3 things the Washington Commanders need to do immediately to fix the recurring issues on defense before it’s too late
The Commanders need to adjust before the season gets away from them.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned through the first four games, it’s that the Washington Commanders’ defense is a liability, and changes are needed.
Injuries aren’t even a valid excuse because a majority of them are on the offense, which is still doing its part for the team. Watching the defense have the same struggles as last year is frustrating, and the losses will continue if it doesn’t fix these major issues.
Get back to basics on defense
This is something that shouldn’t need to be said, but when you watch the Commanders’ defense, the one thing that stands out is the poor tackling techniques. I get that Atlanta Falcons’ running back Bijan Robinson is one of the best in the league, but the effort in trying to bring him down was as disappointing as it could’ve been.
Players were attacking the ball for no reason, or coming in way too high, and Robinson was just bouncing through contact with ease.
The Commanders finished the game with 12 missed tackles, which is the most they’ve had in a game this season, and it needs to be fixed. Head coach Dan Quinn addressed the issue with the media on Monday, stating that it is fixable.
“There’s plenty to do,” Quinn said. “In each practice and each day, you can work on that hard. It doesn’t have to be something that you have to take to the ground, but you do have to get your angles, your tracking correct. But they’re way too high. We were in double digits, and if you hit double digits between defense and special teams, that is too many. Going into it, we knew [Atlanta Falcons RB] Bijan [Robinson] is somebody that’s exceptional at that, but you track two-man tackles, and we’ve got work to do. Yeah, we were not pleased with our tackling performance, and yes, there is plenty you can do to work on that.”
Communicate better and be an actual team
The Green Bay Packers showed how to kill the Commanders’ defense: with motion, when the linebackers and secondary are forced to run with the pass catcher, and big plays happen because the defense isn’t communicating through plays. The defense has allowed a league high 11 pass plays of 15+ yards this season when a team uses motion, and it’s not improving. Second-year corner Mike Sainristil has struggled massively this season, and he spoke about the communication after the game.
“We have to make sure we’re always focused when we’re out there,” Sainristil said. “When we’re at our best, is when we’re all back there talking. It’s very easy to beat a defense that’s not out there focused and communicating the right way, and everyone isn’t on their keys.”
There’s no reason a play like this should exist because of miscommunication. It doesn’t matter what defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. calls up if the secondary is putting this kind of product on the field.
Rotate players more and give younger guys a chance
The Commanders’ defense looked older and slower than the Falcons’ offense, and when you see the snap counts, it adds up. The Falcons had the ball for 34 minutes on Sunday, and Bobby Wagner played every snap and was consistently matched up against Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts, and the results were always the same.
I get that Wagner is good against the run and the main leader on defense, but there’s no reason for linebackers Jordan Magee and Kain Medrano, a recent draft picks who can cover better than Wagner at this point in his career, to get zero snaps. Asking Wagner to cover Robinson on a wheel route is malpractice. This is why you drafted Magee and Medrano.
They can’t do anything right now with injuries, but the Commanders need to make a change with Marshon Lattimore, and there are two things they can do. They can have Jonathan Jones go in the slot when he’s healthy and move Sainristil back outside, where he played better. Another option is putting newly acquired defensive back Darnell Savage in the slot, where he has plenty of experience, even though he’s needed more at safety with Will Harris out.
These are all fixable issues, and trust me, there’s more I could discuss, such as addressing pressure, even though the Commanders blitz more than most teams in the league. However, these three things can help address a majority of the problems we’re seeing on defense.
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The Commanders need to fix this before this next stretch begins.
