Washington Commanders Defense Gaining an Edge

The Washington Commanders defense should look very different in 2024.

The Washington Commanders defense will look very different this fall compared to last year.

With new head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Richie Whitt Jr. coming in from the Dallas Cowboys, the Commanders are looking at a complete revamp on that side of the ball. Headlining the new acquisitions are Dorance Armstrong Jr. and Dante Fowler Jr. from the Cowboys, along with former top-five pick Clelin Ferrell from the San Francisco 49ers.

Nov 12, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93)

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All these new additions are different in ways but similar in the fact they'll rarely stop pursuing a play until its over.

Whether it's Ferrell running down the line of scrimmage to force a quarterback out of bounds for a sack, Armstrong giving up his body so other teammates can make a play, or Fowler using matrix-like ability, each man shares that common trait and uses it to different degrees.

The key for Whitt Jr. as the Commanders' defensive coordinator will be to employ them all in the best way possible.

With a wild card like Mykal Walker also on the roster - the only listed outside linebacker at the time of this writing - the coordinator has several different skill sets to work with on the edge that pair nicely with Daron Payne and fellow defensive tackle Jonathan Allen.

And that's before the team adds any rookies in next week's NFL Draft.

It remains to be seen how good the Commanders defense will be, but they will certainly clear the low bar set for them from this past season.