For the Washington Commanders, the story of the attention has become the wide receiver room and whether a star veteran such as Stefon Diggs or Brandon Aiyuk is added to it. But let's not ignore the questions on the defensive side of the ball.
Specifically at the linebacker position, Washington all of a sudden has an intriguing quandary. New coordinator Daronte Jones is expected to implement a 3-4 defensive scheme, as Brian Flores does in Minnesota, and the Commanders have the personnel for it.
In fact, if reports are any indication, they might have too many linebackers. And they're going to need to figure out how to get all of them involved.
Commanders' projected defensive front leaves edge rushers, linebackers in precarious situation
Indications are the Commanders will start three interior defensive linemen — Javon Kinlaw, Tim Settle Jr., and Daron Payne — leaving four slots available for the linebackers and edge rushers, who will effectively be used as linebackers. And there's an awful lot of competition.
Dorance Armstrong Jr. was playing at a Pro Bowl level last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury, and Odafe Oweh got paid the big bucks by the bank of Adam Peters. One would think they have to both be starters on the outside, but it's not that simple.
Where does that leave K'Lavon Chaisson? He could thrive in a flex role a la fellow former Jacksonville Jaguars first-rounder Dante Fowler Jr. in 2024, but he needs to get snaps somewhere. The same goes for Charles Omenihu, who should be a key reserve.
Then, the inside linebacker situation gets even trickier.
Frankie Luvu, Sonny Styles, Leo Chenal, and Jordan Magee would all be competing for two starting spots. One has to assume they'd go to the former two, but it's not a given that this year's No. 7 overall pick is ready from Day 1 or that the 2024 second-team All-Pro doesn't have a scaled-back role.
Chenal is a defensive Swiss army knife. Magee is a player that head coach Dan Quinn has given a lot of trust as a long-term building block. They will need to be involved in some way, and it's going to be tricky to let everybody have a piece of the pie.
All in all, the Commanders have a fascinating dilemma on their hands. Their interior defensive line is a weakness, and they're set to start three of them. Their edge rushers and linebackers are a strength, and they're all being crowded into four or five roles, depending on the down and distance.
Washington is counting on Jones to provide answers as a first-time coordinator. Solving this puzzle will be one of his toughest tasks this offseason.
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