Tyler Biadasz and 4 Commanders unsung heroes at the 2024 bye week

Dante Fowler Jr. - Commanders OLB

Dante Fowler Jr.'s signing in the offseason wasn't met with too much fanfare. He was seen as more of a depth piece with a familiar face from Dan Quinn's time with the Dallas Cowboys. An experienced figure to lean on when needed during the Washington Commanders' pivotal transition.

Fowler has been a major surprise in D.C., having a renaissance year with 8.5 sacks, 11th most in the NFL with the 12th most tackles for loss in the league. The former first-round pick has far outplayed his contract, having more sacks than former Commanders Chase Young and Montez Sweat combined and more quarterback takedowns than the highly paid tandem of Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen.

If you dig deeper, you can see just how effective Fowler has been. He has played 400 defensive snaps, which is on average 172.3 snaps less than the 10 players in front of him in terms of sacks and 59th in the league among edge rushers. He looks well worth another deal if the same trend continues after the bye week.

Austin Seibert - Commanders PK

This one might be a bit controversial after Austin Seibert had two missed extra points, including one that could have sent the game to overtime, as well as a missed field goal in the loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Injuries may have factored into his performance in that game. Despite that, Seibert has been a revelation for Washington this year.

The kicking position was a big question mark this year for the Commanders. If you look around the league, plenty of teams have been hit with injuries or uneven play at the vastly important spot. One only has to look at Justin Tucker's current predicament to see how precarious things can become quickly.

Seibert has attempted the fourth most field goals this season, despite playing around 3-to-4 fewer games than the kickers in front of him. He has the seventh-best accuracy among kickers with at least 20-plus attempts, making 90 percent of his field goals.

He had also hit every extra point before the two misses in the Dallas game. For single-handedly winning the New York Giants contest early in the season with a franchise-record seven field goals, Seibert deserves his flowers.

Hopefully, he can return from injured reserve and help contribute to a potential playoff run.