Dorance Armstrong Must Prove He Still Fits Commanders’ Future

Before tearing his ACL in Week 7, Dorance Armstrong was flashing elite efficiency metrics. Now, a deep and largely rebuilt edge rotation ensures he must fight to prove his long-term value.

Glendale, Arizona, USA; Washington Commanders defensive end Dorance Armstrong (92) celebrates a sack with Javontae Jean-Baptiste (90) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Before tearing his ACL last season, Dorance Armstrong was playing some of the best football of his career. Now he is set to return to a rebuilt Commanders pass rush with only one season to prove he still belongs in Washington's long-term plans.

It feels odd to say Armstrong must prove himself after starting last season with 5.5 sacks in only six games. He had already surpassed the five he finished with during his first year in Washington. Then came the torn ACL, against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, and everything, including his place on the defense, changed in Week 7.

It would not be fair to say that Armstrong has lost anything while recovering from injury. The problem, for him, is that the team could not spend the offseason blindly assuming he would immediately return as the same player. Washington signed Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson and Charles Omenihu, then added Joshua Josephs from Tennessee in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.

Those moves gave the team options in case they cannot depend on Armstrong. That is not to say he has been replaced. It does mean the Commanders have moved forward without waiting to see Armstrong's return.

A name that is not talked about a lot: #Commanders DE Dorance Armstrong

Through 7 weeks in 2025, Armstrong led the NFL in pressures and posted a 15.4% pressure rate. Armstrong generated 22 total pressures including 5.5 sacks.

He suffered a torn ACL vs the Cowboys. pic.twitter.com/dnx5hKQUzc

— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) June 6, 2026

Armstrong Was Becoming a More Complete Defender

While Armstrong's sack total is the easiest place to start, his improvement went beyond getting quarterbacks to the ground.

Pro Football Focus gave Armstrong a 77.6 overall grade on 239 defensive snaps last season, up from 65.3 in 2024. The more interesting part of that jump came outside of his work as a pass rusher. His run-defense grade went from 41.4 to 77.5, while his tackling grade improved from 28.7 to 82.3. It was only a seven-game sample, but Armstrong looked like a much more complete player before the injury ended his season.

Armstrong was not merely a player having an early sack streak. Armstrong finished with 22 pressures on only 143 pass-rush snaps last season. It took him 450 snaps to reach 51 pressures the year before. That pushed his pressure rate from 11.3% to 15.4%. Seven games were not enough to prove he had permanently turned the corner, but they were enough to show Washington a better version of the player it signed.

Head coach Dan Quinn said before minicamp that he liked the way Armstrong was trending and that he had continued to receive updates on his recovery, but had no timetable for his return.

The Commanders No Longer Have to Depend on Armstrong

The free-agent additions Washington made this offseason did not create a traditional roster battle for Armstrong as he returns from injury. He is also entering the final year of the three-year contract he signed before the 2024 season. He will carry a $12.055 million cap hit in 2026, meaning the team needs production from him, but this year is more about getting him back into the rotation.

That could determine whether the team views him as part of their plans moving forward. Armstrong does not have to return immediately and lead the team in sacks. It will be entirely on him to show his burst survived the injury, and that last year's improvements were real.

Now that there are several options, they no longer have to build their pass rush around the possibility of getting the same Armstrong back. The Commanders have already started preparing to move on from Dorance Armstrong in 2027. He now has one more year to prove he is worth keeping on the roster.

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