The Washington Commanders and Dan Quinn face a watershed moment in the 2026 season. To make it go in a positive direction, they have to get better defensively. And here is what will make or break the Commanders' defense in 2026.
First, you can’t boil things down to one statistic. If you could, all the Commanders would need to do is force more turnovers. They ranked No. 31 in the NFL with only 10 for the 2025 season.
However, that is where the building block starts. It's the general foundation for fixing their defense. It’s one word: Aggressiveness.
One word, but it is multifaceted.
Commanders DC Daronte Jones must change the defensive atmosphere
When talking about aggressive defense, it needs to be hedged against stupid defense. You can’t blitz every single down. Offensive coordinators would simply draw up packages that exploit the blitz.
Aggressive defense needs to have the element of deceit. That’s what the Vikings defense did in 2025. They led the NFL in blitz rate, almost 15% more than the second-closest team. The Vikings blitzed 48% of the time while the No. 2 Falcons were 33.9%.
The Commanders ranked No. 15, tied with the Panthers at 26.6%. So one of the first things the Commanders must do is increase their blitz rate. That’s the aggressive approach that Jones must employ.
And since he came from the NFL’s most blitz-happy mindset, it should be an easy transition to apply from Week 1 moving forward.
But play-calling alone doesn’t change the narrative. If a team blitzes more, it’s going to be susceptible to getting burned at times. And that’s where the second step comes into play.
Commanders must be a ball-punching, route-jumping defense
This is where the Commanders will emulate the Bears and the Vikings. Chicago won games this season because it took the ball away. But the Bears did it mostly through the air with 23 interceptions.
Meanwhile, the Vikings had only eight picks. But they led the NFL in fumble takeaways with 13. How many did the Commanders have in 2025? OK, you have to breathe before you read this because it will make you laugh, hard. The Commanders had only two fumble takeaways all season.
The next-worst team had twice as many. As laughable as the Jets’ zero interceptions in 2025 were, the Commanders' two fumble recoveries deserve mention in the same breath.
It’s hard to imagine 17 games with that few fumbles gathered by a defense. It can’t be luck. It has to be philosophy. Sometimes a defender has to go for the ball instead of the tackle. You can’t do it all the time, but it has to be a philosophy.
And here’s some of what Jones teaches, according to a post on X.
“Minnesota Vikings Pass Game Coordinator Daronte Jones – Stab Drill
– Used when attacking from front side
– Elbow is out, or ball is low
– Stab down & through”
Yes! Gimme about 15 of those every game. Maybe more!
Commanders have to be aggressive in free agency
Unless the Commanders could find a way to lure George Pickens from the Cowboys — ain’t gonna happen because the Cowboys won’t let him go — they need to aggressively focus their free-agent energy on the defensive side of the ball.
In particular, they need to improve the pass rush. Obviously, the top free agent in that regard is edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. That would be the ultimate aggressive move. But it would be hyper-aggressive. And that’s not the focus here.
Hendrickson’s age is the biggest issue. He’s 31 and will turn 32 before the 2026 season ends. And injuries are a concern since he played in only seven games last season.
Instead, the Commanders should pursue edge rusher Jaelan Phillips. He’s 27 years old and a premier defender, according to ESPN.
“With his long 6-foot-5 frame, Phillips can play as both an edge setter and pocket disrupter,” Matt Bowen wrote. “After being traded to the Eagles on Nov. 3, he had two sacks and 27 pressures in coordinator Vic Fangio's system, flashing improved range to the ball. Over his five-year career, Phillips has accounted for 28 sacks and 150 pressures.”
A fall-back option would be Chargers standout Odafe Oweh. He’s also 27 years old and is building a nice resume.
How does the aggressive approach apply to the draft?
It’s not a matter of making some crazy trade. But there is a trade they must consider.
If the Commanders want their pass rush to be dramatically different in 2026, they need to get that key free agent, along with drafting Miami's Rueben Bain Jr.
David Jeremiah of NFL.com has the Commanders passing on the chance to get Bain and taking Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles. No, no, no, and no. The Commanders must get another edge rusher to pair with Phillips — in this scenario — and add depth that current edge rusher Dorance Armstrong already provides.
It might be difficult for the Commanders to trade up and get Bain because they don’t have the draft capital. But if they can, they should.
The fallback option is Texas Tech’s David Bailey. Some people, like Mel Kuiper, prefer Bailey over Bain. So it wouldn’t be a loss of aggression if the Commanders have to pivot to him.
But the Commanders need one of those two guys.
What about roster construction?
The Commanders must get younger and faster overall on defense. You can’t be aggressive if you’re always five yards away from people, which the Commanders seemed to be all season.
So when the roster is constructed, the slow guys need to go. They need to sign fast free agents and draft the fastest players on the board.
Yes, this could make them susceptible to power-based offenses. But that’s where intelligent roster construction comes into play. You keep the strongest run defenders on the roster, and try to make every other position faster.
Speed allows aggression. And the Commanders’ poorly constructed roster didn’t have it in 2025.
