Commanders Position Profile: Defensive End

Profiling the key traits the Commanders want in a defensive end

Earlier this week I kicked off the offseason with my first positional profile, breaking down the key traits that this Commanders regime is looking for at certain positions of need. That first post broke down what the team wants from a cornerback, as corner is a big need this offseason. Another need this offseason is a defensive end. The Commanders pass rush was better than I think most Washington fans give it credit for, but it did typically require rushing extra bodies to generate consistent pressure. While head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. are perfectly happy to blitz a lot, it would be beneficial to not have to resort to that all the time.

In order to generate pressure with four, the Commanders need a defensive end that can be a consistent threat. They currently have some nice pieces that work well off each other and make a solid overall unit, but they are lacking that top end piece to finish off the group. Finding a top pass rushing defensive end is much easier said than done, but there could be some interesting options available to the Commanders via the draft, free agency or even a trade. But before looking at potential targets, we should first identify the skills that the Commanders are looking for from a defensive end, so that when we start looking at potential free agents or trade targets, we can see who best fits what the Commanders want.

One of the most obvious traits that every team desires in a pass rusher is explosiveness. Having an edge rusher with speed, burst and explosiveness off the line is a huge advantage for the defense. If an edge rusher can win with that alone, it changes how offenses have to game plan in order to prevent that defender from ruining the game for them.

On this play, you can see the type of explosiveness the Commanders would love to have on a consistent basis off the edge. Dante Fowler lines up quite wide against Titans rookie left tackle JC Latham. At the snap of the ball, Fowler bursts off the line and gets up the field in a hurry. By his third step, he’s already hip level with Latham, who is forced to open his hips towards the sideline to try and stay with Fowler’s speed. Fowler bluffs a long arm and gets Latham to lunge at him slightly before dipping to duck under the left tackle.

The left tackle attempts to cut Fowler off, but Fowler is able to maintain his speed as he bends the edge and turns the corner. He uses his inside arm to rip through and break free of the block as he hits the quarterback during his delivery. Unfortunately for Fowler, the quarterback made an excellent play to just get the ball out in time, but it was still a good rush from Fowler and an example of being able to threaten the edge with speed, burst and bend.

Those traits are commonly sought-after traits around the league from pass rushers. You’ll often see more quick-twitch, explosive athletes get drafted higher than edge rushers with lesser athletic traits but more production in college because the athleticism translates to the NFL well. Fowler was one of those types, a very athletic profile but raw. It took him some time to develop his game, and it was only really this year he learned to be a bit more consistent with his technique and how to finish more plays. But just having that explosiveness isn’t enough. The Commanders want their pass rushers to have a motor that keeps running no matter how long the play goes on for, and awareness to avoid getting easily blocked out of the play.

This rush from Fowler in the Commanders playoff game against the Bucs is a great example of what I’m talking about. Fowler works against Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who is one of the most athletic left tackles in the league. Wirfs has no issues getting outside and cutting off Fowler’s speed rush and for a lot of those younger athletic rushers, that would be enough to win the rep. I’m sure if you go back and look at Fowler in his early years in the league you’d see that type of play quite a lot. But now he’s got much more to his game.

Despite Wirfs having cut him off, Fowler doesn’t give up on the play. He continues to work the edge in part to try and contain quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield hurt the Commanders in the opening game of the season a lot by being able to scramble out of lanes left by poor rush discipline from the defensive line. So Fowler knows he has to make sure that even though Wirfs has him blocked, he has to contain Mayfield on that side. He presses up the field and does enough to contain Mayfield and even force him to step up in the pocket. This is where Fowler shows even more great awareness.

There are plenty of pass rushers in the NFL that would get to this point and think their job is done by forcing the quarterback off the spot. They’d feel like they’d moved the quarterback and would allow the tackle to run them by the quarterback and out of the play. But Fowler doesn’t fall into that. He senses Mayfield stepping up in the pocket and knows he can’t afford to get run by him or Mayfield has the ability to take off scrambling. So Fowler uses a nice spin move to work back inside and prevent Wirfs from running him by the quarterback. That spin move also changes the picture drastically for Wirfs, who struggles to maintain the block.

At this point, Mayfield is holding onto the ball for a bit too long. Wirfs wouldn’t have expected to have had to continue to pass protect for this long and many other edge rushers would have given up by this point. But Fowler’s motor keeps him going and gets him back into the play. With Mayfield unable to find an option receiver, Fowler closes in on him and starts to wrap him up. Mayfield feels the pressure and does well to throw the ball away to avoid the sack, but Fowler deserves plenty of credit for his awareness to keep Mayfield contained and his motor for not giving up on the play and spinning back inside to prevent Wirfs from running him out of the play. That type of effort and smarts are what this staff will value just as highly as the speed rush ability we saw in the first clip.

Another key part of being a pass rusher for this Commanders team is the ability to stunt. Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt love to stunt their fronts in both the run and pass game, which means the defensive ends need to be able to change direction in a hurry and take advantage of linemen that are slow to react to stunts.