5 defensive players that didn’t live up to the hype during Commanders tenure

Jason Taylor - Former Commanders DE

As far as bad trades go, this one was right up there. The now-Washington Commanders thought they'd struck gold by acquiring pass-rusher Jason Taylor from the Miami Dolphins for two draft selections - including a second-rounder despite his advancing years.

Taylor came to Washington with a glowing résumé. He was a three-time All-Pro and NFL Defensive Player of the Year, but this came to a screeching halt in Washington during his one and only season with the franchise.

The former third-round pick out of Akron never looked interested. Injuries also played their part, with Taylor notching just 3.5 sacks from eight games before both parties went their separate ways the following spring.

Taylor managed 19 sacks over the next three seasons before retirement. A deserved place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame followed, but the edge defender did acknowledge stealing money from Dan Snyder during his speech, which he was appreciative of.

He's not alone in that regard when one looks over Snyder's reign of terror. Many players saw Washington as an easy buck before riding off into the sunset and the billionaire often obliged to get his team into the national media limelight with very little production attached.

Hopefully, these are harsh lessons that the Josh Harris ownership group examine and move away from accordingly. Something that could speed up the process of the Commanders returning to the league's top table.