If you watched the Washington Commanders in the preseason, specifically against the Kansas City Chiefs, you probably felt like it would be another long season for Washington’s defense.
That’s why you shouldn’t trust the preseason.
While Washington struggled defensively during the first two games, things turned around in Week 3 when third-year safety Kamren Curl returned to the lineup. Since then, Washington’s defense has ranked among the best in the NFL.
Obviously, the defensive line is a big reason for the Commanders’ defensive success. Defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne dominate opponents weekly, while defensive end Montez Sweat is quietly having an outstanding season.
The most overlooked aspect of Washington’s defensive improvement is the secondary — specifically a pair of second-year defensive backs.
Chris Harris, an eight-year NFL veteran, is in his third season as the Commanders defensive backs coach. Harris’s name is often mentioned around the NFL as a possible defensive coordinator candidate. Harris should be in line for a promotion in the offseason for his work with cornerback Benjamin St-Juste and safety Darrick Forrest.
After practice on Friday, Harris spoke to the media and discussed the growth of St-Juste and Forrest.
“I’ve seen guys that were really starting to get a grasp of just the game in general, and people tend to make their biggest jumps between their first and second years,” Harris said.
“When you come into the league, you’re still kind of green; you’re still learning. And then you see it for the first time that first season. So everything’s so fast your first year, and things tend to slow down for you going into that second year. You feel a little bit more comfortable. You’ve kind of seen some things. You don’t know everything, but you’ve seen some of these things. And so the game starts to slow down for you; you understand and learn how to study things you should be looking for. Because when you come into the NFL, you don’t know and it’s no fault of your own. You just don’t know. And so, they constantly been learning and we’ve been seeing really good growth out of both of those guys.”
Spoken like a true NFL veteran who has seen it as a player and a coach.
One area that dramatically improved the secondary was benching free-agent bust William Jackson III. Washington traded Jackson after his benching and St-Juste moved into his role on the outside. St-Juste often lines up against the opponent’s top receiver. St-Juste had some epic battles against Vikings star Justin Jefferson in Week 9, winning some and losing some.
Forrest’s improvement has been evident since Week 1. He started in place of Curl in Week 1 and was arguably Washington’s top defensive player. Forrest’s versatility allows him to play in the box or cover the deep middle of the field. The coaching staff used Forrest, Curl and veteran Bobby McCain together frequently and finally made Forrest a permanent starter at safety alongside Curl. The move allowed McCain to move to the slot, improving multiple positions at once.
Now, the Commanders have one of the top young safety duos in the league. Even more impressive is that Curl [seventh round] and Forrest [fifth round] were day-three picks.
Washington hopes to have St-Juste back for Week 15. He missed the last two games with an ankle injury.
As for Harris, you can bet the NFL is taking notice of his work with Washington’s young defensive backs.
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