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It’s not going to be easy for the Washington Commanders in the loaded NFC East. And the Commanders need to make at least one more trade. But the Commanders’ riskiest move in the 2025 NFL offseason is not taking care of the edge rusher position.
NFL teams can have a good season without getting great pressure on the quarterback. But when it comes to the postseason, the lack of an immediate pass rush tends to be a game-changer in a bad way.
The Commanders didn’t address the edge-rusher position in free agency, choosing to focus more on offense. That left the door open in the draft to take care of the issue. But they didn’t get it done in the draft, either.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn risks wins with weak pass rush
First, let’s start with what the Commanders lost. Head coach Dan Quinn no longer has Dante Fowler Jr. on the edge. He posted 10.5 sacks last year, playing a key role in keeping the defense somewhat competitive.
Without Fowler, the Commanders currently stand with Clelin Ferrell, Dorance Armstrong, Deatrich Wise Jr., and Jacob Martin on the edge. Armstrong had five sacks last season while Ferrell had three, Martin had three for the Bears, and Wise Jr. totaled five for the Patriots.
That’s a sad-sack group for a middling NFL team. For a supposed Super Bowl contender, it’s a playoff loss waiting to happen.
The Commanders had their excuses for not taking an edge rusher in the draft. But they aren’t good ones, according to commanders.com.
“It wasn't, ‘We weren't going to address edge at any point,'” assistant general manager Lance Newmark said. “There were never any conversations of that mindset. It was, ‘These players made the most sense for us.' ”
Washington didn’t take an edge rusher in the first round despite several very good options.
“I think it's every move we make, we're trying to maximize him and really the whole team,” General Manager Adam Peters said. “He [Conerly] was the highest player on our board, [and that] is really what it ended up being. It wasn't really so much we needed to get an O-Lineman or anything like that, but he was clearly the highest player on our board.”
Newmark said the Commanders will keep looking at ways to improve the roster.
“You certainly are always watching that board,” Newmark said. “We watch it every day, and we always circle back to guys and see where they're at. Sometimes they don't want to do anything right now, but that's constant. It's on the wall in my office, so I see it every morning when I walk in, and we talk about it on literally a daily basis.”
But the bottom line is: talk is cheap, and edge rushers aren’t. And they still have a desperate need, according to foxsports.com.
“They needed help off the edge even before they lost Dante Fowler and his (10.5) sacks in free agency, and it’s been their No. 1 need all offseason long,” Ralph Vacchiano wrote. “Yet GM Adam Peters doesn’t seem to be very concerned. His only edge signing was Deatrich Wise, who turns 31 in July and had eight middling seasons in New England.
“They seemed like they were in a perfect position in the draft to grab an edge rusher in the first round, but they went offensive line instead. In fact, they didn’t take any edge rushers at all. So it’s really unclear where their pass rush is going to come from this year.”
One thing the Commanders must address is the sacks Fowler produced. There’s nobody on the roster capable of anything close to that level of production. And consider how bad the Commanders’ defense played in the postseason. It surrendered 31 points to the Lions and then a whopping 55 to the Eagles in the NFC championship game. No team is going to the Super Bowl that gives us 43 points a game.
The Commanders forced 17 turnovers last season, ranking No. 20 in the NFL. They ranked No. 29 with their paltry total of seven interceptions. This lack of defensive takeaways comes directly from not getting enough pressure on the opposing quarterback.
Also, the Commanders didn’t stop the run last year. They ranked No. 30 overall and No. 28 in yards per carry allowed. It’s a picture that needs to get better, head coach Dan Quinn said, according to espn.com.
“There's a lot of things that we want to get better at,” Quinn said. “Run defense was certainly part of that.”
Still, Newmark sings the “we’re good” song, which could make Commanders fans shake their heads.
“We like that room and we like what we have there,” Newmark said. “Certainly not closed to (adding another player). We have a lot of time between now and the season, so there's other opportunities to potentially add there.”
But Newmark did offer this hope, “(We’ve) had some conversations with some potential adds, so it's definitely something you think about. Hey, we might be able to add this player in May.'”
