Tag: K.J. Henry

Commanders to host Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker on top 30 visit

The Commanders will host a raw but talented pass rusher next week.

The Washington Commanders are using several of their 30 pre-draft visits on specific positions, such as offensive tackle and defensive end. Outside of Penn State’s Chop Robinson, none of the edge rushers the Commanders are bringing to Ashburn ahead of the 2024 NFL draft are considered potential first-round picks.

Washington general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn are bringing in players with high-quality athletic traits on visits. The latest is Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker.

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Booker will visit Washington next week.

After beginning his college career at Minnesota, Booker transferred to Kansas. In his one season with the Jayhawks, the 6-foot-4 1/2, 240-pound Booker played in 12 games with one start and finished with 56 tackles, including 12 for loss and eight sacks. He was named first-team All-Big 12 Conference and was the Big 12 top newcomer.

There was some buzz around Booker entering the NFL combine, where he ran a disappointing 4.79 seconds in the 40-yard dash. The good thing for Booker is teams love his film. He plays much faster than his speedwatch time. However, his lack of overall snaps may concern some. He is extremely raw and could be a boom-or-bust pick.

The Commanders signed Dante Fowler Jr., Dorance Armstrong and Clelin Ferrell this offseason, and re-signed veteran Efe Obada. Washington returns second-year players K.J. Henry and Andre Jones Jr.

Booker is expected to go sometime in the second or, most likely. the third round. The Commanders currently have three third-round picks.

Commanders agree to terms with 49ers defensive end Clelin Ferrell

More depth to the defensive end room for the Commanders.

The Washington Commanders added more depth to the defensive end rotation Tuesday morning by agreeing to terms with 49ers defensive end Clelin Ferrell.

Ferrell, 26, was the Las Vegas Raiders’ No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft out of Clemson. He played four seasons with the Raiders, appearing in 58 games with 30 starts and recording 105 tackles, 15 for loss, and 10 sacks.

The Raiders declined Ferrell’s fifth-year option, making him a free agent last offseason. He signed with San Francisco, where he started all 17 games. Ferrell played in a rotation for the 49ers and finished with 28 tackles, including six for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Ferrell is Washington’s seventh expected signing and second defensive end, following Dorance Armstrong (Cowboys). A Richmond native, Ferrell played for Washington defensive line coach Darryl Tapp with the 49ers last season.

He will likely play in a rotation for Washington. Ferrell and Armstrong join second-year defensive ends K.J. Henry and Andre Jones Jr. as the defensive ends on the Commanders’ roster.

Washington will still likely search for a high-upside edge rusher in next month’s 2024 NFL draft.

Commanders DE K.J. Henry recruiting one of the NFL’s top pass rushers to Washington

Commanders DE trying to recruit one of the NFL’s best to Washington.

After trading away Montez Sweat and Chase Young at the NFL trade deadline in October, outside of one game, the Washington Commanders failed to apply pressure on opposing passers throughout the second half of the season.

Young and Sweat’s departures did allow younger players, such as rookie K.J. Henry and Andre Jones Jr., to receive significant reps last season. Henry, a fifth-round pick from Clemson, had some impressive moments. He appeared in 10 games, making three starts. He finished his rookie season with 19 tackles, including four loss and 1.5 sacks.

But while Henry looks to have a nice future in Washington, the Commanders need some help to apply pressure on opposing passers under new coach Dan Quinn.

The good news for Washington is there is some depth at edge rusher in free agency. The two top pass rushers, Josh Allen (Jaguars) and Brian Burns (Panthers), are expected to be franchise tagged. Both will cost a lot, but the Commanders have the cap room — if one becomes available.

Carolina has been trying to come to an agreement with Burns on an extension but stopped contract talks at the NFL combine as the two sides remain far apart.

Henry, knowing the Commanders need some additional help in getting after the quarterback, is looking to recruit Burns to Washington.

Burns never acknowledged Henry’s tweet, which is not a surprise. There’s a good chance Burns becomes available this offseason but via trade. It’s doubtful Washington GM Adam Peters parts with multiple draft picks for a veteran player who he still must sign to a top-of-the-market deal.

Burns would solve several problems for the Commanders, though.

Grading each rookie from the Commanders’ 2023 draft class

We grade Washington’s 2023 NFL draft after one season. The early returns, well, they aren’t good.

The Washington Commanders finished the 2023 season with a 4-13 record. Head coach Ron Rivera was fired after four consecutive non-winning seasons.

The 2023 was a disaster from start to finish. Sure, there were some cool moments in September, but Washington’s flaws were evident beginning in Week 1.

The 2023 NFL draft class’s lack of production was a big reason for Washington’s struggles. First-round pick Emmanuel Forbes’ performance reflected the team’s season.

How did each of the Commanders’ seven picks grade out?

We grade Washington’s 2023 NFL draft class.

Commanders DE K.J. Henry named an early 2024 breakout player

Can K.J. Henry lock down one of Washington’s starting defensive end spots in 2024?

The Washington Commanders have some holes to fill in 2024. The good news for incoming general manager Adam Peters is the Commanders have plenty of salary cap room and some premium draft picks to fill those holes.

While much of the offseason talk surrounding Washington will be on the quarterback position, the Commanders need plenty of help on defense. Washington was terrible defensively in 2023, and the new coaching staff will need to find some pass-rush help.

Perhaps some of that help is already on the roster. K.J. Henry was a fifth-round pick from Clemson in 2023. When the Commanders traded Montez Sweat and Chase Young at the NFL trade deadline in October, Henry’s role increased.

Overall, Henry would play in 10 games as a rookie, including making three starts. He finished his first season with 19 tackles, including four for loss, 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hits.

Could Henry contend for a starting position in 2024?

Pro Football Focus recently named one early breakout candidate for next season, and Henry was that player for Washington.

The Commanders traded away Chase Young and Montez Sweat mid-season, and they are slated to lose both Casey Toohill and James Smith-Williams to free agency, leaving a once stellar edge group rather barren. Henry — a fifth-round pick out of Clemson — will be one of the remaining names this offseason and while he didn’t get a ton of opportunity as a rookie, his final year at Clemson was encouraging, where he posted an 84.0 pass-rush grade, 53 pressures and five sacks. Henry could be called upon to play a much larger role in 2024 for the Commanders.

Peters will address the defensive end position likely in free agency and the NFL draft. How much will he invest in the position? The Commanders will look very different next season but Henry should be a part of Washington’s defensive end rotation.

Jonathan Allen named three Commanders having a good season

Allen believes Sam Howell is just going through the growing pains of a young quarterback learning on the job.

“We could make excuses, but we are just not a good defense right now.”

That’s how Jonathan Allen making his weekly appearance on the “Sports Junkies” of 106.7 The Fan, described the Washington Commanders defense, after giving up some more explosive plays that led to Washington’s 28-20 loss Sunday to the Los Angeles Rams.

When asked about the offense having too many short possessions, forcing the defense to go right back out there on the field, Allen wasn’t taking the bait. He responded, “It is a huge factor; but there have been a lot of times we (the defense) haven’t held up our end of the bargain. There have been times the offense has done their job, and it’s been the defense who hasn’t done our job.”

When asked about how Ron Rivera might be calling the Commanders defense differently than former coordinator Jack Del Rio, Allen responded, “I definitely feel like we have been more aggressive, blitzing our linebackers more.”

Allen didn’t hesitate when asked if there were some guys on the Commanders defense who were playing well. He, without hesitation, declared that safety Kam Curl and rookie defensive end K.J. Henry are both playing well right now.

When asked about offensive players having a good season, Allen quickly supplied the name right guard Sam Cosmi. You may recall that Cosmi was a tackle before moving inside this season.

Regarding Sam Howell’s benching for Jacoby Brissett Sunday against the Rams, Allen expressed, “Sam, being a young quarterback, is going to have growing pains. He is going to have to experience things and struggle to learn.” Allen also stated he is not surprised Jacoby Brissett made some good plays Sunday, citing his experience and years in the NFL.

 

Commanders DE K.J. Henry a bright spot coming out of Week 11

One positive from last week: The play of rookie DE K.J. Henry.

When you lose to a team you were favored to beat by two scores, there aren’t a lot of good things to discuss. That’s true for the Washington Commanders, who fell to the New York Giants 31-19 in Week 11. Washington turned the ball over six times in defeat despite nine sacks.

Speaking of those nine sacks, rookie defensive end K.J. Henry played a career-high 37 snaps and took advantage of the opportunity. Henry finished with four tackles, including one for loss and 1.5 sacks. Henry also defended two passes. Pro Football Focus credited him with three QB pressures and gave him a 78.3 overall grade for his performance.

Henry was one of PFF’s top rookies from Week 11, finishing with the seventh-highest grade of the week.

Henry’s play also earned the praise of head coach Ron Rivera.

“I mean, if you really want to talk about some guys that played well yesterday, got to give kudos to K.J. Henry,” Rivera said Monday. “He got an opportunity to come out. He played very well. He rushed the passer; he played the run, did a couple [of] real smart things, things that really stood out to us as coaches, and just really thought, here’s a young guy that’s taken advantage of his chances to get on the football field and play.”

Henry has a massive opportunity in front of him over the final six games. With Washington’s sudden lack of depth at defensive end after trading Chase Young and Montez Sweat, he could play himself into a permanent starting role next season with a strong finish.

 

LOOK: Sam Howell loses bet, shows up in Clemson hoodie

Sam Howell lost a bet.

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell played quarterback for the North Carolina Tar Heels for three seasons. Howell has made no secret of his love for UNC — and his hatred of Duke.

However, while Duke is North Carolina’s top rival, specifically on the hardwood, the Clemson Tigers represent the team the Tar Heels aspire to be on the football field.

Clemson has dominated the Tar Heels, winning 40 of their 59 matchups. The two ACC rivals played over the weekend, with the Tigers again coming out on top — their sixth straight victory over Carolina.

Unfortunately for Howell, the loss proved costly. Not monetarily, but Howell’s pride took a hit when he showed up for his weekly presser donning an Orange Clemson hoodie.

 

Howell, who lost a bet, presumably to rookie DE K.J. Henry, explained the pain of wearing those colors:

“Um, well, notice the fact that I have these colors on. A lot, a lot of pain,” Howell said. 

Henry took to X after the presser to express his approval.

 

Commanders PFF grades: Best and worst performers vs. Giants in Week 11

Which Commanders performed the best in Sunday’s embarrassing loss? Which ones struggled? The grades are in.

The Washington Commanders dropped to 4-7 after Sunday’s 31-19 loss to the New York Giants. The numbers weren’t pretty. Washington was the first team since 1984 to have nine sacks — and lose by double digits.

How is that possible? The Commanders turned the ball over six times. Amazingly, Washington still had an opportunity to win the game on its final possession, but quarterback Sam Howell had his final pass attempt intercepted and returned for a touchdown.

It was a fitting end to a disastrous day for the Commanders.

Pro Football Focus wasn’t too kind to Washington’s offense as expected. Which players actually performed well?

What about the defense?

It’s time to review PFF’s best and worst from Washington’s Week 11 game against New York.

Commanders make roster moves after Efe Obada’s injury

Obada underwent surgery and was placed on season-ending IR. The Commanders signed some depth from the Bears practice squad.

On Sunday’s first series of Washington’s Week 11 game vs. the New York Giants, veteran defensive end Efe Obada went down with a leg injury. Players immediately knew it was, and the entire team surrounded Obada.

It was later revealed that Obada suffered a fractured leg. Head coach Ron Rivera offered an update Monday, saying Obada underwent surgery on Sunday night and was being placed on season-ending injured reserve.

According to Ben Standig of The Athletic, Obada suffered multiple lower leg fractures. Obada is not only excellent in his role, he’s one of the most beloved players on Washington’s roster.

As everyone knows, the Commanders must replace Obada’s spot on the roster. Washington was once deep at defensive end, but after the trades of Chase Young and Montez Sweat and the injuries suffered by Obada and James Smith-Williams, it was essentially Casey Toohill and a pair of rookies, Andre Jones Jr. and K.J. Henry.

Henry had an excellent game on Sunday against the Giants.

On Monday, after placing Obada on IR, the Commanders signed pass rusher Jalen Harris off the Chicago Bears practice squad.

Who is Harris?

An undrafted rookie from Arizona, the 6-foot-4, 257-pound Harris had five tackles and 1.5 sacks in the preseason for the Bears. Harris played 56 games for Arizona with 25 career starts. He finished his college career with 173 tackles, including 25.5 for loss and 13.5 sacks.

The Commanders also waived safety Troy Apke from IR.