The Washington Commanders defense was supposed to be a team strength in 2023. In addition to bringing virtually everyone back and adding Emmanuel Forbes (first round) and Quan Martin (second round), the Commanders have arguably been the NFL’s worst defense in 2023.
Washington’s struggles led the franchise to trade defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat before the NFL trade deadline. The Commanders didn’t want to trade Sweat, but the value (high second-round pick) proved too valuable to resist. Then, after Washington’s 45-10 loss to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, head coach Ron Rivera fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and secondary coach Brent Vieselmeyer.
For Rivera, the timing couldn’t have been worse. He took over as Washington’s defensive play-caller the week before the Commanders hosted the Miami Dolphins — the NFL’s most explosive team.
As expected, Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill had a huge day vs. Washington, catching five passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Hill could’ve had a lot more, but Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel took his foot off the gas in the second half.
Hill had touchdown receptions of 78 and 60 yards, highlighting the Commanders’ inability to limit explosive plays. Here’s this stat from Next Gen Stats, showing Washington’s struggles against vertical routes.
Tyreek Hill has gained 918 yards on vertical routes this season, 414 more than the next closest player.
The Commanders have allowed 19 touchdowns on vertical routes this season, 8 more than any other defense.#MIAvsWAS | #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/XBY4r0uhWy
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 3, 2023
The Commanders have allowed 19 touchdowns on vertical routes this season — eight more than any other team — EIGHT more.
Why is Washington’s secondary so bad? There are several reasons. No team has as many communication breakdowns in the back end as the Commanders. Anytime there is a big play, Washington looks lost and clueless, with players looking at one another, unsure of their individual responsibilities on the play.
One conclusion to draw is the Commanders lost secondary coach Chris Harris in the offseason. Harris left for a job with Tennessee, and Washington replaced him with Vieselmeyer. The Commanders clearly took multiple steps back.
Is it a coaching issue or a talent issue?
It’s both, although we’ll lean more toward the coaching side. This is largely the same group from last season, and they are much worse.
You can probably expect the coaching and talent issue to be fixed beginning in January.