The Washington Commanders have undergone plenty of change since Jack Del Rio became the defensive coordinator in 2020 — including three names and two owners.
What remained the same was their defense ending seasons as one of the best units in the NFL.
Washington Defense | 2020-2022 & Ranks
| EPA Per Play Against | -0.028 | 9th |
| Average Yards Allowed Per Play | 5.1 | T-7th |
| Scoring Drive Allowed % | 34.9% | T-8th |
That's in no small part because Washington has allocated a ton of draft capital to its defensive line. All four starting defensive linemen (Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne) are first-round picks, and each has put together dominant seasons since being drafted.
Although the Commanders haven’t invested nearly as much in the secondary, the unit has still produced. The defense leans on zone, having played the second-highest rate of Quarters coverage in the NFL since 2020 and only the 23rd-highest rate of Cover 1.
But despite the Commanders' overwhelming success in zone coverages, they often try and become a more aggressive, man-heavy team each season. That has led to Del Rio’s defense to get off to notoriously slow starts.
Washington Defense | Under Jack Del Rio
| Weeks 1-4 | Weeks 5-18 | |
| EPA Per Play Against | 0.083 (26th) | -0.068 (2nd) |
| Cover 1 % | 23.6% (17th) | 17.8 % (26th) |
The start of the 2023 season has been no exception, and it all came to a head after the defense allowed 40 points to a previously winless Chicago Bears squad in Week 5.
Washington Defense | 2023
| EPA Per Play Against | 0.061 | 26th |
| Average Yards Allowed Per Play | 5.5 | T-27th |
| Scoring Drive Allowed % | 56.6% | 32nd |
The Commanders, by loading the box and playing man coverage behind it, tried to force Bears quarterback Justin Fields to beat them as a passer. However, Washington doesn’t have the personnel to successfully play man coverage and shut down receivers.
Justin Fields goes deep down the field to DJ Moore on 3rd down ????#CHIvsWAS on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/YCeYJnyJmB pic.twitter.com/1nYpS1DrLY— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2023
Instead of keeping their cornerbacks on one side of the field all game, the Commanders have started to line them up to the “field side” or the “boundary side.” The boundary is the side of the field closest to the sideline, while the field is the opposite side.
We can illustrate this by looking at how Washington has deployed Kendall Fuller since signing him as a free agent in 2020.
Kendall Fuller Snap Breakdown
| 2020-2022 | 2023 | |
| % of Snaps Lined up as Right CB | 88.2% | 46.6% |
| % of Snaps Lined up as Field CB | 56.8% | 88.0% |
Perhaps Washington believed that after drafting Emmanuel Forbes in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, they would have more flexibility to move their cornerbacks across the field based on where the offense lines up. The problem with that is Forbes played in a heavy zone coverage scheme at Mississippi State, staying strictly on the right side of the field.
Emmanuel Forbes Snap Breakdown
| 2020-2022 (College) | 2023 | |
| % of Snaps Lined up as Right CB | 84.5% | 57.5% |
| % of Snaps Lined up as Boundary CB | 49.8% | 98.9% |
That change has contributed to a rough start for the rookie cornerback. Forbes currently has a 37.0 overall grade — the third-worst mark among cornerbacks with at least 75 snaps this season.
The results shouldn’t be surprising when considering Washington has taken Forbes out of what he did well at Mississippi State and put him in an uncomfortable position in his first NFL season.
The defensive line, with all of its talent, is holding its own, too, to help out the coverage unit. It hasn't been up to the standard of previous seasons, but the unit is getting to opposing quarterbacks.
Jonathan Allen’s 13.5% pass-rush win rate ranks 14th among interior defensive linemen. Chase Young and Montez Sweat both place in the top 15 in pressures among edge rushers. Young is looking like the player Washington saw when he won Defensive Rookie of the Year, posting a 21.7% pass-rush win rate — eighth best among edge rushers.
The pass rush and coverage ultimately have to work together for the defense to be successful. Right now, Washington’s defense is struggling with holding up on the back end long enough for the pass rush to get home.
If this unit is to return to the top-tier level it was at in prior seasons, it needs to get back to its previous structure. Keep the cornerbacks on one side of the field, let them play to their strengths in zone coverage and give the pass-rush unit enough time to get to the quarterback.
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