A day after shocking release of offensive guard Ereck Flowers, the Washington Commanders are closing in on landing his replacement. According to multiple reports, the Commanders are signing former Jacksonville Jaguar Andrew Norwell with a deal that may be finalized by the end of Thursday.
In Washington, Norwell will reunite with head coach Ron Rivera and offensive line coach John Matsko. Norwell spent four seasons with the Carolina Panthers from 2014-2017 while Rivera was the Panthers head coach and Matsko coached the offensive line.
Undrafted and out of Ohio State, Norwell started 54 games with the Panthers. He played every offensive snap in 2016 and 2017. He was named first-team All-Pro in 2017.
Norwell signed a huge five-year contract with the Jaguars in 2018 that made him the highest-paid guard in the NFL at the time. He made 57 starts with the Jaguars, including all 17 in 2021. The deal was reduced to four years, allowing him to be a free agent this offseason.
Last season, he played 1,078 offensive snaps, committed nine penalties and allowed three sacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
Norwell is traditionally a left guard, the position Flowers manned primarily last season for Washington.
Adding a veteran starter such as Norwell is expected to also help offset the loss of five-time Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Scherff. Coincidentally, Scherff signed a three-year, $49.5 million deal with the Jaguars making him the highest-paid offensive guard in the league.
Since arriving in Washington in 2020, Rivera has leaned on familiar faces from his days with the Panthers. Flowers played well last year for Washington. But as Rivera enters a pivotal third year with Commanders, he appears to be more confident in relying on Norwell.
