How do the Washington Commanders' defense and special teams stack up against their NFC East rivals heading into the 2023 season?
Today, we look at the defenses and special teams of the Washington Commanders and their NFC East rivals in 2023. And we’ll try to rank them. But I warn you in advance, this is hard to do.
Much harder than ranking the offenses. On offense, there was a clear pecking order in the 2022 team statistics, with the Philadelphia Eagles way out in front, the Dallas Cowboys clearly in second, and the New York Giants and Commanders bringing up the rear.
I think that New York’s improved offense line and questions about Tony Pollard’s durability as a lead-back narrow the gap between Dallas and the Giants considerably. But it’s still easy because Philadelphia is clearly first and Washington is clearly last.
The Commanders invested heavily in the defensive backfield, taking corners with their top two picks in the 2023 draft. If Emmanuel Forbes and Quan Martin play up to expectations, this could be a special group.
They have good players in Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste already on hand to allow the rookies to grow into their roles.
That doesn’t mean I won’t rank them anyway. I’ll just complain about it as I do.
And I’ll get to special teams at the end. Spoiler alert: I’m not even going to try to rank them. That, as I will explain, is impossible.
Commanders position groups vs. NFC East - DL
1. Washington Commanders
Every team in the division has multiple studs along the defensive line. But the Washington Commanders are the strongest across the board – interior, edge, depth.
They have three outstanding starters, along with a fourth in Chase Young who could return to form and become the best of them all. The Commanders also have the best group of interior linemen in the entire league.
If Young falters (or gets dealt), one or two of the many youngsters they have on the edge will have to step up. If not, the line is still very good, but not elite.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
Fletcher Cox may finally be slowing down. No matter. Rookie Jalen Carter and second-year defensive tackle Jordan Davis, both of the national champion Georgia Bulldogs, are on hand to carry on the tradition.
They lost Javon Hargrave to the San Francisco 49ers, but the Philadelphia Eagles still have Milton Williams to give them an interior rotation almost as formidable as Washington. Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat are very good ends, but Derek Barnett is returning from an ACL injury, which could hurt their depth.
3. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are ahead of the New York Giants because two players flipped positions. Kayvon Thibodeaux is now playing the edge in a 3-4. And Micah Parsons is now going to be listed as a defensive end in a 4-3. It’s just semantics.
Parsons plays wherever he wants. He is the best defensive player in the division and may inherit the mantle of league's best Aaron Donald this season. The Cowboys also have stud end DeMarcus Lawrence to hold down the fort while his teammate runs wild.
Sam Williams and Dorrance Armstrong return for depth. The Cowboys' problems come in the middle of the line. If rookie Mazi Smith performs, it makes a huge difference. If he doesn’t, teams will try to exploit the weak middle and lure the aggressive Parsons into diving inside.
The Cowboys have some veteran depth inside, but it is mediocre at best. Smith’s quick development is critical.
4. New York Giants
Even without counting Thibodeaux as a lineman, the Giants have a very good front three anchored by the underrated Dexter Lawrence. Leonard Williams and the newly-acquired A’Shawn Robinson are solid ends, provided the latter is fully recovered from his meniscus tear.
The Giants snatched up Rakeem Nunez-Roches from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to help out on the interior, but they don’t have much depth on the outside. They will rely on their edge linebackers to provide a lot of pass pressure.
Commanders position groups vs. NFC East - LB
1. New York Giants
Positioning taketh away, and positioning giveth. With Kayvon Thibodeaux now counting as a linebacker, it vaults this unit to the top.
Truth be told, every team in the division has major questions at linebacker. But with Bobby Okereke joining Thibodeaux, and with Azeez Ojulari and Oshane Ximines contributing a lot of minutes, the New York Giants have the most talented collection of linebackers in the division.
They have jettisoned some dead wood in Jaylon Smith and Tomon Fox and will be hoping that second-year player Darrian Beavers can step into a starting role after missing his rookie season with an ACL injury.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles do something with their linebackers that is kind of rare these days. They have three guys who all slot into the classic linebacking positions.
Haason Reddick is a classic strongside linebacker who has developed into one of the best pass rushers in the league. Philadelphia still doesn’t blitz very much, but the former Temple star gives them a formidable weapon when they chose to employ him. And Nicholas Morrow is a classic weakside backer who is very good in coverage.
The huge question mark this year will be in the middle where they lost the emerging star D.J. Edwards to free agency. Nakobe Dean, another ex-Georgia Bulldog, steps into that role. He is undersized but extremely active, and I expect that playing behind Carter, Cox, and Davis, he will thrive.
But it remains a question. Rookie Nolan Smith – one more former Bulldog – waits in the wings.
3. Dallas Cowboys
And positioning taketh away. Micah Parsons is a lineman now, which leaves the Dallas Cowboys' linebacking corps bereft of star players. Leighton Vander Esch appears to have gotten past the injuries that almost caused him to retire early on. He is the best pure middle linebacker in the league.
The Cowboys drafted DeMarvion Overshown and if he hits the ground running, this defense gets a lot better. They have a lot of young players with talent, but apart from Vander Esch, none have shown consistent production in the NFL.
4. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders enter this season without their only steady linebacking presence over the past five years. This is a result of losing Cole Holcomb to the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency.
They are hoping that Jamin Davis continues his improvement and that Holcomb’s replacement, Cody Barton, is an active all-field presence. Behind those two, there isn’t much.
Some have high hopes for Khaleke Hudson this season. But I suspect the Commanders will run one and two-linebacker sets most of the time in 2023.
Commanders position groups vs. NFC East - CB
1. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles lost some key defenders like Javon Hargraves, D.J. Edwards, and a couple of safeties (don’t worry – it’s coming) but they were able to retain cornerback James Bradberry to pair with Darius Slay.
Both are very solid veterans who can play on an island or in zone concepts. They get the edge over the Dallas Cowboys because of slot corner Avonte Maddox. And they have good young developmental players in Kelee Ringo and Zech McPhearson to provide depth.
2. Dallas Cowboys
Stephon Gilmore turns 33 years old this season and there is always the chance that his play could fall off. But I expect he’ll be just fine and will pair with Trevon Diggs to form a strong tandem on the perimeter.
Diggs' high-risk style can bite him at times, but he remains a scary playmaker. Dallas doesn’t have Philadelphia’s depth, though I know some people are very high on DaRon Bland taking over the slot role this year.
3. Washington Commanders
The Commanders invested heavily in the defensive backfield, taking corners with their top two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. If Emmanuel Forbes and Quan Martin play up to expectations, this could be a special group.
They have good players in Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste already on hand to allow the rookies to grow into their roles.
4. New York Giants
Adoree’ Jackson may not be elite, but he is a good cornerback. Assuming the knee injury he suffered toward the end of 2022 doesn’t linger, he will be fine.
The New York Giants are counting on rookie Deonte Banks being a major upgrade over Fabian Moreau this year, and cornerback is one of the positions where a rookie can have an immediate impact. But unlike in Washington, where the first-year duo can ease into the season, the former Maryland star needs to be up to speed immediately.
I like Cordale Flott in the slot, and not just because it rhymes. But the Giants are thin beyond those three.
Commanders position groups vs. NFC East - S
1. Dallas Cowboys
In much the same way that the New York Giants have rebuilt their disastrous offensive line, the Dallas Cowboys overhauled their safety room so that a major weakness has become a strength. In Donovan Wilson, Jayron Kearse, and Malik Hooker, they have a very solid trio of young veterans who provide great flexibility and playmaking from the back end.
The Cowboys even have a talented young developmental player Markquese Bell waiting in the wings.
2. Washington Commanders
Kamren Curl and Darrick Forrest may be the best young safety tandem in the league. I am a little worried about how Forrest performed when Curl missed some time last year, and I am a little worried that Percy Butler will never be as good an every-down player as his physical gifts would suggest.
But there will always be concerns about young players. With Jeremy Reaves and a couple of good developmental players on hand, the Washington Commanders' back end looks very secure.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps played almost 2,000 defensive snaps at safety for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022. Both have moved on to other teams in 2023.
Terrell Edmunds arrives from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Sydney Brown came in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. They will join second-year player Reed Blankenship in attempting to fill the void.
All are good players, but how well and how quickly they blend will be important for the Eagles' defensive success.
4. New York Giants
I think Xavier McKinney is on track to become an upper-echelon safety. But I don’t think he will ever be as good as a lot of us thought he would be coming out of Alabama in 2020. And after him, the Giants have nothing but questions.
Julian Love, who played more than 1,000 snaps for New York in 2022 has moved on to the Seattle Seahawks and I don’t know who replaces him. What’s more, I don’t think the Giants know either.
They signed former Commanders defensive back Bobby McCain to provide veteran insurance, but they are hoping that a younger player emerges.
Commanders position groups vs. NFC East - ST
OK – I’m not going to rank the special teams in the NFC East. It’s impossible.
The Dallas Cowboys might be the best, which is surprising based on what a train wreck their special teams were in 2020. But they have turned it around and now boast the best return man in the division in KaVontae Turpin, along with above-average coverage units.
They also have a very good punter in Bryan Anger, though I read recently that Dallas would like to find a younger, cheaper alternative. But the Cowboys will be relying on Trystan Vizcaino as its placekicker this year, and anyone who remembers his catastrophic season with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021 - when he missed one-third of his extra points - can’t be very confident.
The New York Giants are a photo negative of Dallas. Graham Gano remains the best kicker in the league, but almost everything else about the G-Men – from punter Jamie Gillan to whoever they get to return kicks to their coverage teams – is mediocre at best.
This mirrors the Philadelphia Eagles, who have the other quality placekicker in the division in Jake Elliott but probably have the weakest punt unit in the NFC East. Last year, punter Arryn Siposs and his coverage team were among the worst in the league.
The Washington Commanders round it out – kind of like Dallas. They boast the best punter in the division and have solid coverage and return units. But a huge question mark at kicker, where Michael Badgley will challenge incumbent Joey Slye.
Slye has a bigger leg. Badgley is steadier. Neither one is among the best in the league.
So I’m calling the special teams one giant push. No one gets an advantage. Therefore, based on my own propriety analysis of these totally subjective rankings, I make both Dallas and Philadelphia the best in the division, barely edging out the Commanders.
The Giants are clearly in fourth, more due to the number of questions they have than to an overall lack of talent. The fun part comes in a couple of months when I check back on this at mid-season and see just how right or wrong I was in these rankings.