Diagnosing what’s wrong with the Washington Football Team’s run defense

Solutions

Are there solutions for the recent problems?

Del Rio’s use of five-man fronts suggests he is well-aware of the problem. He may be able to tinker with personnel a bit.

Rotating the interior linemen a little more could help. The loss of Matt Ioannidis is clearly being felt in this recent stretch. Ioannidis may well have been Washington’s strongest lineman. Increasing Settle’s snap count and bringing up Devaroe Lawrence from the practice squad would allow Allen and Payne a little more rest.

Allen, in particular, could benefit from this. Allen is a quality player, but his best position in as an end in a 3-4 front. He is not as well suited to playing in the middle in a 4-3.

There is no obvious answer at middle linebacker. This is the biggest defensive roster issue going forward. When they switched to a 4-3, Washington simply did not address the crucial middle linebacker spot. They may have hoped Reuben Foster could be the answer, and were he healthy, Foster could be a real difference-maker. But that ship has sailed.

Bostic is a journeyman who is better suited to playing the middle in a 3-4. Washington has gotten decent production from similar players in recent years when they did employ a 3-4 front. Inside backers like Mason Foster, Will Compton, and Zach Vigil were not asked to cover as much of the field in a 3-4. But playing the middle in a 4-3 has always been a marquee position, requiring a special athlete. Washington does not have that on its roster.

It might be interesting to experiment with Holcomb in the middle. He would have a lot of learning to do, but his size and speed might make him effective.

The team will continue to ride with Curl as an in-the-box safety and hope he improves. There is reason to be hopeful. He has shown genuine ability, however inconsistent he may currently be.

The other solution to the run defense seems less likely. If Washington’s offense could ever establish leads, it would force opposing offenses to throw more. But Washington was never going to be able to rely on its offense in 2020, and so far, that has proven to be the case. Washington has played from behind all season, which has allowed opposing offense to dictate tempo.

And in the last two weeks, Washington’s defense – the supposed strength of the team – has seemed incapable of bailing them out.