“A Below Average Defense”: PFF Writer Believes That the Washington Commanders Defense Has Not Lived Up To Standards Over the Last 20 NFL Seasons

Over the last 20 years, the Washington Commanders have had a lot of leaky holes on the defensive side of the football. Washington made it to the NFC Championship Game during the 2024 NFL season, but the offense led the way for them. The Commanders went 5-12 last season, and the defense was once again horrendous. It was one of the reasons why Washington decided to draft linebacker Sonny Styles from the Ohio State Buckeyes with the seventh overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Jan 18, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. (6) celebrates a recovered fumble with defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93) during the first quarter against Detroit Lions in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn ImagesMaybe Styles could become a franchise great for the Commanders down the road, but there are some other players in the past who were good defensive players despite some of the weaknesses on this team. Washington has won some NFC East titles within the last 20 years, but they haven’t much postseason success other than the 2024 NFL season.

PFF Writer Believes That the Washington Commanders Defense Has Not Lived Up to Standards Over the Last 20 NFL SeasonsOct 6, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu (4) and Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93) celebrate after a sack of Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (not pictured) during the second quarter at NorthWest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesProfootballfocus.com writer Nathan Jahnke wrote about who the best Washington defensive players have been over the last 20 seasons. The defensive line is Jonathan Allen, Chris Baker, and Daron Payne. The edge rushers are Ryan Kerigan and Montez Sweat. London Flecther and Bobby Wagner are the linebackers. DeAngelo Hall, Quinton Dunbar, and Kendall Fuller are the cornerbacks and LaRon Landry and Kam Curl are the starting safeties. Despite some of that talent for Washington, it isn’t as good of a unit as some other NFL teams have over the last 20 seasons.

Jahnke said,

“Washington has spent most of the past decade with a below-average defense, though there have been a few notable exceptions. The team has had several strong defensive players over the past 20 years, but most either didn’t play together or didn’t peak at the same time.

>Ryan Kerrigan and DeAngelo Hall lead the defense after spending more than a decade with the franchise. The two biggest names on this unit are linebackers London Fletcher and Bobby Wagner. Both joined Washington in their 30s and still found success despite being among the league’s oldest linebackers during their tenures.”

The Commanders have been by far the weakest team in the NFC East when it comes to talent on paper over the last 20 seasons. Washington won the NFC East in 2020 with a 7-9 record also.

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