4 Commanders players fighting for their jobs after 2024 minicamp

Efe Obada faces a fight for extended involvement

Being able to play defensive end or defensive tackle and put heat on the pocket is an asset in this defense. But Efe Obada's prospects for work still look bleak.

This is mostly because the Washington Commanders are suddenly flush with similarly versatile edge rushers. A spending spree in free agency and a position makeover involving former first-round pick Jamin Davis are reasons for newfound optimism.

The latter looks primed to become a situational edge-rusher for Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. It's a change the staff is confident can work based on positive comments from the defensive coordinator.

Davis getting more reps on the defensive front will naturally cut into Obada's playing time. So will the arrivals of Dorance Armstrong Jr., Dante Fowler Jr., and Clelin Ferrell.

Armstrong and Fowler played for these coaches in Dallas. They will be expected to put the theory behind the scheme into practice with the minimum amount of fuss.

There's room for a proven free-agent edge-rusher, but Obada still has quite a crowd to work through to get onto the field. That's going to be tough for a player returning from a broken leg.

Obada has skills, and his ability to win from the inside no doubt influenced the Commanders' decision to bring him back earlier this offseason. Yet, it's difficult to see when and where he'll be able to use those talents now that second-round pick Johnny'Newton has joined formidable tandem Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen along the interior.

Depth is also strong here, thanks to John Ridgeway III and Phidarian Mathis.

Getting fully healthy and putting his best football on the field at training camp are the only ways for Obada to counter circumstances that are far from in his favor. Quinn's fondness for a deep rotation up front could also offer save the Nigerian-born star.