The Washington Commanders' defense turned in a dominant performance during joint practice with the Miami Dolphins. Everyone watching came away highly encouraged, but for veteran cornerback Amik Robertson, this is now the benchmark they must reach whenever they step onto the field.
Daronte Jones' scheme is based on speed, aggression, and creativity. The full arsenal hasn't been revealed, but what they did display versus the Dolphins gave the AFC East club untold problems.
All three levels played their part, and the defense already looks night and day compared to the moribund group that went through the motions under Joe Whitt Jr.
This is what Robertson wanted to see. The free-agent signing led from the front almost from the moment he got into the building. And the feisty defensive back challenged his teammates to make this the mindset from here on.
If they can, everything else should take care of itself.
"I told the guys, 'Everything we did out there, we knew we were going to do. That's just gotta be the mindset. Anybody who steps to this side, they don't belong on the field with us."
Robertson is right. The Commanders were nothing short of a pushover defensively last season. Almost every offense in the league got whatever they wanted against them. Injuries didn't help, but this unit was devoid of any inspiration or innovation.
Jones is bringing both.
General manager Adam Peters significantly revamped the personnel, giving the Commanders younger, hungrier, and faster players capable of putting Jones' grand plans into action. There is a relentless intent that comes across almost constantly. It's a breath of fresh air, and they are only going to get better.
It's easy to get carried away at this time of year. Sometimes, fan optimism is unfounded and lacks substance when it counts.
That isn't the case here.
Jones' switch to a 3-4 base front plays to the strengths of his top performers. The explosiveness coming off the edge and the exotic blitz packages have been a revelation up to now. Washington's linebacking corps is a real strength, and the secondary has enough to hold its own if cornerback Trey Amos can stay healthy.
Joint practice with the Dolphins was a major statement. Building on this positivity is crucial.
It showed that everything has changed for the better in Washington's defense. And even though they probably won't have it all their own way during the regular season, they are never going to go down without a fight.
Miami's offense had no answer. If Robertson has any say in the matter, this will just be the start of what's to come.
And if this scenario becomes reality, the entire NFL will be on notice.
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