The Washington Commanders may have nailed it on the offensive side of the ball after pairing star quarterback Jayden Daniels with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, but Dan Quinn still has some work to do when it comes to fixing the holes on the defense.
The secondary was arguably the worst in the league at the tail end of the Ron Rivera era, and both Quinn and GM Adam Peters should be praised for the moves they have made to gradually improve this unit. However, Washington still has quite a long way to go before they can call themselves elite in this area.
Pro Football Focus ranked the Commanders as the 28th-best secondary in the league. Of the four teams ranked below them, one (Carolina) is a rebuilding team fresh off putting together one of the worst defenses in NFL history, while the other three (Miami, Dallas, Las Vegas) are fringe playoff teams who will likely be let down by their poor defense.
The Commanders have enough ammo to swing one more big trade for a defensive back. With Daniels on his rookie deal, there may be no better time than the present to take advantage of the financial flexibility they have to bring in one more difference-maker.
Commanders' secondary ranked No. 28 in NFL by PFF
Lattimore may not be what he was in his prime with New Orleans, but he has more than enough gas left in the tank to be a serious problem with a full year under his belt. Second-year slot corner Mike Sainristil has impressed so much that the team's Emmanuel Forbes disaster was quickly cancelled out.
Beyond that, it's slim pickings. Free agent signing Jonathan Jones has been an average starter at his peak, rookie Trey Amos might take some time before acclimating himself to the speed of the professional game, and former first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene has bounced around multiple teams.
Safety is the weaker of the two secondary positions, as there is no team in the league that will be too scared by the Quan Martin/Will Harris duo at the tip of the spear. Washington finds itself riding a very thin unit into a playoff race that could knock them out of any sort of playoff race.
Washington will always be competitive if Daniels can replicate his rookie season, but they might not be able to break through and get to the Super Bowl without one more big name in the mix.