When Adam Peters and Dan Quinn first entered the front doors of the Washington Commanders, they knew they had their work cut out for them.
In 2023, the Commanders had one of the worst defenses in the league, no quarterback solution, and just four wins. That changed almost immediately with the two leaders.
Coming off a trip to the NFC Title game for the first time in 30 years including a nine-win jump from the year prior, Washington has done everything in their power to build a contender the right way.
Having a franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels will certainly help with that.
Despite all the good they have done, though, there is still one major weakness on the roster - the defensive line. Washington has some situational edge rushers in Frankie Luvu, and a dominant tackle in Daron Payne, but they do not have an every-down edge rusher on the roster right now.
It's why Pro Football Focus believes the team is going to suffer a bit because of their defensive line.
“Javon Kinlaw has improved a bit as a pass rusher,” PFF wrote, “but has never earned above a 55.0 PFF overall grade in his five NFL seasons.”
Things can change drastically if a Trey Hendrickson becomes available and is moved to the Commanders. But at the same time, it's not the end of the world that Washington has those needs either.
Rebuilds do not happen overnight. Just because the Commanders are ahead of schedule does not mean they should rush their plans.
Having a need at edge rusher with a defensive minded head coach is ok. It very well could be something that the team looks to address in later years.