0 sacks) — never a good sign for a defense.
Fowler has 53.5 career sacks through his first 10 seasons, with 7 games to go in 2024.
“In three of Tampa Bay’s last five losses, the Bucs defense has been on the field needing to get a sack, a stop, force a punt or a get a takeaway,” Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds wrote on November 11. “Instead, the Bucs defense has surrendered game-winning touchdowns on the initial drives in overtime losses at Atlanta and at Kansas City, and Todd Bowles’ unit allowed a game-winning field goal drive with less than a minute left in a 23-20 loss to San Francisco.”
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Commanders Edge Rusher, Former No. 3 Overall Pick Predicted to Land in NFC South