Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio clearly wants more turnovers in 2023. It’s a big reason why Del Rio was so excited to draft cornerback Emmanuel Forbes in the first round of April’s draft.
By any metric you trust last season, whether it’s traditional statistics or advanced stats, Washington’s defense was ranked in the top 10. Washington’s defense was terrific outside of forcing turnovers, especially on third downs.
In speaking to the media after Wednesday’s practice, Del Rio was clear that he wanted to see his group improve in two areas. One was turnovers. The other was to start fast.
The Commanders have been plagued by slow starts in recent years on offense and defense, and the team never recovers. Del Rio wants that to change.
“Big focus, two things, start fast,” Del Rio said. “We wanna make sure we’re doing that. Start the season fast, start series’ fast, start the games fast, so that’s the number one emphasis.”
What prevented Washington’s defense from starting fast in recent seasons?
“You gotta be sharp, “Del Rio answered. “You gotta be on top of it. No mental mistakes. Physically have yourself trained and ready to go. It’s all the details that we’re working on. It’s like when you’re talking about athletes preparing for a season; there’s just a certain level of focus that we have kind of kicked in after experiencing some things early and then growing. Well, we’ve done that; now it’s time to start fast, and that’s gonna be a rallying cry for us for this season.”
Del Rio also touched on turnovers.
“Since I’ve been here, we’ve been mostly in the top five or so in the league as far as stopping people from gaining yards,” he said. “Third down, last year was really good. Those are important things that continue to do well, but we need to generate more turnovers for the health of the team. Another turnover here or there in several of the ball games could make the difference between four or five wins or not.”
Del Rio is right. For a team that plays many close games, a turnover could make the difference between a heartbreaking loss or a big-time win. How many Washington games last season could’ve been flipped if the defense forced more turnovers?
If we look back at three Washington wins [at Philly, at Houston, and the season finale vs. Dallas], turnovers played a huge role in the Commanders’ wins. There just wasn’t enough of them. A turnover could aid a struggling offense with terrific field position, or, as cornerback Kendall Fuller did twice last season, a touchdown on defense is even better.
Washington’s defense should force more turnovers in 2023. Defensive end Chase Young could make a huge difference up front. Then you add in Forbes, an interception machine, Washington’s ability to force turnovers looks much better this season.