It only took one preseason game to expose Commanders' most glaring flaw

The hand-wringing that went on over the Washington Commanders' failure to add strong edge defenders this offseason went through a period of remission after general manager Adam Peters signed Von Miller. After an embarrassing preseason loss to the New England Patriots, these concerns are firmly back at the forefront.

Miller didn’t suit up. Nor did Frankie Luvu, who figures to have a large role in attacking opposing quarterbacks this season. Dorance Armstrong Jr., the team’s best every-down defensive end, was also missing, as was promising second-year player Javontae Jean-Baptiste.

With those four players in uniform, the Commanders' edge presence will be much improved. It had better be. Because they got almost nothing from players further down the depth chart at Gillette Stadium.

Commanders' edge-rushing depth remains a potential problem if improvements don't arrive

The Commanders rotated through several edge options against New England. Free agent acquisition Jacob Martin, perhaps the most promising of the depth players, started opposite veteran Clelin Ferrell. Later, younger players like Andre Jones Jr. and T.J. Maguranyanga took turns.

Jalyn Holmes, a bigger, more traditional defensive end, got some work outside. There was even the odd snap or two where athletically gifted smaller guys like Tyler Owens and Kain Medrano manned the edge.

Throughout the entire game, the Commanders got virtually nothing out of the position, either in terms of pass rush or in helping stop the run. Two times — once by Jones and once by Holmes — Commanders’ edge players applied a serious pass rush.

Jones took an aggressive inside route and cleanly beat the lumbering Demontrey Jacobs on one play. Holmes worked a two-man game with tackle Sheldon Day to reach the quarterback on another. Neither play produced a sack, but they disrupted the passer.

The only sack came from interior lineman Johnny Newton in the first quarter. Martin was there to recover the resultant fumble. But without this inside pressure, there would have been no turnover.

That was true throughout the night. Most of the Commanders’ pressure came from the inside. The outside rushers did little on their own.

The players who were not on the field figure to play almost all of the regular season snaps on the edge. The one exception may be Martin, if he shows better form. He may have taken a step back, but no one on the Commanders’ defense forced his way ahead of him in the pecking order.

Progressing depth on the edge doesn’t just provide a bulwark against injuries. It also allows the starters to remain fresh longer in a game and into the season. The Commanders need a youngster or two to step into this role. As of now, no one can tell who that player might be, and the hand-wringing is making a return.

More Commanders news and analysis