Commanders Transactions: Washington Signs Former Eagles LB, 2 Others

At long last, Washington has added some depth to its weakest position group.

There was no practice going on in Ashburn, Virginia on Sunday for the Washington Commanders, after what would be considered an all around successful practice at FedEx Field on Saturday night. 

But it doesn't mean the team wasn't busy. According to NFL Network, the team is signing veteran linebacker Nate Gerry.

The team also signed safety Steven Parker and tight end Eli Wolf, while releasing quarterback Cole Kelley, linebacker Bryce Notree and guard Tyrese Robinson.

The moves comes a few days after undrafted rookie linebacker Drew White tore his ACL and was placed on waivers.

Not only is Gerry a former starter for the NFC East Division rival Philadelphia Eagles, but he's also a former teammate of quarterback Carson Wentz's from 2017-20, and has playoff experience from that last year with the team, having played 82 percent of the defensive snaps in the Wild Card Round. 

Gerry entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Eagles in 2017 and became a Super Bowl champion that same season. 

As a rookie, he played in 10 games for the team and started one. 

He would go on to start 21 more contests for the Eagles in the next three seasons while appearing in 36. 

While he may have spent time with the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, he did not see any active games and was unsigned until this weekend. 

When he was entering the league coming out of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football program, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein called him a "rocked-up strong safety type who can play near the line of scrimmage and operate in zone coverage. Gerry's lack of reactive agility will limit him in man coverage and create inconsistencies as a tackler."

Of course, the Eagles would convert him to linebacker, and that's where he's stayed ever since. 

He'll now join a group led by Cole Holcomb and compete with guys like Milo Eiflerand Khaleke Hudson.

Will he make an impact? It's hard to tell now. But he's joining a rather thin position group, so there's always a shot at a sleeper making moves when that happens. 

For the Commanders, he's not Anthony Barr, but those who have been asking for a linebacker addition finally got one.