Category: Latest Washington News

Commanders’ Joe Whitt stresses the most important thing for his defense

Washington’s defensive coordinator has one primary focus.

The Washington Commanders run defense is simply not good enough.

Though the Commanders are currently in the number seven playoff spot with a 7-4 record, that is an area from which defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. is not backing away from facing it.

In fact, when asked Thursday at his weekly press conference, Whitt called the run defense “the main thing that we have to do.”

“Well, the main thing that we have to do, the two things that we have to do on defense to get to where we want to be in December, January football, February hopefully, it’s we gotta stop the run. Like that’s the number one thing that we have to do. Not shying away from it.”

Whitt then elaborated that coaches have even been discussing how to improve their run defense. In their last game, the Commanders surrendered 228 rushing yards on 40 Eagle carries.

In fact, the Commanders have surrendered the most rushing yards in the NFL through 11 weeks. It is worth remembering that the Commanders have yet to have a bye week. Consequently, they have played one more game than many NFL teams right now.

Unfortunately, that stat is confirmed by the fact the Commanders are second worst in the NFL yielding 5.0 yards per rushing attempt. They are also giving up the third-highest rushing yards per game: 150.5 yards per contest.

“We looked at the process over these last couple days of, ‘Alright, how can we be better with it?’ What do we need to do from a coaching standpoint, player standpoint, from a practice? How we’re implementing the techniques, just back to the basics because you can’t give up, I think we’re at what, 150 yards a game? You can’t do that and think that you’re going to win in December football. That’s just not how it happen.”

The Commanders face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, one of the NFL’s worst rushing offenses.

Commanders DC Joe Whitt credits Ryan Kerrigan

Ryan Kerrigan earns praise from from DC Joe Whitt.

Ryan Kerrigan is one of the greatest players in the 90-plus-year history of the Washington NFL franchise. A first-round pick in the 2011 NFL draft, Kerrigan played 10 seasons in the burgundy and gold before former coach Ron Rivera foolishly allowed Kerrigan to play his final season elsewhere.

Kerrigan set the franchise record for sacks with 95.5, and after playing the 2021 season with the Philadelphia Eagles, he returned to Washington to retire, where he immediately jumped into coaching.

In 2022, Kerrigan was named the Commanders’ new assistant defensive line coach, a role he held for two seasons until Rivera was fired after the 2023 season. New head Dan Quinn kept Kerrigan, naming him the new assistant linebackers coach/pass rush specialist.

Earlier this season, head coach Dan Quinn praised Kerrigan for his work with former first-round pick Jamin Davis. While Davis was ultimately released after changing positions, coaches were impressed with the work and time Kerrigan spent with Davis to learn a new position.

As it turns out, Davis isn’t the only player Kerrigan has helped this season.

Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. praised Kerrigan for his work with veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. Fowler leads the Commanders with 8.5 sacks, and the 10-year veteran is on pace to set a new career-high in sacks.

“The past couple years, his sack numbers haven’t been as high,” Whitt said of Fowler. “He’s won, he’s beat the tackle, he just hasn’t controlled and finished on the quarterback. And I give all that credit to Ryan Kerrigan. He’s done just a heck of a job taking Dante, and once you get past the tackle, control to the quarterback and finish. That’s really what he’s worked with him for a long time and it’s showing. And then the production that Dante’s having. So, that’s all Ryan right there.”

That’s high praise for the beloved Kerrigan. Consider that Fowler has been with Quinn for years, dating back to when he was a college player at Florida. He’s been with Whitt since 2020. They know him well and recognize that it was Kerrigan who helped Fowler take another step in his career at 30 years old.

Some coaches make it in the coaching world because of their name and who they know. Kerrigan isn’t the type to rest on his name. After a terrific playing career, the future is even brighter for the 36-year-old Kerrigan in the next phase of his football career.

 

Cowboys’ Micah Parsons reveals he and Dan Quinn still text one another

Cowboys LB Micah Parsons says he and Commanders coach Dan Quinn still communicate.

Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons has made it clear how much he loves and respects Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn.

When Quinn took over as Washington’s head coach earlier this year, Parsons had many positive things to say about the only defensive coordinator he had known in his first three NFL seasons.

“Super happy for him, not because he went to a rival, just because, like I said, Q is like a big uncle to me,” Parsons said of Quinn back in February. “I know how much this means for him, and I know the stuff he wanted to take. He stayed with me as long as he could, but I know any team out there is lucky to have him.”

Quinn is enjoying his time in Washington. The Commanders are 7-4 and firmly in the NFC playoff mix. Washington’s turnaround is the most impressive of the 2024 season so far.

Things aren’t going so well for the Cowboys in the post-Quinn era. Dallas has one of the NFL’s worst defenses and sits at 3-7 on the season. On Sunday, Parsons will face off against Quinn for the first time.

So, do Quinn and Parsons remain in touch now that they are on rival teams?

You bet. Parsons revealed that he and Quinn text “every few weeks.”

“More frequently recently. Maybe he’s trying to get in my head a little bit,” Parsons said via Todd Archer of ESPN. “But, nah, he actually helped me get tickets to the game too for my family. That goes to show you what type of coach DQ is and type of players’ coach he is regardless of where you’re at, whether you’re playing for him and things like that. He’s always about his guys. And that’s my guy. So, it’s going to be fun playing against him. I know he’s going to have them rallied up. He’s probably going to say, ‘It’s Shark Week. It’s fight night. We got to go to Round 12. We got to knock them out. Rivalry game.’ I know his whole spiel.”

You can bet Quinn and Parsons will share a moment before and after the game. They remain close. Parsons isn’t the only Dallas player who misses Quinn, but it’s all about business on Sunday.

The Cowboys are on a five-game losing streak, while the Commanders have lost two in a row. Washington enters Week 12 as a big favorite.

Commanders vs. Cowboys injury report: Latest updates, news for Thursday

The second injury report for Week 12 is out and the Cowboys had six players out.

The Washington Commanders returned to practice Thursday in preparation for the Dallas Cowboys. Cornerback Marshon Lattimore continues to miss practice, but there were positive developments regarding Lattimore.

According to John Keim of ESPN, Lattimore “did a lot of work on the side. CB movements, tracking the ball, cutting to defend a pass. Was about 3/4 speed when we were watching.”

This is a positive development, considering it’s the most work Lattimore has done since his arrival three weeks ago. Whether he plays on Sunday against Dallas or not, he appears to be trending in the right direction.

Now, for the rest of the injury report — it remains ugly for the Cowboys, but let’s begin with the Commanders.

Here is the Commanders’ complete injury report for Thursday:

Did not participate: CB Marshon Lattimore (hamstring), DE Clelin Ferrell (knee), CB Michael Davis (NIR/personal)

Limited participants: K Austin Seibert (right hip),  CB Noah Igbinoghene (thumb), LB Nick Bellore (knee), OLB Dante Fowler Jr. (hip)

Full participants: DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste (ankle), LB Jordan Magee (elbow), T Brandon Coleman (thumb), DE Dorance Armstrong (knee), TE Ben Sinnott (illness)

Here is the Cowboys’ injury report for Thursday:

Did not participate: TE Jake Ferguson (concussion), G Zack Martin (ankle, shoulder), G Tyler Smith (ankle, knee), LB Nick Vigil (foot), WR CeeDee Lamb (back, foot), S Markquese Bell (shoulder)

Limited participants: WR Brandin Cooks (knee),  DE Marshawn Kneeland (knee), CB Jourdan Lewis (neck), FB Hunter Luepke (calf), CB Trevon Diggs (groin, knee)

Full participants: CB DaRon Bland (foot), T Chuma Edoga (toe), T Tyler Guyton (shoulder), LB Eric Kendricks (shoulder)

Kliff Kingsbury offers hilariously sarcastic way for Commanders to avoid 2nd-half slump

Kliff Kingsbury’s got jokes.

For the first half of this season, the Washington Commanders were breaking offensive records. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels looked like the next NFL superstar but over the last few weeks, the offense hasn’t been as dominant.

There are reasons. Daniels suffered a rib injury in the Week 7 win over Carolina, missed some critical practice time, and has been less sharp in recent weeks. The Commanders have also played a more difficult schedule, facing two of the NFL’s top defenses in the past two games.

Others believe Washington’s recent offensive slowdown is due to teams figuring out offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. In his history at Texas Tech and with the Arizona Cardinals, some of Kingsbury’s teams haven’t been as effective in the second half of seasons.

Context is required, though. Kingsbury’s teams sometimes had terrible defenses or injuries, particularly at quarterback. Regardless, there is a bit of a trend.

Kingsbury met with the media on Thursday and was asked about those trends. He said he has no plans to break those trends, and he’d need to see “what years” the offensive declines occurred.

He then offered a solution.

“I was thinking about doing triple option,” Kingsbury said. “We’re going to do what we do.”

We think Kingsbury was joking, but no offensive coordinator in the NFL has been more creative this season. In looking at Washington’s offense the past few weeks, Kingsbury’s schemes and play-calling have not been the problem. It’s been the execution.

Don’t be surprised if the Commanders run the triple option on a play or two this week, either.

 

 

 

Commanders HC Dan Quinn is fired up for Washington-Dallas week

It’s Dallas week. Dan Quinn is fired up.

Dan Quinn remembers well when the Cowboys and Redskins were a big deal.

Quinn was born in 1970 and raised in New Jersey. He has said on more than one occasion that he grew up watching the NFC East.

He recalls the Giants’ Bill Parcells’s two Super Bowl teams, the Cowboys coached by Tom Landry, the Eagles by Buddy Ryan, and the Redskins by Joe Gibbs.

Regarding the Week 12 match-up this week of the Cowboys coming to Washington, Quinn wasn’t shy Wednesday with the media, saying, “For me and for the guys, man, it’s like, Washington-Dallas Week, let’s get down.”

Whether Quinn watched, in particular, the Cowboys at Redskins 1982 championship game, I don’t know. But the fact he referred to this week as “Washington-Dallas Week” reveals in itself that Quinn does have a knowledge of the rivalry and what it was 40 years ago.

The Cowboys won two Super Bowls in the 70s with QB Roger Staubach at quarterback and the “Doomsday defense.”  QB Danny White never had a Doomsday defense when he led the team to three consecutive NFC Championship games before losing all three, the last to the Redskins in 1982.

The Redskins won the NFC East three consecutive seasons (1982-84), and went to four Super Bowls under Gibbs (1981-92) winning three, along the way winning and losing some big games to the Cowboys.

Quinn was asked Wednesday what the game means for the former Cowboys and his message to them.

“I haven’t talked to them much different about that. You probably know from now, I don’t make one [game] too often bigger than another. I just think they’re all really important and we absolutely go after it as hard as we can.”

But of course, Quinn is more than aware that NFL divisional rivals are more intense regular season games.

 

Dan Quinn: ‘Former Cowboys have been effective Commanders’

Multiple former Cowboys are helping turn around the Commanders in 2024.

When Dan Quinn came to Washington, he knew he needed help on the line of scrimmage.

Sunday, in a Week 12 contest, the Dallas Cowboys (3-7) come to town to face the Washington Commanders (7-4).

Quinn was asked by the media on Wednesday why he wanted to sign former Cowboys such as C Tyler Biadasz, DE Dorance Armstrong, and LB Dante Fowler.

“Yeah, I think the line of scrimmage is a big deal and I saw firsthand with Tyler, and Dorance and Dante and what they could do and how they could affect the game,” Quinn said.

Quinn continued that he also saw maturity in those players, which he felt could be an asset in explaining to other players Quinn’s reasoning for some things he wants.

“I knew having some people along those lines to maybe look around the corners as I was just getting started. ‘What Dan’s trying to say here might be X, Y, or Z.’”

Having worked in practice against WR Noah Brown during the 2021 and 2022 seasons for the Cowboys, Quinn wanted him when the Texans released him on their last cuts to their 53-man roster. The Commanders certainly needed a receiver with size.

“Then, the addition of Noah, as well, was somebody that although we didn’t spend years together, I did get a sense of what the worker was, the competitor was. And he really just wanted a chance to compete, and that’s something that he knew he would get the opportunity with us here, saying that was going to be kinda the central theme of what we were going to do. So, that’s kinda the backstory there.”

Consequently, some former Cowboys will lead this Commanders team in its preparation to face the Cowboys Sunday at Northwest Stadium in Landover.

 

Commanders DE Dorance Armstrong weighs in on Cowboys’ struggles

What does Commanders DE — and former Dallas Cowboy — Dorance Armstrong think of his former team’s struggles?

Defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr. spent the first six seasons of his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. A fourth-round pick from Kansas in the 2018 NFL draft, Armstrong played his final three seasons in Dallas for Dan Quinn.

When Quinn departed Dallas to take the head coaching position with the Washington Commanders, Armstrong saw an opportunity and followed him. It’s been a good move for Quinn and Armstrong. Washington is 7-4, led the NFC East for much of the season, and remains firmly in the playoff mix.

This Sunday, Armstrong faces his former team for the first time. Things aren’t going so well in Dallas, as the Cowboys hold a 3-7 record and have lost five consecutive games.

What does Armstrong think about seeing the Cowboys from the other side?

“Obviously, when you play the team you came from, you have a more…..more urgency or something, I don’t know what it is about that, but that’s what it is right now for me,” Armstrong said.

With so many former Cowboys on Washington’s current roster, including Armstrong, Dante Fowler Jr., Tyler Biadasz and Noah Brown, they see the Cowboys’ current struggles.

So, has Armstrong paid attention to Dallas’ current struggles?

“Me, personally, yeah, I watch here and there,” Armstrong said. “Most of them are still my guys, for real, but I watch ’em; I see what’s going on.”

Armstrong was then asked what his thoughts were on the 2024 Cowboys.

“It’s not good, I’ll just say that,” Armstrong said with a smile.

Dallas allowed several players to depart in the offseason, some of whom followed Quinn to Washington. Each of those former Cowboys has played a pivotal role in the Commanders’ impressive turnaround.

 

NFL analyst says Commanders should bench Benjamin St-Juste

NFL analyst weighs in on Washington’s cornerbacks once Marshon Lattimore is healthy.

What changes will the Commanders make in the lineup when Marshon Lattimore begins to play again?

Lattimore is currently recovering from an injured hamstring. He has returned to individual sideline work but has yet to be full-speed with the team in practice.

The Commanders began this 2024 season with Benjamin St-Juste and Emmanuel Forbes as the outside corners, and rookie Mike Sainristil held down the slot corner role.

Sainristil has been forced outside due to Forbes’ lack of development. The rookie from Michigan has continued to make progress playing outside. There is enough progress in the mind of one NFL analyst, who expressed his opinion Wednesday.

Mark Bullock, an NFL analyst who once wrote for the Washington Post, was a guest on the “Al Galdi Podcast” on Wednesday. At one point, Bullock strongly suggested what the Commanders should do when Lattimore enters the Washington starting lineup.

“I think I would leave him (Sainristil) outside right now. Because you see the improvement, and in the Eagles game, he was very good. I don’t think long term I would leave him outside. I would leave him out there to continue improving.”

Bullock pointed out that Lattimore would be the top team’s outside corner and would leave Sainristil on the outside and play Noah Igbinoghene inside in the slot.

“He (Igbinoghene) is holding up well enough in coverage, I would leave him there and put St-Juste to the bench.”

Igbinoghene has started seven games this season and played last season under Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt in Dallas.

St-Juste was drafted in the third round by Washington in the 2021 draft. He has 48 career games at corner and has started all 11 games this season at outside corner for the Commanders.

Meanwhile, Forbes continues to disappoint the staff, is not getting playing time, and may end up being another round-one bust pick by former head coach and general manager Ron Rivera. Michael Davis appears to have passed Forbes on the depth chart, getting defensive snaps against the Eagles.

Rivera missed on Chase Young (2020), Jamin Davis (2021), Jahan Dotson (2022) and now possibly on Forbes (2023) as well.

Commanders receive positive injury news ahead of Week 12

The Commanders could get some defensive help back in time for Week 12.

The Washington Commanders could receive some pass-rush help ahead of their Week 12 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

On Wednesday, Washington opened the 21-day practice window for rookie defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste. Jean-Baptiste was placed on injured reserve after the Week 6 game at Baltimore and missed the last five games. Before his ankle injury, Jean-Baptiste had played in every game, recording 14 tackles, including one for loss, one sack, four pressures, and two QB hits. Jean-Baptiste did this in a part-time role, playing in 36% of Washington’s defensive snaps.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Baptiste showed promise throughout the summer and early this season, giving the Commanders positive contributions from the bench.

The 21-day practice window means Washington has 21 days to either activate Jean-Baptiste to the 53-man roster or place him on season-ending IR.

Dante Fowler Jr. leads Washington with 8.5 sacks, with linebacker Frankie Luvu right behind with seven. Dorance Armstrong is next with three sacks.

Jean-Baptiste participated fully in Wednesday’s practice, which is a positive sign that he’ll be activated in time for Sunday’s game against the Cowboys. The Commanders will need to make a roster move to accommodate Jean-Baptiste.