Midway through last season, the Washington Commanders made a big decision regarding the future of their defense. Washington traded former first-round picks, edge rushers Montez Sweat and Chase Young, for Day 2 picks in the 2024 NFL draft.
The moves were made for different reasons. The Commanders were never paying Young. Washington loved Sweat but realized a top-40 overall pick was too good to pass up. Sweat was excellent for the Commanders over the years, but he was never dominant. He did look dominant at times with the Bears in the second half of last season.
Washington’s path forward was to sign some veterans to short-term deals, develop some of the in-house edge rushers, and reevaluate after next season. Dorance Armstrong signed a three-year deal after spending the past three seasons with head coach Dan Quinn in Dallas. Clelin Ferrell and Dante Fowler Jr. signed one-year deals. Both former first-round picks have ties to someone in Washington.
The Commanders also bring back a pair of second-year pass-rushers, K.J. Henry and Andre Jones Jr.
In ESPN’s Mike Clay’s 2024 projections, he doesn’t see big things for this group. Where did Washington rank among the top 32? Let’s find out.