Commanders have surprise position group dominating camp that nobody saw coming

Before the arrival of future Pro Football Hall of Fame edge rusher Von Miller, fans and analysts alike were convinced that the biggest hole in the Washington Commanders’ roster was the pass rush.

Even after Adam Peters signed Miller, the concern lingered.

Washington’s leading sack man from 2024, Dante Fowler Jr., left via free agency. Jonathan Allen, who had three sacks in just seven games playing in the middle, was also gone. But as all the unsubstantiated rumors about Myles Garrett and Trey Hendrickson swirled through the cyberverse, Peters remained calm.

At least on the outside.

On the rare occasion they spoke about it, both Peters and Dan Quinn expressed confidence in the current personnel and their ability to generate pressure. Now that the Commanders are firmly into training camp, fans are getting a taste of what they were talking about.

Commanders' defensive front will be bringing pressure from all angles in 2025

The Commanders did make a few moves across the defensive front seven. Javon Kinlaw came to town on a big contract to bolster the middle of the line. After showing glimpses of his ability over seven NFL seasons, free agent edge Jacob Martin is hoping to prove he can be a consistent pass rusher.

In the draft, Peters grabbed the athletic linebacker Kain Medrano. He is raw but has the physical skills to be a dynamic situational blitzer.

But there appears to be more talent on the field than those bigger-name additions. Lynnell Willingham from 106.7 The Fan revealed from camp that the entire defensive line was looking impressive. He singled out Andre Jones Jr. and Eddie Goldman for effectively collapsing the pocket on pass plays.

That has to put smiles on the faces of Peters and Quinn. And there's no doubt Jones and Goldman make an interesting pair.

Jones, one of the few holdovers from Ron Rivera’s draft classes, has languished on the practice squad since becoming a seventh-round pick in 2023. He is long and lean with strong measurables, but has never gotten a chance to shine.

Goldman is the opposite. A veteran who was out of football for a couple of years, he carries a mammoth frame ideally suited to tying up blockers against the run. He recorded 4.5 sacks as a rookie nose tackle with the Chicago Bears, but that was back in 2015. He has never reached that total again.

Neither player is certain to make the roster. Jones has rarely appeared on any projections, and that was before Miller's arrival. Goldman is in a battle with several other interior linemen to grab a spot backing up Kinlaw, Daron Payne, and Johnny Newton.

If these are the players standing out early in training camp, that is an excellent sign for the defense. That means the competition that every coach wants to see is taking shape in Ashburn.

Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. have been experimenting with various alignments early in camp. Their version of a specialized NASCAR package is designed to get the two most skilled pass rushers, Miller and linebacker Frankie Luvu, out on the edge, while defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr. moves inside to provide extra quickness alongside Payne.

Jones isn’t quite as sturdy against the run as Armstrong, but he offers the length and burst to give trouble to slower guards if he lines up inside. Meanwhile, Goldman can simply collapse the pocket regardless of who he is lined up against.

Unless Miller defies the natural aging process and produces a standout year, there’s a good chance that the Commanders will not have any players who match the 10.5 sacks Fowler piled up last year. But overall, the team might be more dangerous.

It comes from depth and versatility. Washington has other players like Jones and others like Goldman. Coaches will be able to move them around to work the matchup game. That doesn’t take into account a very athletic group of back-end players. Tyler Owens and Quan Martin could develop into excellent blitzers coming from their safety positions.

And finally, it is no small thing that Washington projects to have the best pair of perimeter cornerbacks it has had in at least five years.

That assumes Marshon Lattimore returns to form and Trey Amos adjusts to the NFL quickly. If they do, their ability to cover man-to-man will also be a great benefit to the pass rushers, giving them an extra beat or two to reach the quarterback.

Miller alone doesn’t fix the problem, but perhaps Washington’s pass rush isn’t as big a problem as we once thought.

If everyone contributes, it could turn into a team strength.

More Commanders news and analysis