Subscribe
Follow Us
How far will the Washington Commanders go in the 2023 season?
Washington ended the 2022 season with a record of 8-8-1, putting them in fourth in the NFC East and ninth in the NFC. Quarterback Taylor Heinicke led the team in passing yards with 1,859, while running back Brian Robinson Jr. took first place on the squad with 797 rushing yards.
Washington welcomed seven rookies to its roster via the 2023 NFL Draft. It added Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes with the No. 16 pick before moving on to Illinois safety Jartavius “Quan” Martin, Arkansas lineman Ricky Stromberg and Utah lineman Braeden Daniels in the next few rounds.
“He's a tremendous football player,” Commanders Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio said of Forbes, via Commanders.com. “He's fast, he's got great ball skills. He's very bright, and he played against some of the best competition that you can in the SEC and held up week in, week out.”
What is one perfect move the Commanders must make to fill out their roster before training camp begins in late July?
Sign A Veteran Linebacker
The Commanders' defensive line will have plenty of talent to call upon heading into the 2023 season.
Headlined by a defensive end duo of Montez Sweat and Chase Young, along with defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, Washington's defensive line could be a formidable one heading into next season. Payne, Sweat and Allen led a defense that earned 43 sacks last season, putting them at 12th in the NFL ahead of the New York Giants, the Los Angeles Chargers and the Miami Dolphins.
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said he lived what he saw from Young in Minicamp earlier this month.
“He looked good; he really did,” Rivera said, via Commanders Country. “Real excited about it. Looks like he's got some explosion back, which was one of the really neat things in terms of watching him, his get off. He looks like he's more confident.
“We noticed that as well and we've been seeing that in watching [TE] Logan Thomas. Another guy that was coming off a year removed now from having had knee surgery. So, feel very good about what we're seeing from our guys.”
Washington added Clemson lineman K.J. Henry and Auburn lineman Andre Jones Jr. in the draft, providing extra depth to a Commanders defense that allowed 3,252 passing yards in 2022, putting them at fourth in the NFL.
The Commanders' linebacker corps features a mix of young and experienced options in David Mayo, Cody Barton and Jamin Davis. The Commanders signed Barton in March after he spent four years with the Seattle Seahawks. Khaleke Hudson, a former fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, got high praise from Del Rio as he spoke to the media earlier this month.
“Guys like Khaleke Hudson have been really been playing outstanding,” Del Rio said, via Commanders Wire. “I think gained a little bit of confidence from that last outing against Dallas. He went out there and played really well, and so he's coming to the offseason full of energy and getting a lot of reps because Jamin is not going.”
Adding extra linebacker depth behind them can only add to the defense's accomplishments next year. If they can add options that work well with the front four, Washington's defense can help the Commanders become a more complete roster before the start of training camp.
