HTTR4LIFE Mailbag: Odafe Oweh’s Sack Ceiling, Kicker Battles, and Schedule Reality

We want to hear from you! Each week, we invite you, the Burgundy and Gold faithful, to send in your Commanders questions about everything going on in Ashburn/Landover. We want to make sure everyone gets a chance to have their take heard in the HTTR4LIFE Mailbag, so questions will be answered on either Monday or Friday, depending on the volume of responses each week.

All I keep hearing about is Sonny Styles this, Sonny Styles that. The thing is, Adam Peters dropped $100 million on Odafe Oweh. Now, with Dorance Armstrong taking it easy on his comeback, Oweh is the big dawg of this new-look defensive front. How high are the expectations, or should I say, how high should they be for him in Dan Quinn's system? Should we be looking for double-digit sacks this year?
BurgundyBurner via YouTube

Odafe Oweh is a gifted player who can get around the edge on most blockers or shift and bust up the middle of the line, routinely putting pressure on the opposing backfield. He should be a perfect fit in new Defensive Coordinator Daronte Jones' system, which likes to move players around the line of scrimmage. I expect Washington will deploy some sort of rotation amoung who ever ends up on the final 53-man roster. While I cannot put a total number on the sacks, I can, without a doubt, tell you that Oweh will get a ton of pressure and spend a ton of time around the quarterback, which, in theory, should mean he gets a ton of sacks.

In 2025, Oweh had 7.5 sacks during the regular season and 3 in the playoffs, so technically, he's already a double-digit sack guy, but to gauge that question, we'll first have to get an idea of what kind of rotation Jones is using with his edge rushers to see how many snaps each of these is going to get. If he gets over 80% of the snaps, I'd say yes, double-digits should be doable. Whether he lives up to that contract, on the other hand, is a question that only time can answer.

Dorance Armstrong, on the other hand, is heading into a contract year coming off a major knee injury. I wouldn't say he's taking it easy; he looked like he was trying to get back to it at OTAs last week, he just hasn't been cleared yet (see video below).

Commanders DE Dorance Armstrong is going through team stretch but has no jersey on. He tore his ACL in October @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/vG2tXWwT6f
— John Doran (@JohnDoranTV) May 27, 2026

The first five games of the Commanders' schedule is freakin' brutal, including Philly Week 1, Dallas in Week 2, then the defending Super Bowl Champ Seattle Seahawks at home in Week 3, before going across the pond to play the Colts in Week 4. Given how much momentum this team lost during last year's fall, how important is that Week 3 home-opener for setting the tone for the rest of the Dan Quinn era (either being alive and still in it, or on the hot seat)?
ChelseyRocks via X

You're right. Having two away games against NFC East rivals to start the season is brutal. There's no other way to put it. Throw in the fact that they get Seattle at home after that, and you can see how this could turn bad if the team comes into that game with a 0-2 record. If they were to lose that game, you'd be looking at the team with a 0-3 record, having to make that long, uncomfortable trip across the Atlantic, with team morale at rock bottom. Basically, nightmare fuel for any head coach at any level.

I would say the opening three weeks of the season are the most important section of Dan Quinn's time in Washington, up to this point. If he doesn't come out strong this year, it could define not only the remainder of this year's schedule but also his future with the franchise. Start 0-5, and anybody's seat is HOT!

Drew Stevens competing for Commanders kicking job — Nov 22, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes kicker Drew Stevens (18) kicks the game-winning field goal as punter Ty Nissen (99) holds against the Michigan State Spartans late during the fourth quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

I know we currently have a ton of position battles on this roster, but I swear the kicker spot is flying completely under the radar. UDFA Drew Stevens just came out in his first OTA session and nailed all six of his field goal attempts. Dude was money in college!! Is Jake Moody’s job in jeopardy this summer, or is Stevens just fool's gold?
Tom Wrizach via Facebook

Kickers are always so hard to judge, especially in spring. It's a positive thing to see the amount of competition they're already putting on each other in practice, but Jake Moody and Drew Stevens are both capable kickers. Stevens reportedly has a hot leg and is widely considered the best kicker in Iowa history. He holds multiple school records, including the most made field goals (76), the longest field goal (58 yards), and the most 50+ yard field goals (12).

Generally, the issue with kickers in the NFL is that the pressure cooker turns the mental inward, causing problems. That's why you can never gauge if even the greatest kickers will shank one. That said, I was hoping they would bring someone in to compete with Moody; glad to see Stevens in the building. At the very least, Moody needs to be pushed to keep him from getting complacent. The team is certainly not used to the power Stevens has in his leg, so this battle could get intense in the dog days of summer.

Kicking battle will be fun to watch. Stevens just absolutely ripped all 6 FG attempts. Moody went 5 of 6 and made his longest (about 53ish). AP & DQ watched intently. Stevens’ power is obvious; if the accuracy can match he’s a weapon.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) May 27, 2026

You can send your Washington Commanders questions for the HTTR4LIFE Mailbag to hailbng+mailbag@gmail.com.

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