"It's been a disappointing season for the Washington Commanders so far. And arguably, the biggest frustration lies within a unit that was supposed to be a significant strength heading into the campaign. In 2023, the Commanders' defense was so atrocious that head coach Ron Rivera felt the need to fire defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio during the season. And specifically, the pass defense was so bad that defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer was let go at the same time."
"Of course, there was some scapegoating in the firings. It was Rivera who had looked at both Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Christian Gonzalez and selected the wrong guy. It was Rivera who decided to build his linebacking unit around Jamin Davis. It was Rivera who invested heavily in Benjamin St-Juste. None of those players worked out in Washington. The Commanders' back seven in that fateful season consisted of Davis and Cody Barton at linebacker."
"Whereas that 2023 squad was dead last in total passing yards and touchdown percentage, this year's club is merely in the bottom 10. This year's below-average interception rate is slightly better than the 2023 unit, which was in the bottom three. But the current incarnation is obliterating the 2023 squad in yards per attempt. This year's secondary is dead last in the league."
The Commanders' defense performed so poorly in 2023 that head coach Ron Rivera fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer during the season. Rivera's personnel choices, including selecting between Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Christian Gonzalez, building around Jamin Davis at linebacker, and investing in Benjamin St-Juste, failed to produce positive results. The 2023 back seven included Davis, Cody Barton, St-Juste, Kendall Fuller, Forbes/Quan Martin, Kamren Curl and Percy Butler. The 2025 pass defense has collapsed again, sitting in the bottom 10 overall and dead last in yards per attempt at 8.4, the worst since 2020.
Read at Riggo's Rag
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