Commanders fall just short of No. 1 spot in PFF’s defensive line rankings
By Jerry Trotta
The Washington Commanders created their own mess by being forced to draft Phidarian Mathis in the second round of this year’s draft.
We don’t have anything against the former Alabama star, but the team faced warranted backlash by spending a high pick on another defensive lineman when it previously rostered Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle as elite depth options.
While Ioannidis was always a cap casualty candidate, the Commanders could’ve re-signed Settle, who signed with Buffalo on an affordable deal in free agency, and used the Mathis pick (No. 54 overall) on another position, like linebacker.
That’s obviously easy to say in hindsight. At the end of the day, you can’t argue Washington botched their handling of Daron Payne’s contract, as we doubt they would’ve let two DL leave if they had any concerns over Payne’s future.
Despite losing depth in the trenches, the Commanders still boast one of the most talented defensive lines in the NFL. If you asked PFF where the group ranks, they’d slide in second just behind the defending champion Rams.
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1537797219688099845
Pro Football Focus thinks highly of the Commanders’ defensive line.
PFF writer Ben Linsey split his rankings into six tiers. Ranking No. 2 just behind the Rams, the Commanders were one of just six teams (Packers, Steelers, Buccaneers and 49ers being the other four) to make Linsey’s top tier.
Here’s what Linsey said of Washington’s defensive line.
"Expectations were sky-high for Washington’s defensive line and defense overall entering last season. And there were few more disappointing performances than Washington’s defense ending the 2021 campaign ranked 27th in yards allowed per play (5.7).It’s reasonable to bank on some regression in 2021, starting with better health at defensive end, where Chase Young and Montez Sweat combined to miss 15 games in 2021. During the 2020 season, those two ranked seventh and eighth respectively in PFF’s wins above replacement (WAR) metric. And Jonathan Allen might actually be the best player on the defensive line entering 2022. Allen’s 18.5% pass-rush win rate since 2020 ranks fourth among all qualifying interior defensive linemen."
You could honestly formulate an argument that Washington should’ve placed ahead of Los Angeles, whose DL only has two box-office talents in Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd. However, they’re the defending world champs and Donald is the consensus best defensive player in the game having ranked in the top five in Defensive Player of the Year voting for seven years running.
Which team has the best defensive line unit in the NFL? @PFF_Sam ✍️https://t.co/BjBHgziMsx
— PFF (@PFF) June 14, 2022
With that said, holding the No. 2 spot is a feat in an of itself. Think about the defensive lines they ranked ahead of. The Packers (No. 3) have three studs in Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark and Preston Smith. The Steelers (No. 4) flaunt the reigning DPOY in TJ Watt and the ageless Cameron Heyward. The Buccaneers (No. 5), meanwhile, added Akiem Hicks to a line that already had Vita Vea and Shaq Barrett.
Like PFF, we’d take Jonathan Allen, Chase Young, Daron Payne and Montez Sweat over any of those lines. Simply put, the group has the potential to be the best DL in the game. Having Young and Sweat back healthy and wreaking havoc on the edge would go a long way towards that concept manifesting itself.
Let’s hope that happens. With Payne out of a contract after the 2022 campaign, this could be the last season the four first-round pick’s play together.
Whatever happens, it was refreshing to see the Commanders get some deserved praise during an offseason that’s seen them catch strays at every level. Whether it be offseason grades, the trade for Carson Wentz and just an overall evaluation of the roster, they’ve struggled mustering any semblance of applause.
When it comes to the DL, though, they were not to be denied.
