Hogs Haven
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Washington has done something that is a bit unusual in the NFL; the Commanders enter the 3rd year of Dan Quinn’s tenure as head coach with new coordinators on offense & defense — both of them rookies at their respective positions and first-time NFL play-callers.
Defensive coordinator Daronte Jones is something of a journeyman as a coach. After starting in the high school and collegiate sectors—including a stint as defensive coordinator at Bowie State – he entered the NFL in 2016 as a defensive backs coach for the Miami Dolphins. Jones later coached secondaries for the Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings, briefly returning to college football in 2021 to serve as Louisiana State University’s defensive coordinator. He rejoined the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings as a defensive pass game coordinator before Washington selected him to lead their defense.
Based on articles I’ve read, videos I’ve watched, podcasts I’ve listened to, and press conferences I’ve reviewed, I believe that in Washington, Daronte Jones will implement an aggressive, positionless defensive system modeled after the high-pressure scheme he learned under Brian Flores in Minnesota, though Jones himself has repeatedly taken pains to remind local reporters of the variety of coaches that have had an influence on his development. That said, the playbook will likely rely on multiple, adaptable fronts rather than a strict 3-4 or 4-3 alignment, emphasizing pre-snap disguises to keep opposing quarterbacks off balance. The secondary seems as if it will feature a structure that relies on interchangeable DBs who shift between heavy doses of Cover-4, Cover-2, and Cover-0 looks. This versatility should allow the secondary to support a high volume of creative blitzes and zone-pressure packages from the front-7, requiring multi-functional LBs and safeties to regularly rotate between deep coverage, run support, and A-gap rushes.
This defense will not only be a completely different scheme from the one that Joe Whitt implemented and oversaw in 2024 & 2025 with very poor results, it will also rely on a heavily re-tooled roster.
The defensive line has at least 6 new faces — rookie Joshua Josephs along with veterans Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Charles Omenihu, Tim Settle, and DJ Davidson — though Davidson isn’t necessarily a ‘lock’ to make the 53-man roster.
At inside linebacker, the team drafted Sonny Styles with the 7th overall pick; he joins former Chiefs LB Leo Chenal as the new faces at the 2nd level of the defense.
Three additions to the defensive backs group were made in free agency — safety Nick Cross and cornerbacks Amik Robertson &...
