There are a lot of starting-caliber safeties set to hit the open market, and Kamren Curl is one of the best. The Arkansas product entered the league in unremarkable fashion, joining the Washington Football Team as a seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. However, he immediately outplayed his draft stock, appearing in all 16 games while making 11 starts. While on the field, the defensive back recorded three interceptions, two sacks, four passes defended, 88 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, and two quarterback hits as the team won the NFC East crown.
Curl proved that he was no one-year fluke, as he maintained the starting job throughout his rookie contract. Excelling in coverage while also providing a physical presence in the run game, the Arkansas product seems to be on the way out in Washington. On Wednesday, impending free agent Kamren Curl took to X (formerly Twitter) and tweeted out what appears to be a short farewell to the Washington faithful.
✌🏾
— Kam Curl (@KCurl_2) March 5, 2024
Kamren Curl Tweets Goodbye To Washington, Likely To Leave As A Free Agent
This should go without saying, but one tweet doesn’t necessarily seal Curl’s fate, especially when it’s just an emoji. There is a chance Kamren Curl is just messing with us, or the free agent could be talking about something else entirely.
However, for the sake of argument, let’s assume that this means Kamren Curl will leave as a free agent. This is somewhat unexpected, the former seventh-round pick was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise terrible defense. With over $96 million in cap space, Washington has more than enough money to re-sign Cutl, and they clearly have a need at the position.
To play devil’s advocate, however, it’s worth noting that the team now has a new head coach and owner. Perhaps Dan Quinn feels he doesn’t need a player like Kamren Curl as his defense and that the money could be better used on a different free agent. Whether Washington is correct remains to be seen, but if the Commanders do let him go, several teams should be interested in the former seventh-round pick.
Possible Team Fits
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers have some work to do on the defensive side of the ball. Jordan Love looks legit and the offense has plenty of young playmakers, so Green Bay will probably use most of their free agent resources on defensive playmakers like Kamren Curl. With Darnell Savage likely departing, Green Bay could upgrade the position with Curl and try to make an even deeper playoff push in the second year of the Jordan Love Era.
Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins seems destined to land with the Atlanta Falcons, which means this team is officially all-in for 2024. Cousins is entering his age-36 season, so time is very much of the essence for this core. While Cousins will be the biggest free agent signing the Falcons make, the team could go after Kamren Curl to solidify the safety spot opposite Justin Simmons.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens will need to be smart with their money once the offseason officially kicks off. With several high-profile free agents, the Ravens might need to find cost-effective replacements for some of their starters. Geno Stone will leave, and Kamren Curl might be a cheaper free agent. Baltimore uses three safeties more than any other team in the league, so if Curl costs less on the open market, he could slide right into Geno Stone’s old spot.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints have restructured their way into salary cap compliance, and they’ll keep doing it if they want to see a free agent like Kamren Curl. Dennis Allen will be out of a job if the team doesn’t make the postseason, so they should be interested in upgrading the safety spot opposite Tyrann Mathieu. Curl is an above-average starter who should be an upgrade on the recently released Marcus Maye.
Los Angeles Chargers
It’s hard to have Justin Herbert as your quarterback and only win five games. However, the Chargers somehow found a way to do this, and if Jim Harbaugh wants to change that, he’ll start by improving the defense. Los Angeles had good pass rushers last year, but it didn’t matter since the secondary was so terrible. Kamren Curl will improve the coverage unit as a free agent, giving the pass rush more time to get home and ultimately improving the team.
Main Photo: Geoff Burke – USA Today Sports
