The Washington Commanders defense has struggled through the first six weeks of the season.
The Commanders are allowing 377.2 yards per game, fourth-most in the NFL and have surrendered 29.3 points per game, which is more than any team except the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers.
Part of those struggles can be linked to the familiarity at the middle linebacker position. This offseason, Cole Holcomb left the Commanders to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers ; Washington replaced Holcomb with Cody Barton, who last played with the Seattle Seahawks.
And it appears from Ron Rivera that Barton and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio are still working on their communication with one another.
“You get the huddle call and you make the call," Rivera said. "Then they pass it along if it's a hurry up offense. Some of it will be just word of mouth, others they may have to make some hand signals. It just depends on what the offense is doing and how much time we have in the huddle. Some of the things that we do are matchup based. [Defensive Coordinator] Jack [Del Rio] wants to get the appropriate people in and have the right call for it.”
Despite the Commanders' struggles on defense, the team is 3-3 through three weeks with a chance to get back above .500 with a win against the struggling New York Giants this weekend.
If Barton and the defense can streamline their communication, it could be the key to get the Commanders back in the playoff mix.
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