4 Washington Commanders on the hot seat entering Week 5 vs. Bears

Jack Del Rio - Commanders DC

Many anticipated the Washington Comanders defense to be among the league's best in 2023. Stud defensive end Chase Young was coming back from a long-term absence and the secondary got reinforced encouragingly via the draft, so it's not hard to see why hopes were so high regarding the unit heading into the campaign.

Through four weeks, it hasn't been good enough. The Commanders have given up more than 100 points over the last three contests, which isn't a recipe for success and something that has to change as a matter of extreme urgency.

This puts Jack Del Rio squarely under the microscope. The defensive coordinator's bland schematic concepts and inability to adjust effectively are playing a leading role in this unit's underachievement - whether he has the mindset to alter his current way of thinking is another matter.

Just why Del Rio insisted on keeping rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes versus veteran wide receiver A.J. Brown last weekend when he was clearly having difficulties at the Philadelphia Eagles is a testament to his stubbornness. Opposing teams are figuring his scheme out relatively early in games, which makes it that much harder for the outstanding weapons on Washington's defense to do damage.

Del Rio needs to figure this out, and quickly. Otherwise, a situation could emerge where the Commanders begin looking at alternatives with a more progressive way of thinking.