Commanders Getting ‘Exactly What’ They Want From New-Look Group

They are about to take the field for their opening preseason game, and the first chance to prove they’ve fixed last season’s biggest problem, so it’s a good thing the Washington Commanders are already getting “exactly what” they want from a new-look defensive line retooled to get better at stopping the run.

Improvement was obvious during joint practices with Washington’s preseason Week 1 opponents the New England Patriots. The two teams meet at Gillette Stadium on Friday, August 8, but the Commanders can feel confident about stopping the hosts on the ground.

That optimism is based on what Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic observed when the two teams engaged in some bloody and bad-tempered scrimmages earlier this week. Jhabvala reported on Wednesday, August 6, how “the Patriots weren’t able to do much on the ground, which is exactly what Washington had hoped for when it beefed up its line with additions such as Javon Kinlaw and Eddie Goldman.”

Seeing reinforcements meeting expectations is a major boost for head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. They saw their defensive front beat up in the running game too often last season, never more than when Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles amassed 229 yards and seven rushing touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game.

That hammering prompted a remake along the D-line, and it looks like it’s working, but the bigger test will come in a game-like situation against a deep Patriots backfield.

Commanders Have Point to Prove Up Front

Not everybody is convinced Washington’s defensive line will be any better this season, but solid work against the Pats represents a decent start to proving the doubters wrong. The Patriots aren’t short of talent in a running back rotation led by bruiser Rhamondre Stevenson and augmented by 2025 NFL draft second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson and former Commanders starter Antonio Gibson.

It’s far from certain any member of this trio will feature heavily during the opening exhibition contest, but the Patriots still have options. Including highly-touted undrafted free agent Lan Larison, who Jhabvala’s colleague Chad Graff describes as “shifty.”

Whoever plays, the Commanders must prove they are sturdier between the tackles than they were on this touchdown run by Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. The play, highlighted by Boston Buzzer, prompted 7News DC’s Scott Abraham to comment, “Even I could have run through that huge hole for a TD.”

This was a depressingly familiar sight last season, and something the Commanders signed Kinlaw (52) to help stop. He has a lot to prove to those who think the $45-million man will be a bust, but Kinlaw isn’t the only Commanders’ D-lineman who must defy lowly expectations.

Unheralded Lineman Must Surprise for Commanders

Goldman also has something to prove as a former second-round pick who’s now on his third team. Fortunately, the 6-foot-3, 332-pounder is a natural run-plugger playing over centers, so his remit is simple, to clog rushing lanes and occupy double teams.

There will be plenty of help for Goldman if Kinlaw justifies his price tag and Daron Payne returns to a Pro Bowl level. He “has had a solid training camp,” according to Jhabvala, so Payne is at least trending in the right direction.

The Commanders need last year’s second-rounder Jer’Zhan ‘Johnny’ Newton to do the same to help shore up the middle. A secure interior would complement the useful edge-setters the Commanders have collected at defensive end.

Edge players like Clelin Ferrell, Jalyn Holmes and 2024 seventh-round find Javontae Jean-Baptiste can all set hard corners against outside runs. So can versatile ex-Patriots lineman Deatrich Wise Jr., who often played five-technique, controlling two gaps either side of an offensive tackle, during his time in New England.

There’s no shortage of the right pieces for a tougher run defense, although the Commanders are lacking star power. What Quinn and Whitt need to see during preseason is this unheralded collective forming a more reliable wall along the line of scrimmage.