Commanders signed Tim Settle Jr.
The Washington Commanders were moving forward with a 3-4 defensive front under new coordinator Daronte Jones. Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw looked tailor-made to play the ends, but general manager Adam Peters needed to find a legitimate nose tackle to pick up the slack.
Peters acquired Tim Settle Jr., a move that was largely well received. The lineman is well regarded in Washington, and big things were expected upon his return to the franchise that drafted him in the fifth round in 2018.
Settle missed Washington's offseason program due to injury and was brought along gradually at training camp. This has had a lingering effect on his performance through six games, and the Virginia Tech product is now splitting reps with veteran Shy Tuttle.
One could even make a strong case for Tuttle outperforming Settle right now. Hopefully, the bye week helps him refocus and get healthier, because it's clear something is missing right now. And if the same trend continues, this will be a major whiff by Peters.
The Commanders' defense is going through some issues, but given how both Payne and Kinlaw have flashed, Settle's lack of consistency stands out even more. A massive effort is needed to turn the tide and repay the faith the front office has shown in him.
Commanders placed too much faith in Nick Allegretti
This was the most contentious before the season, and Nick Allegretti has done nothing to repay Adam Peters' faith since.
The Commanders took a big risk by releasing starting center Tyler Biadasz. Peters didn't give any reasons, preferring to keep them in-house. But he apparently had a plan.
Washington made a bold bid for prized free agent Tyler Linderbaum, but the Las Vegas Raiders came in with a record-setting offer Peters was unwilling to match. That's fair, but not having a contingency plan after that was bizarre.
Instead of seeking more outside help, the Commanders pushed their chips into the middle with Allegretti, making him the starter and even giving him an extension. His performances at either guard position didn't exactly inspire confidence, but Peters was convinced this could be the solution.
Even when Allegretti missed almost all of training camp after suffering a calf strain on Day 1, Peters held firm. No one needed to panic; someone who'd barely played center would slot in seamlessly when healthy enough.
He was wrong.
Allegretti floundered. Peters signed Lucas Patrick after an abysmal Week 1 showing, and he is now starting. The Illinois product is on the bench, a damning indictment of the Commanders' approach to a problem they could have avoided.
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