Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders are starting their third round of organized team activities(OTAs) today, and new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones is up first at the mic before practice starts. Jones has been installing his defense, which is expected to pull from the scheme of his former boss, Vikings DC Brian Flores. Players have been buying into the attacking defense the Jones wants to bring to Washington, and general manager Adam Peters focused on rebuilding a deficient defensive roster this offseason.
Jones is a big fan of Amik Robertson, and talked about facing him twice a year when they were division rivals. He watched Robertson take on Justin Jefferson, and said he’s what the team is looking for in a Commander. He also talked about Mike Sainristil, who he said was similar in stature to Robertson. Mikey has ball skills going back to his time at Michigan, and Jones is looking forward to working him into the defense, whether that’s on the outside, or in the slot.
Dan Quinn was next up at the mic, and he was also asked about Sainristil and Robertson. He likes what he’s seen on the outside from both of them. Quinn was surprised by the speed of free agent signing Nick Cross, and they’re working on where to play everyone in Daronte Jones new defense. Not re-signing future Hall of Fame LB Bobby Wagner meant losing a leader on defense, and Quinn said the team is still finding out who they are this season. He mentioned veterans like Frankie Luvu and Mikey Sainristil who carried leadership over from last season.
Commanders QBs have been wearing GoPros on their helmets during OTAs and Quinn said that was new offensive coordinator David Blough’s idea. There’s audio on the cameras which Quinn likes so they see what the QB is seeing, and hear how the QB is running the offense. He was asked about a potential new wide receiver, but Quinn wasn’t taking the Brandon Aiyuk bait.
