The Washington Commanders' defense will look considerably different in 2026. Former coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. has been replaced by Daronte Jones, and three of the group's most notable players — linebacker Bobby Wagner, cornerback Marshon Lattimore, and edge rusher Von Miller — are no longer with the organization.
This is all for the better. But one under-fire defender has earned one last shot to change his narrative just as hope was rapidly fading.
The 2025 Commanders' defense would have been a juggernaut if the year were 2020. They were old and slow, and as a result, they could not stop a nosebleed, ranking dead-last in the league in yards allowed.
Now, change has come.
Commanders are giving Quan Martin one final chance to fulfill his promise under Daronte Jones
No. 7 overall pick Sonny Styles is here. So is Odafe Oweh. So is K'Lavon Chaisson. So are Nick Cross, Amik Robertson, Tim Settle Jr., and Leo Chenal. Youth and depth should revitalize head coach Dan Quinn's back unit, and Jones should have them playing with a fiery passion.
Washington will also be looking for growth from some of the team's returning members. For one of them, he'd better hope he still has a chance to redeem himself.
The most disappointing thing about Washington's defense last season wasn't the regression of the aging veterans. It was the regression from players such as Quan Martin, Mike Sainristil, and Frankie Luvu, who were expected to be emerging pieces.
For the Illinois product in particular, it has put his entire future in jeopardy.
There is a world where Martin is a starter again in 2026. There is another world in which he gets cut in the preseason.
He was benched toward the end of last year in favor of increased snaps for Jeremy Reaves, who got another extension ahead of time this offseason. Cross figures to replace Will Harris as the starting strong safety, meaning the 2023 second-round pick will have a chance to re-earn his role this summer.
Jones has spoken highly of Martin, with high hopes that the new scheme can set him straight. There have also been rumblings from offseason camp that Washington is experimenting with using him as a nickel corner in certain sets, the position he was initially drafted to play and performed well in as a rookie before switching to the back end.
Martin has potential in the right situation, as he showed during Washington's run to the NFC Championship game in 2024. But his production through three seasons overall has been wildly inconsistent.
If he can't prove himself this summer and into the regular season, he never will. But all hope is not lost for Martin just yet.
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