There’s no question the Washington Commanders secondary was one of the worst units in football, last year, and the hope is new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones can turn things around in 2026.

There’s a lot to like about Jones’ background, as he’s coached either with or under some of the smartest defensive gurus around: Vance Joseph, Lou Anarumo, Mike Zimmer, Brian Flores, and even Dave Aranda in the college ranks, have all played a role in Jones’ ascension to Commanders DC.

That’s why tracking his Commanders defense will be a lot of fun. No one really knows where Jones plans on setting his roots, so to speak, and so far developing the playbook has largely been a collaborative effort between Jones and the players.

Obviously, scheming around players is the most effective way to ensure a system makes sense, whether it’s on offense or defense. However, Jones is a bit shorthanded when it comes to deploying something that is not only a key staple across all NFL defenses, but one that he has been associated with for a few years, now.

Daronte Jones doesn’t have enough range at safety to be a two-high defense in 2026

A common trend in the NFL is the usage of two-high shells. I mean, just look at the Seattle Seahawks, for instance. They are one of the NFL’s biggest proponents of two-high and it was a key piece of last year’s dominant run.

Jones’s recent background with Flores is layered in two-high shells and it’s more than fair to wonder if he intends to deploy those coverages in 2026 and beyond.

Similarly, he hasn’t committed to a safety shell. The Commanders have been in two-high shells on 40% of snaps in their two seasons under Quinn, well below league average. The Vikings were two-high on 58% of snaps in the same time frame. Is that the big change Jones will bring to Washington?

There’s just one big problem with this idea: The Commanders simply don’t have the right players for that scheme.

Consider me intrigued to find out what kind of flavor Daronte Jones brings to the secondary in Washington. The addition of Nick Cross in free agency is a good one — I suspect that he ends up being the featured player this season at safety. There’s a fair chance he becomes a long-term hit, too. At just 24 years old, he’s got two years on this deal with the Commanders to take a leap after two years as a full-time starter in Indianapolis.

However, Cross has been a bit of a liability in coverage over the course of his young career. He’s allowed 11 touchdowns and snagged just five interceptions over the years, but he doesn’t have encouraging traits to where he could work in centerfield. Still, it’s a still question that must be answered before any feeling of comfort arises.

Beyond Cross? The Commanders really need Quan Martin to be the guy again. Veteran Will Harris has gradually become more of a box player and is now on the wrong side of 30 years old. Could he play split half and keep things in front of him? Sure. But his ability to run and cap downfield routes would be a question and his angles from depth would need to be pristine.

The free agency outlook is thin, too. Perhaps Xavier Woods could be an option — but otherwise it feels like a lot riding on Martin. The good news? Martin was respectable in 2024 while playing nearly 850 snaps as a deep player. He needs to recapture that form after regressing in nearly every way this past season.

Commanders defense will have an arm tied behind its back if no one develops at safety

This isn’t the end of the world, by any means, but it certainly puts Jones and the Commanders defense at a disadvantage. And it’ll really hurt during the season if no one steps up.

You don’t need a Master’s degree in X’s and O’s to figure out why, either. The lack of range at safety, especially to the point where it doesn’t make a lot of sense to run two-high coverage shells, pigeonholes a defense to the point where opposing offenses will be able to figure out how to effectively attack the unit at a consistent rate.

The good news is Jones’ Vikings background is such where Flores really mastered pre- and post-snap coverage rotations to the point where offenses really didn’t know what was going on until it was too late. If it comes to that, we’ll just have to wait and see exactly how effective things turn out.

The first year of any new defense will pose questions, especially with a first-time play caller. So, while this isn’t a sink-or-swim proposition by any means, it’s definitely one that can take a lot of shine off Jones’ first year if it doesn’t get figured out in some capacity.