Adam Peters has had an exceptionally busy offseason as he has flipped over a Washington Commanders roster that went 5-12 last year due to age and injuries. Specifically, head coach Dan Quinn's defense is going to look drastically different under new coordinator Daronte Jones.
There are likely at least four or five new starters on the unit, with edge rushers Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson, rookie linebacker Sonny Styles, safety Nick Cross, and potentially Tim Settle Jr. or Amik Robertson situationally. But one area is still a glaring problem.
The Commanders are expected to utilize a linebacker-heavy 3-4 scheme under Jones, with three interior linemen up front. And the three players in question aren't exactly world beaters.
Commanders need to hope for the best with their maligned defensive line
Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw both return from a season ago, which saw wildly inconsistent production from the two of them. Washington was expected to explore trading the former, but it never came to fruition. With the latter, the Commanders didn't have much of a choice to run him back after throwing him a massive paycheck last summer.
Last season, Payne and Kinlaw combined for three sacks (all courtesy of the 2022 Pro Bowler) and were mediocre against the run. Better help on the outside might make their life easier this fall, but they are going to need to step it up in a major way.
The two of them will be joined by Settle, who returns to the organization that drafted him in 2018 and where he spent his first four NFL seasons. But he doesn't do much to move the needle either. He has been a rotational piece throughout his career and brings very little upside as he enters his ninth season.
The Commanders are also hoping for growth from Johnny Newton in Year 3 for the 2024 second-round pick, but his limitations against the run are too severe to trust him as a three-down player. If he can't emerge into at least a valuable supporting role this season, it's a problem.
Beyond them, depth is nonexistent. Who else is going to step up? Ricky Barber? Shy Tuttle? Jeffrey M'ba? Those are all likely camp bodies and nothing more.
The Commanders have made admirable strides in improving their defense this summer, but the interior up front is still a problem. And they'd better hope it doesn't come back to bite them.
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