NFL
By: Ryan Cooley
*All stats/grades are via PFF
There are high expectations for the Commanders defense in 2023. Six of their eleven projected starters will be first-round picks. After a rocky start in 2022, the defense ended the season as arguably a top-five unit. This season they will get Chase Young back while adding to the secondary with their first and second-round pick. On paper, they should be a dominant defense. However, football is not played on paper.
Here are three questions for Washington’s defense in 2023.
Can Forbes Play at a DROY Level?
Emmanuel Forbes was not a popular pick at 16. One reason being Oregon’s Chrisitan Gonzalez was still on the board. In the cornerback rankings, both Gonzalez and Maryland’s Deonte Banks were frequently ranked higher than Forbes. Clearly, Washington did not have them higher than Forbes.
Forbes has the physical tools to be a high-end corner. At 6’1, he ran a 4.35 forty, jumped 37.5’’ on the vertical, and has a 79’’ wingspan. He was a ballhawk at Mississippi State, picking off 13 passes in his career. According to SI’s Albert Breer, Forbes “immediately turned heads” at rookie minicamp.
Washington knows what they have in Kendall Fuller. Having a reliable CB on the opposite side of him would be huge for their secondary. They have struggled to find this the past few seasons. St. Juste flashed last year but was too inconsistent. He has also missed 15 games the past two seasons due to injury. He’ll likely compete with Martin for the slot corner position.
Will Chase Young Get Back on Track?
After being selected 2nd overall in 2020, Chase Young won Defensive Rookie of the Year, recording 6 sacks on 42 pressures. His 87.1 overall grade ranked 5th highest among all edge rushers. While some of his stats may not have been out of this world, he had many game-changing plays. His strip sack on Wentz in week one, making a stop on 4th and goal against Pittsburgh, and his fumble recovery returned for a TD vs the 49ers to name a few. Many believed he would take the next step in 2021 and cement himself as one of the league’s best defensive players. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
Young only managed two sacks through 8 ½ games before tearing his ACL. He wasn’t able to come back until week 16 of this past season. While many have given up on Chase Young, I still believe he can be a high-end player. He has been one of the best edge rushers against the run since he entered the league. If he can improve as a pass rusher, he will be one of the most well-rounded players at his position.
Does Jamin Davis Take Another Step in His Development?
Davis was a surprise pick at 19 in 2021. He needed serious development after starting only one year at Kentucky. His rookie campaign wasn’t pretty. Davis’ 46.8 grade ranked 71st out of 94 linebackers. His run defense, tackling, and coverage grades were all in the 40s as well. In summary, he needed serious improvement in every facet of his game.
Luckily Davis did just that in 2022. His overall grade improved to 62.1. His run defense grade leaped from 48.6 to 66.1. He nearly cut his missed tackle rate in half from 14.3% to only 7.3%. His number of pressures also doubled from 6 to 13 while having practically the same amount of pass rush snaps.
While Jamin played much better in 2022, there is still room for improvement. It is not good enough for him to be just an average linebacker. They selected him 19th overall to be a great linebacker. Luckily, he has all the physical tools to be that.
