Tag: Efe Obada

Commanders midseason grades: Defensive line

Washington’s defensive line deserves an “A” so far in 2022.

The Commanders defensive line has certainly been the leading group through the first nine weeks of the 2022 season.

Defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne are “taking care of business” leading the defense.

Allen is third in the NFL through nine weeks in tackles for a loss (11). Payne is right on Allen’s heels, only trailing by one with 10.  Defensive end Montez Sweat has contributed 6 tackles for loss in these first 9 games of the season.

Payne lead the team with 5.5 QB sacks, with Allen second, with 4.5 sacks. Sweat is second only in QB hits (19) to the 49ers Nick Bosa (20). Payne has provided plenty of QB hits (13) coming from the inside. Allen continues to bring heat as well with 11 QB hits.

What may really surprise readers is that reserve defensive end James Smith-Williams has contributed 12 QB hits, and this in only 8 games, having played on 55.2 percent of defensive snaps. Efe Obada another reserve lineman, has contributed 7 QB hits.

The run defense has been solid, now ranking No. 2 in the NFL per Football Outsiders DVOA metric. For instance, Dalvin Cook, one of the more elusive runners in the NFL was held Sunday by the Commanders to a mere 47 yards in 17 carries (2.8). The Vikings were No. 4 in rushing offense per Football Outsiders DVOA.

And Washington is expected to get defensive Chase Young back — as soon as this week.

Grade: A

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Montez Sweat credited with zero pressures in Week 3 loss vs. Eagles

The Commanders need more from Montez Sweat.

Remember in the summer of 2021 when Washington defensive end Montez Sweat predicted he and Chase Young would break the NFL sack record for a season by teammates?

That feels so long ago, but each week that passes without Sweat getting to the opposing passer and bringing them down, that comment comes back to mind.

In the ugly Week 3 loss to the Eagles, Sweat was credited with zero pressures on Jalen Hurts, according to Pro Football Focus. Per PFF, Sweat had 15 pass-rushing snaps and did not register one pressure. Sweat did not record a quarterback hit, either. For the season, Sweat has zero sacks after three games.

Look, we know sacks aren’t everything, but pressures and QB hits tell a bigger story. Sweat isn’t getting close. On more than one occasion Sunday, Sweat would rush the passer too wide against the offensive tackle, leading Hurts to step up and Sweat to run himself out of the play.

This is what we saw from Chase Young at times last season. It’s almost as if the speed rush isn’t working; Sweat lacks a countermove. Now, in fairness to Sweat, he had a terrific game in Week 1, although he didn’t record a sack. He was impactful. And with 21 sacks through his first three seasons, we know Sweat can wreak havoc.

A popular pick for a breakout player in 2022, Sweat’s combination of size, power and speed sets him apart from most. Somehow, some way, the Commanders need Sweat to start getting to the quarterback more frequently.

The defense needs help, and defensive tackles Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen are doing their part. Sweat raising his game would do a lot for Washington’s struggling secondary.

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Commanders make a pair of roster moves Tuesday

The Commanders added another defensive tackle Tuesday, this time to the practice squad.

Losing defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis Sunday has resulted in two more transactions Tuesday by the Washington Commanders.

Washington signed DT Benning Potoa’e to the practice squad. To make room for Potoa’e, Washington released S Ferrod Gardner from the practice squad.

Mathis was the Commanders’ second-round draft choice in April’s draft. A former member of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Mathis was excited to be drafted by Washington and to learn from Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.

Mathis went down Sunday on the first play of Jacksonville’s second possession, having torn his meniscus and, after an MRI Monday, was ruled out for the remainder of the 2022 season.

Losing Mathis so early in the contest, inside tackles Payne and Allen were in on 55 and 54 defensive snaps respectively. Daniel Wise (6-3,279) played on 30 defensive snaps inside, and the Commanders were forced to use Efe Obada (6-6, 265) inside as well.

The Commanders brass fully aware they need more size have now obtained Potoa’e (6-3, 290) Tuesday and Donovan Jeter (6-3, 325) Monday. Potoa’e played his college ball at the University of Washington. He appeared in one game for Tampa Bay in 2020 and then again in 2021. Jeter went undrafted out of Michigan, was signed by the Steelers, and played in all three preseason games before being cut.

Gardner (age 25) at 6’1”, 215 pounds, played linebacker at Louisiana. The Commanders were hoping to develop him as a strong safety. Perhaps with the size, they were hoping to see if he could develop into a Buffalo nickel role such as Landon Collins did in 2021.

 

Ron Rivera likes the Commanders depth at defensive end

Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio like Washington’s defensive end depth.

The Washington Commanders arguably have the NFL’s most talented defensive line. Defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat, combined with defensive tackles Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Phidarian Mathis, give Washington an outstanding tor group.

However, with Young still recovering from knee surgery, there were concerns about Washington’s youthful depth at defensive end this offseason. It led the Commanders to sign veteran Efe Obada to serve in a backup role for 2022.

But what about some of Washington’s young pass rushers?

Head coach Ron Rivera spoke to the media Wednesday and offered high praise for some of the Commanders’ young pass rushers.

“[William] Bradley King has done a really nice job,” Rivera said of the second-year defensive end. “He’s a heavy-handed guy that’s physical.”

Bradley-King has been consistent throughout training camp and flashed multiple times in last week’s preseason opener. Rivera also praised Bunmi Rotimi and Shaka Toney. Toney, along with Bradley-King, were fellow seventh-round picks in 2021.

“You look at Shaka [Toney], Shaka is a situation pass-rusher type,” Rivera said. “Very explosive off the ball. We saw that in the game. He was getting around the corner and dipping stuff like that. So, we got a mix of young guys.”

Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio also spoke on some of Washington’s defensive ends, naming James Smith-Williams and Casey Toohill.

“I think James Smith-Williams is the first guy that comes to my mind,” Del Rio said. “He is running with the ones. I think he is a guy that is rugged. He has played a little bit inside and has moved outside full-time. He is doing a great job with it. Really happy with him.”

We know Young is out for at least Week 1. Perhaps he will miss a few games. Washington certainly isn’t going to rush his return. So the extra reps for players like Smith-Williams, Toohill, Bradley-King and Toney are critical in the preseason.

It’s clear that Commanders’ coaches believe in some of the young players and Obada, regardless of how long they must wait on Young. That’s something the Commanders were less confident about one year ago.

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Commanders sign defensive end Efe Obada

Efe Obada brings experienced depth to Washington behind Chase Young and Montez Sweat — and that’s a good thing.

Stop if you’ve heard this before: the Washington Commanders signed a former Carolina Panther. The Charlotte-to-Washington connection added a new name Wednesday when the Commanders signed defensive end Efe Obada.

Obada spent the 2021 season as a backup defensive end with the Buffalo Bills, where he played in 10 games, recording 12 tackles, 3.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound Obada is an outstanding depth signing for Washington, Carolina jokes aside.

The 29-year-old Obada entered the NFL in 2018 with the Panthers, where he spent the first three seasons of his career. Obada played in 42 games in those three seasons, finishing with 50 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hits, and one interception.

Obada was born in Nigeria and lived in England. He became the first NFL player from the International Player Pathway Program to make a 53-man roster with the Panthers in 2018. As fans know, current Washington tight end Sammis Reyes arrived with the Commanders in 2021 as a part of the same program.

I like this move for the Commanders. An area of concern last season was Washington’s depth. Once Chase Young and Montez Sweat went down with injuries, the Commanders had to rely on rookies and second-year players. Obada brings experienced depth to Washington if Young or Sweat would miss any time and would likely be used each week as part of a rotation to keep the pass rushers fresh.

Buffalo Bills’ 7 most important free agents in 2022

The #Bills have some important free agents that need addressing:

The Buffalo Bills have a grand total of 17 pending free agents of different varieties heading into the offseason. The team’s front office led by general manager Brandon Beane must now shift into free agency mode. What do the Bills do with their own?

Buffalo has to decide if, in the end, they let players walk or get them to sign on the dotted line to come back.

Naturally, as things go, some of these players are much bigger pieces of the puzzle than others.

With that, here are the Bills’ seven most important pending free agents in 2022:

Bills’ Efe Obada makes his mark against former team and QB Cam Newton

#Bills’ Efe Obada makes his mark against former team and QB Cam Newton:

Bills DE Efe Obada took the road less traveled to the NFL.

Born in Nigeria and raised in the UK, he joined the Bills on a one-year deal this past offseason.

Obada first made his way into the league by way of the International Pathway Program, playing for the London Warriors before making the leap across the pond to spend the first few years of his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers. 

While there, he had a chance during practice to get some reps going after QB Cam Newton before he joined New England, and would go on to log 5.5 sacks in gameplay last season for Carolina.

This past Sunday he had the opportunity to go full throttle after Newton, and it was one he made the most of.

Obada had two of the Bills four sacks of Newton sacks in their 31-14 over his former team. After the game, he spoke about what the experience was like.

“When I was playing with him, he used to have that red jersey, so that was the quickest ride to go home if you hit him,” Obada said while addressing the media. “But no, it just felt really good to hit him now. I asked for his jersey, so I’m putting that out here now, so I can hold him accountable.”

The DE’s pair of sacks came only one play a part on in the fourth quarter. On 2nd-and-10, he wrapped up Newton for an eight-yard loss. Then when Carolina went for it on 4th-and-10 from the Buffalo 46, Obada got him again for a second time and another eight-yard loss.

“Just trying to do my job, beat my guy,” he continued. “Came around the edge on the second one. The first one, just hit the B gap, and he was right there, just still holding the ball. Just great effort from my coverage, and just allowed me to get there.”

Bills DT Harrison Phillips shared the post-game press conference podium with Obada and began patting him on the back at the end of that answer.

“Winning one-on-ones is what he did,” added Phillips.

Prior to Sunday’s contest, Obada had 1.5 sacks while playing in 20% of Buffalo’s defensive snaps over eight games this season.

His two takedowns of Newton stood out to head coach Sean McDermott who spoke after the game about how important getting those sacks were.

“Efe, he made a lot of big-time plays. A couple of big-time sacks when we needed it most,” McDermott said during his post-game press conference. Credit to him, and coach did a good job putting guys in the position.”

The four total sacks by Buffalo were the most they’ve notched since racking up six in their Week 2 win against Miami. And Obada’s two came when the Bills needed it most on Sunday.

“Especially one in a big moment of the game there when we needed it,” McDermott continued. “That four-man rush, getting that four-man rush going, it’s important for us.”

Safety Jordan Poyer was cheering the DE on as they passed one another while Obada left the podium and he stepped in for his own press availability.

“Sack man, sack man! Yeah, that’s him!” Poyer shouted.

“Extremely great teammate, great player,” Poyer said to the media. “And he just comes to work every day and does his job, so it’s exciting to see him get back-to-back plays, two sacks, so extremely happy for him.”

“Feels good, man,” Obada added. “Stay humble, get focused, get back on the mission. But it felt good. Just grateful for the opportunity to be out here.”

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Bills understand opportunity with rematch vs. Patriots on deck

#Bills understand opportunity with rematch vs. #Patriots on deck:

On Saturday, the Indianapolis Colts gave the Buffalo Bills an early Christmas gift. They took down the New England Patriots in prime time.

The loss knocked the Patriots down the 9-5 and opened the door for the Bills in the division.

While there are a few scenarios that would crown the Bills AFC East champs, the simplest version is this: Win your final four games.

The Bills did their part on Sunday, defeating the Carolina Panthers 31-14, improving to 8-6.

It just so happens that the Bills now play the Patriots next, in a game that is essentially for the division. Despite focusing on the task at hand following their win over Carolina, Bills players were well aware of the situation.

“A lot guys watched the game last night,” Bills defensive tackle, Harrison Phillips told reporters after the game. “We saw the advantage of getting up early… making them one-dimensional.”

“Even though we have some momentum, we know what that loss [to the Patriots] felt like,” Phillips continued.

Bills defensive end Efe Obada, who has a career-high two sacks vs. the Panthers shared the same sentiment.

“That loss is still fresh in our minds,” Obada said.

While the Bills defensive linemen seemed open to discussing the meaning of the Patriots game, the Bills secondary appeared to not want to add any fuel to a fire.

“Hey, we knew coming into this game we had to go out there and we had to win,” Bills safety Micah Hyde said during his postgame press conference in regards to the Patriots losing on Saturday. “Last night, really… I mean… I guess in the standings it’s something, but we were so focused on this game that we just wanted to come out here and win today.”

The Bills other safety in Jordan Poyer was asked if the Bills had any advantage having just gone up against the Patriots a couple of weeks prior.

“We’re excited to play. We’re excited to play them,” Poyer said very matter of fact.

When pressed further about the Patriots game, Poyer said, “I was getting ready to play this game today… Gotta win next week.”

In a final attempt by the media, both safeties were asked point blank if they watched the game.

“I love you, man,” Poyer said with a smile. “But we’re not answering that question.”

Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who played on Sunday after being questionable following his foot sprain vs. Tampa Bay, put things into proper perspective.

“We’re just trying to find ways to win games and we did today,” Allen said. “Again, we’re gonna need that going forward. We all know who we have next week, it’s no secret. But, we’ll get onto them tomorrow and enjoy this one.”

Allen acknowledged that the Bills have to keep winning, not only to have a shot at the division, but just to make the playoffs. “From here on out, I talked about it earlier, every game from here on out is a playoff game and we’ve gotta treat it as such. That’s the way we’re gonna treat it and go forward with it, but ya… I’m proud of our guys for how they played today.”

As became a common theme Sunday afternoon, Allen was pushed to give his thoughts on the Patriots loss Saturday night.

“I watched a little bit of it. Little passed my bedtime,” Allen told the media. “It’s a week to week league. It’s the NFL. You know, gives us an opportunity and we understand that, so our next ones our most important one.

While it is fun to discuss the significance next Sunday’s game vs. the Patriots has on the season, as is usually the case, it is the head coaches job to keep things in check.

“We’ve gotta keep it about us… this will be a game,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said about Sunday’s showdown vs. New England. “They came in here and beat us last week, or two weeks ago, whatever it’s been, so obviously we have some adjusting to do and we’ve gotta have a good week of preparation.”

When asked how exactly they go about doing that, after just having lost to Belichick and the Pats two weeks earlier, McDermott said it was all about being prepared.

“I just think we gotta stay on task,” McDermott continued. “Keep our focus on where it needs to be and we’ve got a lot of things to correct from today’s game. You guys saw that. I think that’s the start and you gotta start somewhere. That’s where we gotta start this week.”

The Bills have had plenty of chances this season to take control of the division and have been unable to do so time and time again. The fact of the matter though is they now control their own destiny and can get one step closer to that goal with a win in Foxborough in Week 16.

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Report card: Bills pounce Panthers, 31-14

Report card: #Bills pounce #Panthers, 31-14 (via @NateMendolson):

All good ties between the Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers came to a halt for four hours on Sunday. The Bills, with a lineup full of former Panthers, defeated the current iteration of the Carolina team, 31-14.

The Bills (8-6) are back in the win column after consecutive losses.

Here’s how Bills Wire graded their performance against the Panthers (5-9):

Instant analysis: Bills return to winning ways vs. Panthers

Instant analysis: #Bills return to winning ways vs. #Panthers in convincing fashion (via @jdiloro):

The Buffalo Bills returned to the win column, defeating the Carolina Panthers 31-14 during Week 15 NFL action.

The victory keeps the Bills in the driver’s seat for a Wild Card spot, and it allows Buffalo to remain within shouting distance of top of the AFC East.

Buffalo’s offense put up 30-plus points in a game in which they didn’t have their best performance. It wasn’t seamless, but there were several things to like about Sunday’s game for the Bills (8-6).

Gabriel Davis has moved closer to solidifying his name as the team’s No. 2 wideout.

Davis led the Bills with five receptions and 85 receiving yards. The second-year receiver reeled in two touchdown receptions.

With Emmanual Sanders inactive for the contest, it was Davis who made the most of his opportunity:

It was also promising that running back Devin Singletary looked competent in the backfield.

There’s been some grumbling about the inefficiency of the running backs for the Bills. Singletary took on RB1-type touches this week, rushing 22 times for 86 rushing yards and one touchdown rush.

The workload on Singletary benefited quarterback Josh Allen, as the signal-caller didn’t have to take a beating on designed runs:

Carolina’s offense was far from a juggernaut. Still, the Bills defensive unit tightened their grip on the Panthers offense as the game continued.

The front-four put a great deal of pressure on Carolina quarterback Cam Newton. Buffalo sacked Newton four times and recorded six quarterback hits.

Defensive lineman Efe Obada has his best game in a Bills uniform, gaining an advantage around the edge easily and recording two sacks. Corner Taron Johnson and tackle Star Lotulelei also added sacks.

The Bills defense knew they were facing a team that lacked several serviceable elements. With Carolina rusher Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve, the best option for the Panthers would not be in uniform.

The Bills defense forced Newton into several difficult situations. With Newton’s declining arm strength and accuracy, it was a feast for Buffalo’s defense.

Carolina could only muster 124 net passing yards.

Cornerback Dane Jackson tied for the team lead with seven tackles. As a unit, Buffalo’s defense recorded eight passes defended and  seven tackles for loss.

The Bills completed their dominance with an interception late in the fourth quarter, as linebacker AJ Klein received a gift from Newton.

The game was not seamless for the Bills. The offensive line still had some struggles.

Allen faced quite a bit of pressure when he dropped back. Singletary had to make some things happen with his shiftiness when holes did not open in the run game. Spencer Brown was forced to play left tackle with the Dion Dawkins landing on the Reserve/COVID list this weekend. Brown was flagged five times, including a taunting penalty that forced Sean McDermott’s hand to put Brown on the sidelines.

In the end, it’s a solid victory for the Bills. It was a slow burn, as the offense took a little time to get rolling along. Buffalo’s defense only gave up 275 total yards on the afternoon.

Buffalo travels to New England next Sunday. It’s a game that will most likely determine the AFC East crown, as the Bills are one game back of the Patriots.

The Patriots struggled Saturday night against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. It’s going to be a big week of preparations for both teams, as the Bills-Patriots clash will be the game of the week for the NFL.

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