There were a lot of questions about the 2022 Washington Commanders defense. For a unit that struggled last season, many were concerned about Washington’s lack of moves in the offseason to improve the unit.
For head coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, it was all about the young players already on the roster taking another step forward.
Del Rio has continued to praise his young players during his weekly press conferences and on Thursday spoke specifically about several.
On defensive end Montez Sweat.
“I think like a lot of our guys, I think he’s putting in the work every day,” Del Rio said. “He’s been really effective getting a lot of pressure. Playing I think as good as anybody in the league on the edge against the run. He’s been really close on a lot of opportunities or situations where he’s getting pressures, and they could easily become sacks, and the numbers could jump, and then everybody is talking about how great he is doing. I think the effort, the energy, the commitment, all those things are what we’re looking for and when you do that over time, the numbers come.”
Del Rio has maintained all along the numbers would come for Sweat if he continued to play at a high level.
Safety Kam Curl is a player Del Rio always raves about.
“Well, I think he’s just continued to improve, maturing,” Del Rio said of Curl. “He’s always been real heady, real intelligent, and he’s a good player for us and so happy to see it. We use him in a lot of different positions, a lot of different roles, and he’s able to handle that. Part of that is because he is bright and so he’s been an important piece for us.”
Second-year cornerback Benjamin St-Juste has been a breakout player for the Commanders recently, but he’s been called for critical pass interference penalties in each of the last two games. Both calls could have gone either way, but Del Rio doesn’t want St-Juste to change a thing.
“No, I like what he’s doing. I like how he’s doing it,” the defensive coordinator said of St-Juste. “I want him to continue to challenge and play the way he has. I think he’s playing outstanding football for us.”
Safety Darrick Forrest is another breakout player for the Commanders, and along with Curl, two of the top-ranked safeties according to Pro Football Focus.
“I think Darrick has shown he’s got a nose for the ball,” Del Rio said. “He’s a physical guy. He’ll come down and really lay the wood. He’s active in the back end, so he’s played well for us.”
Of course, Del Rio was also asked about defensive end Chase Young.
“Working hard,” Del Rio said. “He’s working at it. So to me, the story there is when will he be back? And the answer is when he is ready. He’s working hard and we’ll put him out there when we think he’s ready to be productive and protect himself.”
That’s the right answer. The Commanders have played it safe with Young’s recovery and are not going to take any chances now.
But it’s expected that Young will make his season debut on Sunday against the Texans.