Are the Commanders offensively or defensively geared?
No NFL team had more turnover this offseason than the Washington Commanders. It began in the front office with new general manager Adam Peters to the sidelines with new head coach Dan Quinn and his staff.
In free agency, the Commanders added over 20 new players and chose to re-sign a few of their own free agents. Through the NFL draft and undrafted free agents, Washington added an additional 20 players.
Quinn is a defensive-minded head coach, so he focused on building a strong offensive staff led by offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Additionally, Quinn hired former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson to serve as assistant head coach/offensive pass game coordinator. In all, the Commanders have four former quarterbacks on staff.
While Quinn will oversee the defense, he hired Joe Whitt Jr. to be his coordinator. Whitt will call the plays and run a similar defensive scheme to what they ran in Dallas the past three seasons.
So, what about the roster? Is it offensive-heavy or defensive-heavy?
CBS Sports recently reviewed all 32 NFL rosters to see which teams relied more on offense or defense or were more balanced. The Commanders were one of nine teams in the “evenly balanced” category.
They’ve got a lot of splashy new faces on offense (e.g. Jayden Daniels, Austin Ekeler), but Dan Quinn may put even more focus on tightening up the revamped “D.”
Let’s be clear, CBS isn’t saying the Commanders will be a playoff team because they’re more balanced in terms of resources. It is more about showing that Peters focused on upgrading both sides of the ball evenly this offseason.
As for the rest of the NFL, only six terms were defensively geared, while 11 teams were offensively geared and five were the “total package.” The Chiefs, 49ers, Ravens, Texans and Jets were in the latter category. Yes — the Jets.
Peters used free agency to improve depth and raise the floor for the 2024 season. The draft was all about bringing in the best available talent. Peters’ strategy is why the Commanders have been given glowing reviews for this offseason.
