New York Giants Week 11: Examining the Washington Commanders Defense

A lot has changed since the Giants saw the Washington Commanders a month ago. Let's take a look at the defensive side of the ball.

Author:
Brandon Olsen
Publish date:
Nov 16, 2023 2:27 PM EST

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New York Giants

Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders defense has changed since the last meeting, specifically the trading away of outside linebackers Chase Young and Montez Sweat. But lest anyone celebrate this defense for being made weaker, the interior, as led by Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen, going against the interior Giants' offensive line is a major concern.

Personnel

Before the deadline, the Commanders' trading Young and Sweat completely changed their edge group. The starters are James Smith-Williams and Casey Toohill, with Efe Obada as the third edge defender. Smith-Williams got injured against the Seahawks last week and hasn’t practiced yet, leaving his game status in doubt.

That edge rotation genuinely just isn’t good. Obada is a 31-year-old career depth piece, Toohill is a 27-year-old depth piece, and Smith-Williams is a rotational-quality player at best. There’s just not a lot to be excited about in the room.

The interior, however, is still one of the best in the NFL. Allen and Payne have continued to make plays, although the departure of Young and Sweat makes it significantly harder to find room to operate on the interior.

Jamin Davis and David Mayo are carrying the bulk of the load at linebacker. Mayo has been filling in for Cody Barton while he’s been hurt. (On a side note, it will always amaze me how someone like Khaleke Hudson doesn’t have a role on this defense right now.)

Considering the defense traded two athletic edge rushers and is using Mayo, a career depth piece, as a starter - you would think there are snaps to be won here. This also isn’t a very deep linebacker room, as Davis plays just about every snap with Mayo (or Barton when healthy) rotating in for a defense that likes to go with light looks.

This is a very young secondary with Percy Butler and Kamren Curl at safety and Jartavius Martin rotating in as depth. Initially, Darrick Forrest was a part of the safety trio, but he’s currently on IR, so the rookie Martin is earning his snaps where he can.

At cornerback, Benjamin St-Juste and Kendall Fuller line up on the outside, with Danny Johnson starting of the slot. Rookie Emmanuel Forbes started the year on the outside but, after multiple rough outings, was moved to the bench. Forbes has had his moments since then, but he is still trying to earn consistent playing time.

Butler is the defensive back that I’ve been most impressed with in recent weeks. He’s the most versatile safety in that room regarding what he’s given responsibility for. Curl plays more positions, but Butler is consistently tasked with the more difficult assignments.

Oct 15, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) throws a pass against the Atlanta Falcons in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Scheme

The four-man front of the Commanders used to be lethal, but that’s now toned down on the edge for obvious reasons. The interior line has no help, and frankly, what the Commanders front office and coaching staff are doing just blows my mind.

This is a defense that doesn’t mess around frequently with disguising coverages. If you see two safeties lined up high, the odds are that you will see two safeties high in coverage. If there’s one safety lined up high, you’ll probably see a single-high coverage.

However, it’s also a defense that’s toned down the usage of blitzes, sim pressures, and all creative play-calling this season. Coverage schemes are fine by me; it’s a zone-heavy defense that tries to break out a lot of Cover 2 and quarters. That's fine with the right defensive backs, and I think the Commanders have that.

But this is a relatively boring defense play-calling-wise that traded away the two pieces that allowed them to be boring. It’s not a defense that’s in sync right now regarding matching personnel to the scheme, and I imagine they need to rev up the blitzes to generate pressure.

What This Means for the Giants

You don’t have Daniel Jones or Tyrod Taylor starting as Tommy DeVito looks to continue his NFL starting quarterback run. It hasn’t been fun, let’s not try to pretend it has - but this is one of the few remaining winnable games with him starting.

DeVito will have more time against the Commanders than he did against the Cowboys and has to be willing to hang in the pocket for his receivers to get open when the Giants aren’t just going quick game.

Personally, I think the Giants need to work the run game toward the edges early and try to establish the run. Saquon Barkley is still Saquon Barkley. Get him to the outside shoulder of the tackles where Payne and Allen can’t impact the game too much, and let him run. I’d like to see the Giants get back to the pin-pull runs we saw a good deal of last season and put Barkley in space.

Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka also need to make life easier for DeVito. The lack of play-action has been inexcusable. Yes, opposing teams' pass-rushers have been having the time of their lives against this offensive line, but causing the slightest bit of hesitation from linebackers or defensive backs can open up throwing lanes and receivers.

Keep a tight end or running back in to pass protect and make defenses think. It’s also evident to everyone on the planet that the Giants want to run every single play if they can; if there’s ever been a time to run play action, it’s when everyone expects you to run the ball.

Final Thoughts

Don’t expect a fun game. Don’t expect a good game. But this game is where the Giants can move the ball by working outside and underneath. That’s the important part here.