Over the previous four seasons, the Washington Commanders allowed numerous big plays. After every game, players and coaches would say the communication must improve.
This continued throughout Ron Rivera’s tenure as head, and the secondary communication never improved. You could change the players, but the results remained the same.
Early this season, it looked like Washington may have similar issues again in 2024, even under a respected head coach (Dan Quinn) and defensive staff. But this version of the Commanders is different. The defense has improved, and young players continue to improve while veterans do their jobs.
While former first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes didn’t pan out, general manager Adam Peters went out before the NFL trade deadline, adding Marshon Lattimore — a four-time Pro Bowl cornerback.
On Sunday, Lattimore makes his Washington debut, coincidentally, against his former team, the New Orleans Saints.
On Thursday, defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. spoke to the media and was asked if adding a new starter in the secondary would impact Washington’s communication.
Whitt liked the question, understanding it’s always a valid concern, at least initially. Remember, the Commanders have the NFL’s No. 5-ranked pass defense.
“That’s a really good question,” Whitt said. “That’s where the issue, not issue, but the stress point might be because, like I said before here, you basically play the same techniques throughout the league. It is three matches, it’s cover three, it’s quarters, it’s palms. Now, once you get into your reduction calls or your checks, okay, understanding what certain checks might mean to me, you know. We might have a check that, let’s use Marshon for example, that the same word might’ve meant something else for him in New Orleans, alright? And then, in the heat of the battle, when he hears that word, what is he going to think? Those are the things that I’m trying to make sure that we’re on the same page with.”
Whitt expressed complete confidence in Lattimore.
“The man is, he’s a smart football player now,” Whitt continued. “I’ve been really, really pleased with his intelligence and the way that he communicates in the meeting room with the other players. But just making sure that, especially our reduction calls and our push calls, he has a firm understanding of it and not just him, just the whole secondary. But he is the new addition, but he’s extremely smart, man.”
Washington’s secondary looks much different than it did in Week 1. A healthy Lattimore on Sunday means Washington will have Lattimore and rookie Mike Sainristil as its top two cornerbacks, with Noah Igbinoghene and Benjamin St-Juste in the mix.
The good news for the Commanders is their safety pairing, Quan Martin and Jeremy Chinn, have been excellent communicators throughout the season.
