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Daily Slop – 9 July 25 – Will the Commanders adopt more 3-4 principles in 2025?

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Could the Commanders adjust their defensive fronts this season?

The Commanders use a base 4-3 defense, but could they adopt more 3-4 principles in 2025?

I’ve been wondering if a potential scheme change could be on the cards. I don’t think it will necessarily be a huge scheme change, more of a package that they did use last year but one that could become much more of a staple for them this season. The Commanders are a base 4-3 team, meaning when they line up in a base defense, they have four defensive lineman and three linebackers on the field. But I’m wondering if head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. might be considering using more three-man fronts that look more like a 3-4 defense.

This was something I first wondered about last offseason when the team drafted Johnny Newton in the second round. Newton joined Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen as notable defensive tackles and I wondered if the Commanders might try and get all three on the field at once. They did do that at times last year, but that package was heavily restricted, first by Newton’s injuries that held him out during the offseason and then by Allen’s injury that kept him out for a good chunk of the season too.

So without being able to use all three of Allen, Newton and Payne for a good chunk of the season, the Commanders had to stick to their normal four-man fronts. But the run defense was really struggling, especially on the edge. That led to the Commanders trying out some different ideas to help sure up the edges, including using Daron Payne as a defensive end in those four-man fronts.

Against good rushing teams, the Commanders employed this tactic more frequently down the stretch, often using Jalyn Holmes at the other end spot too. Holmes is a bigger defensive end, listed at 6-foot-5, 283 pounds. That’s getting closer to undersized defensive tackle than defensive end type of size.

Here’s an example of Payne and Holmes playing the end spots against the Falcons, with Newton and Allen inside. Again, this is a four-man front but with three defensive tackles on the field, and the fourth defensive lineman is almost an undersized defensive tackle rather than a typical defensive end. Payne plays on the strong side of the offense, meaning he has to contend with both the left tackle and the tight end. But being a defensive tackle that is used to double teams from guards and centers, a double team from a tackle and tight end is light work for him.

At the snap of the ball, Payne is super aggressive with the tight end, driving him backwards to try and establish an edge. He successfully creates that edge, forcing Robinson to cut his run back inside. Bobby Wagner fills the lane inside but Payne also does a great job working across the tight end and left tackle to fill the lane himself and assist the tackle for a one-yard gain.

That is certainly one way the Commanders can get three of their defensive tackles on the field at the same time and be a bit more stout against the run; simply playing someone like Payne at defensive end instead. However, that significantly lowers your pass rush threat on the edge. Payne isn’t an edge rusher and lacks the pass rush ability to provide much of a threat off the edge there, so if a team spots him at defensive end, they could simply have a gameplan call built in to shift into a passing play to take advantage of that matchup. So what alternatives do the Commanders have? Well, they showed another variation last year too.

On this play against the Eagles, the Commanders are in their base defense with four defensive lineman and three linebackers on the field. Like we’ve seen with the plays above, Daron Payne is playing as a defensive end here with Holmes on the other side, enabling the Commanders to get three defensive tackles on the field in Payne, Newton and Carl Davis. But to avoid having Payne on the edge in any potential passing situation, the Commanders shift their front. Holmes and Newton line up as they would in the normal 4-3 front, but Davis and Payne shift inside. Davis aligns head up on the center, like a 3-4 nose tackle would, while Payne is more of a three-technique defensive tackle playing on the outside shoulder of the right guard.

With those two shifting inside slightly, the Commanders need to replace Payne on the edge. Fortunately, they have a very versatile linebacker in Frankie Luvu, who shifts down from his linebacker spot to play on the edge. With this shift, the Commanders defense is using their 4-3 base personnel, but the formation is much more like a 3-4 defense. In fact, the only real difference between this front and a 3-4 defense is that Holmes has his hand in the dirt as a defensive end, rather than standing up on the edge like Luvu does.

Before the ball is even snapped, this just looks a lot more secure against the run. When the play unfolds, you can see the outcome for yourself. The Eagles attempt a counter scheme to the right with the left guard pulling to kick out Luvu on the edge and the tight end following him to wrap around for the first second level defender he can find. But Luvu reads the run well and blows up the pulling guard, while Daron Payne beats the downblock from right tackle Lane Johnson. Between those two winning their blocks, the back has nowhere to go and eventually he’s wrapped up in the backfield by a pile of Commanders defenders.

That front resembled a 3-4 defense but with Holmes having his hand in the dirt instead of standing up. That’s more of a personnel thing. Holmes is a bigger defensive end that is trusted against the run in obvious running situations. The Commanders can be very flexible with this type of look due to the personnel they have.

Commanders.com

2025 opponent breakdown | Dallas Cowboys

  • Can the offensive line return to its former glory? There was a time when the Cowboys’ offensive line was considered the best in the NFL with Zack Martin at guard and Tyron Smith at left tackle. It is still a good group, but Smith left in 2024 and Martin retired. The Cowboys are hoping the draft picks they have made in recent years — tackle Tyler Guyton, center Cooper Beebe and guard Tyler Booker — will provide stability for the foreseeable future. There’s reason to believe in all three players; Beebe is a physical blocker who knows how to move in the interior; Guyton is raw but has traits that the Cowboys can develop; and Booker was one of the best offensive line prospects in the draft with good technique. There is confidence that the group will be good at some point, but the Cowboys might need to streamline that process.
  • Will Prescott have another strong season in 2025? It seems like Prescott puts up top five numbers about every other year. The trend started in 2019, when he passed for 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns. He only played five games in 2020 with an injury and went 2-3 in those starts. The next year, he hit a career-high in passing touchdowns and passed for 4,449 yards. That was followed by another disappointing performance in 2022, when he led the league in interceptions in 12 starts. The 2023 season was arguably his best, as he led the league in completions and passing touchdowns. And of course, there was last season, when he battled injuries and passed for just 1,978 yards. If we follow the trend, that means the 2025 season should be a good one for Prescott. He still has Lamb as his No. 1 receiver and a quality defense to get him the ball back. This isn’t a revolutionary take, but the Cowboys’ success hinges on Prescott. When he’s in form, the Cowboys can be a dangerous team and even a Super Bowl competitor. When he’s not, they’re a team that is simply fighting for a lower seed in the playoffs.
  • Who will be the starting running back? The Cowboys’ running back position has been in flux since Elliott was first released from the roster. Dowdle played well as their primary option and even rushed for 1,079 yards, but the team clearly believes they can do more at the position. There are currently three contenders for the spot on their roster — Sanders, Javonte Williams and Jaydon Blue. Sanders has failed to repeat his Pro Bowl performance in 2022 and rushed for 205 yards last season. Williams is younger and had more production in recent years but has yet to rush for 1,000 yards. Blue, who the Cowboys drafted in the fifth round, could be a name to watch in training camp. He had nearly 1,100 scrimmage yards in his last season with Texas, including 368 receiving yards. He is a smaller player but has versatility that could help open up Dallas’ offense. All three running backs will likely get time, but it will be interesting to see how the Cowboys solve what may be their biggest offensive question.
ESPN

Ranking NFL WR, TE, RB groups for 2025: Best and worst teams

13. Washington Commanders

2024 rank: 26 | 2023 rank: 21

The arrival of quarterback Jayden Daniels and coordinator Kliff Kingsbury leveled everyone up in Washington. Terry McLaurin, finally given a quarterback worthy of his talents, soared on a per-route basis; he finished 16th in yards per route run and nearly doubled his prior career high in touchdowns, racking up 13 before adding three more during the postseason. He didn’t set a career high in receiving yards by virtue of not getting the same target totals he saw at times in previous seasons, but he was at his efficient best with improved quarterback play.

Wideouts Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown exceeded expectations before leaving this offseason, while Noah Brown should return in a lesser role. The big addition at receiver is Deebo Samuel who averaged 110 scrimmage yards per game during his All-Pro season in 2021 and 64 scrimmage yards per contest across his five other seasons. He’s a true outlier in terms of generating yards after catch year after year, and he should fit well as part of all the screens the Commanders run, but he has also had consistent issues with fumbles, drops and injuries. Projecting a Samuel turnaround like the ones we saw for reclamation projects such as Zach Ertz and Austin Ekeler last season is more difficult considering he’s leaving an offense built by Kyle Shanahan.

Ertz and Ekeler are back, and Brian Robinson Jr. has developed into a reasonable between-the-tackles runner, but I want to see whether this team’s high 2024 draft picks develop. Second-round tight end Ben Sinnott and third-round wide receiver Luke McCaffrey were along for the ride as rookies, combining for 194 receiving yards during the regular season. The Commanders didn’t need to integrate them into the lineup when things were working, but it isn’t as if they were facing historically stiff competition beyond McLaurin, either. One (or preferably both) of the young guys breaking out would be a big help for Washington, with regards to both its roster construction and standing in these rankings.

NFL.com

Commanders unveil ‘Super Bowl Era’ alternate uniforms, helmet

The new Washington Commanders ownership continues to celebrate the past of a historic franchise, announcing Wednesday a “Super Bowl era” alternate throwback uniform that hails a glorious run in club’s history.

The uniforms are a blend of the new name and logo with the kits of their Super Bowl runs of the 1980s and 1990s. The team will wear the throwbacks for three standalone games in 2025: Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks on “Sunday Night Football,” Week 13 against the Denver Broncos (SNF) and Week 17 versus the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Day (Netflix).

“We are excited to celebrate Washington’s rich history with these iconic, Super Bowl Era uniforms this season,” Commanders team president Mark Clouse said via press release. “Ever since Josh Harris and our ownership group acquired the team back in 2023, they’ve placed great value in finding ways to connect the past and present and pay homage to those that made the Burgundy & Gold what it is today.”

Washington Post (paywall)

Commanders’ alternate uniforms take things back to the glory days

Building a bridge to the past has been a central theme to the Washington Commanders’ turnaround under owner Josh Harris. It will be strengthened further as the team introduces an alternate uniform this season that pays tribute to the franchise’s most successful years.

The “Super Bowl Era” alternates, as they’re billed, are near replicas of the ones worn by Washington during its trio of Super Bowl victories (XVII, XXII and XXVI), in the 1980s and early ’90s.

The NFL allows teams to change uniforms only once every five years, except in certain circumstances (an ownership change is one of them), and requires any proposed alterations to be submitted to the league for approval more than a year in advance of the season in which they wish to use them.

The alternates are added to the Commanders’ closet alongside their usual home-game uniforms with the burgundy jersey and pants; their road attire with the modern white jerseys and burgundy pants; their alternate all-black uniforms that were introduced as part of the team’s rebranding in 2022; and the gold pants Washington brought back last season after a six-year hiatus.

When asked whether the team plans to make the Super Bowl Era alternates the basis of another redesign, a person with knowledge of the Commanders’ thinking said the team will “continue to evaluate” its options.

Commanders.com

PHOTOS | Commanders unveil ‘Super Bowl Era’ alternate uniforms

Take a closer look at the Washington Commanders’ new alternate uniforms that honor the team’s most successful era.






Podcasts & videos

Beltway Football: Commanders new “Super Bowl” era uniforms are close to perfect

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Blogging the Boys

Dead money evaluation, Part II: How the Cowboys rank and how it impacts their ability to win games

We know the front offices of the Cowboys and Eagles operate quite differently. Howie Roseman is constantly dealing with heavy dead-money hits. He’s shown a strong willingness to hit the reset on any position group necessary, change up personnel, and deal with the financial consequences later. The Eagles have not been fazed by monstrous dead-money hits.

It should surprise no one that the Eagles have the largest dead money total over the last five years at a whopping $333 million. The Cowboys, on the other hand, are in the lower quadrant of NFL teams during this span, coming in just under $140 million. We can already feel your blood boiling as this information might suggest expensive dead-money charges show a willingness to take chances, while a more cautious approach, minimizing dead money, will get you nowhere. Is that true? Let’s examine.

Here are the dead money hits for all 32 teams over the last five years (figures courtesy of spotrac.com).

  • Red = the 10 highest dead-money hits for that year
  • Green = the 10 lowest dead-money hits for that year
  • Yellow = the 12 teams in between for that year

The Eagles are marching to the beat of their own drum with nearly $60 million more dead money than the next-highest team. They are regularly among the teams with the highest dead money hit each year. They are also the defending Super Bowl Champions. Not only are the huge dead money hits not holding them back, but they’re somehow flourishing in that environment. Should more teams be taking that approach? Is there any correlation between dead money and wins?

We’re glad you asked because that’s the main purpose of this two-part article. Let’s look at that table again, only this time let’s add a column to include each team’s win total (including playoffs) since 2021. With this information, the data looks like this


If we focus on the eight teams in the top quadrant and the eight teams in the bottom quadrant, something interesting is revealed.


Suddenly, the perception changes. The Eagles are a winning team, but they are an anomaly rather than a blueprint for success. Some really bad teams are in that top quadrant, including the worst team over the last five years, the Carolina Panthers.

Big Blue View

NFC East notebook: Big questions as training camp approaches

Washington Commanders

Daniels changes everything—but the defense must hold

Jayden Daniels didn’t just win Offensive Rookie of the Year, he flipped the identity of the franchise. Now, the Commanders are looking to build on a 12-win season with a retooled offensive line, a new weapon in Deebo Samuel, and a deeper secondary. But it’s the defense that could make or break them.

Washington’s run defense was one of the league’s worst in 2024, but after ranking 30th in yards allowed, GM Adam Peters made stopping the run a top priority this offseason. The Commanders are banking on a revamped front and a more cohesive scheme under Joe Whitt Jr. to give Daron Payne the support he lacked last year. In the secondary, Marshon Lattimore is back to full health and will be the anchor. Rookie Trey Amos could see early playing time if he impresses in camp.

Key losses: DT Jonathan Allen, WR Dyami Brown, S Jeremy Chinn, DE Dante Fowler Jr, T Cornelius Lucas, CB Benjamin St-Juste

Key additions: T Laremy Tunsil, DT Javon Kinlaw, S Will Harris, WR Deebo Samuel, CB Jonathan Jones, K Matt Gay, OLB Jake Martin, T Laremy Tunsil

Key draft picks: T Josh Conerly, CB Tre Amos, WR Jalin Lane

Position battle to watch: CB2

Tariq Castro-Fields and Amos are both getting early reps behind Lattimore.

[Bill Horgan: Tariq Castro-Fields plays for the Eagles, not the Commanders]

Discussion topics

Pro Football Focus

2025 NFL secondary rankings: Ravens and Chiefs take the top spots

8. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles falling to eighth on this list might raise eyebrows, especially after the secondary’s dominant Super Bowl performance. But they lost Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency and are looking to replace them with cornerback Adoree’ Jackson and rookie safety Andrew Mukuba. While Vic Fangio is a defensive wizard, expecting Philadelphia to immediately get plug-and-play production at the level of their predecessors is a tall order. Still, a unit returning Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean — both phenomenal as rookies — will be tough to throw against.

24. New York Giants

The Giants’ two highest-graded secondary players in 2024 were rookies: cornerback Andru Phillips and safety Tyler Nubin. To bolster a secondary that has struggled for several years, the team signed safety Jevon Holland and cornerback Paulson Adebo this offseason. If the young players continue to develop and the new additions maintain their strong play, this unit could emerge as a surprise in 2025.

28. Washington Commanders

The Commanders’ secondary was one of the NFL’s worst in 2024, yet the team still came within one win of a Super Bowl appearance. To address the unit, they added safety Will Harris and cornerback Jonathan Jones in free agency and selected cornerback Trey Amos in the second round of the draft. Rookie play is often volatile, and both veterans are coming off down years in PFF’s advanced coverage metrics. If Marshon Lattimore can return to form and Noah Igbinoghene replicates his tight coverage skills, Washington’s secondary could be a surprise unit in 2025.

31. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys’ secondary looked like a strength just two years ago, but injuries, coaching changes and key departures have depleted the unit’s depth. Cornerback DaRon Bland followed his record-setting 2023 season with a difficult 2024 campaign after returning from injury. Trevon Diggs has been unable to replicate his 11-interception season from 2021, totaling just eight picks since while missing significant time due to injuries. While there is still talent in this group, the prime years of these players may already be behind them unless an infusion of youth provides a spark.

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