Commanders Free Agent Fits: Interior Defensive Line

Taking a look at some interior defensive lineman that the Washington Commanders could potentially target in free agency

My last free agency preview post is going to focus on interior defensive lineman. With Daron Payne staying alongside Javon Kinlaw and Johnny Newton, interior defensive line might not necessarily appear like a big need for the Commanders. However, we’re anticipating new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones is likely to switch the Commanders to a 3-4 base defense, like the system he was just part of in Minnesota. In the Vikings 3-4 defense, those defensive lineman are primarily tasked with being stout against the run, enabling the defense to stop the run while still keeping two safeties back deep to help prevent explosive passing plays.

To do that, the defense will need more than just Payne, Kinlaw and Newton. They’ll need a group of at least five, if not six defensive lineman to fill out the depth chart and give them a strong rotation at all three interior defensive line spots. Now, the profile of those positions is a little different. There’s a difference between a 3-4 nose tackle and a 3-4 defensive end, but in this scheme, the priority for these defensive lineman is likely to be stopping the run, as the pass rush will come from blitzes and schemed pressures.

So what free agents could interest the Commanders? It’s not a spectacular class of free agent defensive lineman this year, but when you’re not necessarily looking for an outstanding pass rusher and more looking for stout run defenders, there are still some good options that can fit those types of profiles.

Good Value: Sebastian Joseph-Day, Titans, 30

Joseph-Day is defensive lineman with a link to the Commanders coaching staff. New defensive line coach Eric Henderson coached Joseph-Day for three years with the Rams from 2019-2021. Joseph-Day is an interesting profile as he’s so versatile. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, 310 pounds and can play up and down the line, including on the edge.

On this play, Joseph-Day is effectively playing as a 4-3 defensive end, despite being over 300 pounds. He shifts out to the edge, outside of Patriots rookie left tackle Will Campbell. The Patriots look to run a zone scheme right at him, hoping they can get a bigger, slower body moving horizontally to create a cutback lane, but Joseph-Day quickly dismisses that idea. At the snap, Joseph-Day works straight up the field and gets his hands inside on the chest of the left tackle. With that leverage, he’s able to get under Campbell and direct his momentum upwards, stacking him up and setting a firm edge.

Joseph-Day extends his arms and locks them out, holding Campbell away from his body and maintaining his position on the edge. He’s showing he’s there on the edge to try and force the run to cut back inside, which is his role here, but he also is giving himself the ability to work back inside if the back makes a cut. The back tries to go inside but he’s met with another defensive lineman, so instead he looks to bounce it, trying to use his speed to beat Joseph-Day to the edge. That doesn’t work though, as Joseph-Day quickly sheds Campbell’s block and peels off to make the stop behind the line of scrimmage.

Why is it important he can play on the edge? In the projected switch to the 3-4, Jones will have those defensive ends typically lined up in 4i techniques, which is the inside shoulder of the offensive tackle. But when he doesn’t want to blitz, or if he wants to shift the front, that defender will then need to adapt and shift to the edge, working outside of the tackle, as we saw on this play. I expect this is something that Daron Payne, Javon Kinlaw and Johnny Newton will all get looks at doing, but Joseph-Day is very comfortable doing that already, having done it for both the Titans and the Rams under Henderson.

But he doesn’t just play on the edge either. He can still play inside, where he has a bit of quickness to him.

This time, Joseph-Day lines up as the nose tackle on the right shoulder of the center. The Broncos are running a zone scheme to their left, which is away from Joseph-Day. That means the left guard will try and reach across his face to cut him off on the back side of the run. A lot of bigger, slower nose tackles would get reached on this type of play, but Joseph-Day has more quickness to his game.

He diagnoses the play quickly off the snap and fights hard to maintain his leverage on the play side of the guard. He gets his hands inside and keeps his pad level low, enabling him to play with better leverage than the guard. As a result, he’s able to prevent the guard reaching across him and actually manages to disengage and make the stop as the runner cuts back towards him.

Joseph-Day wouldn’t necessarily be someone to line up as a 3-4 nose tackle constantly, but he’s another versatile piece that could fit on the line in a variety of different roles. Him joining the likes of Payne and Kinlaw, would give the Commanders three good defensive lineman that are all capable of taking turns in at the nose tackle spot, but also rotating at the end positions as well. Given he’s over 30, he’s clearly not someone that would be signed for the long term, but he could be a solid part of the rotation in the short term while still providing a pathway for someone like Newton to develop and take reps if he can make a big step forward in year three.