Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. became an instant fan favorite during his introductory press conference back in February. Whitt’s motto is simple: He wants his players to arrive violently.
Since then, we hadn’t heard from Whitt until Wednesday. In discussing his defense during the final week of OTAs, Whitt wasn’t interested in saying who was starting where. It’s all about depth.
“We don’t have 11 starters,” Whitt said. “You’re going to put this down, so don’t ask me who’s starting here. We have 17 to 18 guys. We’re going to go out there, we’re going to roll a deep crew and go out there and whoop people. We don’t have 11 guys, we have many personnel groups, and now can they own those positions when we put them in there? When that comes, don’t ask me about who’s starting, please.
"We don't have 11 starters…. we have 17-18 guys, we're going to go out there, we're gonna roll a deep crew and go out and there and whoop people."
–#Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt@JPFinlayNBCS @Gio_Delfa @nbcwashington #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/sYYfDXsGLO
— NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) June 5, 2024
Whitt is no-nonsense and fiery. He’s exactly what this defense needs. He isn’t going to play favorites. He will not play guys because of draft status or contract status. The best players will play.
It’s a new time indeed.