Why the Commanders are keeping 11 Defensive Lineman on their 53-man roster

Breaking down the different roles each of the DL play and why they valuable to the team.

The Washington Commanders have made their roster cuts and trimmed the roster down to an initial 53. I say initial because there will be more moves coming. We know the team would like to bring back veteran center Tyler Larsen and fullback Alex Armah, which would mean at least two players that have made the 53 will be moved, likely to injured reserve. There’s also a number of players that Washington will be considering claiming on waivers from other teams. So by this time tomorrow, the team could look a fair bit different. 

However, as things stand, the Commanders have opted to keep 11 defensive lineman including four defensive tackles and seven defensive ends. That might seam excessive, particularly at defensive end, but when you look at each individual and the different roles they can provide, it does make some sense.

We knew the starting four of Chase Young, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Montez Sweat were all locks and will likely play the majority of the snaps if healthy. 2022 second-round pick Phidarian Mathis was always going to make it too as a rotational defensive tackle. But what about the rest? How can the Commanders justify keeping so many defensive lineman? Let’s take a closer look. 

John Ridgeway

Ridgeway was a fifth-round pick of the Cowboys last year but got waived in September. The Commanders claimed him off waivers after losing Mathis to a season ending injury. Ridgeway came in and replaced Mathis extremely well. He had some mistakes, as all rookies do, but he rotated in for valuable snaps to keep Allen and Payne fresh, and he crucially filled the nose tackle role when the Commanders used their 5-1 front, also known as the Cinco package.

Here we can see Ridgeway at the nose tackle spot as part of that Cinco package. He lines up directly over the center with the Colts looking to run the ball inside. Off the snap, he gets right into the center, landing both hands straight on the chest of the center and then locking out his elbows to extend his arms and stand the center up. This gives Ridgeway the ability to defend the gap either side of the center. He holds his position until the back declares his intention to cut back. Once the back makes his cut, Ridgeway quickly disengages with the center and wraps up the running back, making the tackle at the line of scrimmage for no gain. 

Ridgeway was so good in this role that teams often had to try and double team him. By committing two blockers to one defender, if Ridgeway wasn’t immediately overpowered by the double team, he would free up other defenders to make plays. In the same game against the Colts, we saw a great example of exactly that. 

This time, the Colts send the left guard over to try and help the center block Ridgeway. Ridgeway looks to hold his position, initially stacking up the center like we saw before. However, the guard coming across gets a nice shove which knocks Ridgeway off balance slightly. Ridgeway fights to regain his balance and maintain his position, doing just well enough to force both the center and guard to stay blocking him. 

What this does is open things up for the rest of the defense. Linebacker Jamin Davis and safety Kam Curl are both completely unblocked by the offense, leaving them free to roam and mirror the running back. Along the defensive line, Jonathan Allen is left one-on-one against the left tackle, who has to try and reach and cut him off, which is no easy assignment. On the edge, Casey Toohill is left unblocked with the hope that the sifting tight end that leaks out to the flat will cause him to hesitate and hold his position. All of this results in the running back working up the middle with nowhere to run. While Ridgeway doesn’t make the tackle, his presence opened up the play for multiple other defenders to make. 

I saw a few people suggesting Ridgeway shouldn’t have made this team because he’s too similar to Mathis, but Mathis has yet to prove he can remain healthy and there is nothing wrong with having two very good nose tackles. I also think there’s some pass rush upside with Ridgeway that can be developed going forward too, perhaps more so than Mathis. That remains to be seen, but what we do know is that Ridgeway filled a critical role that is hugely important for the success of this defense last year. 

Efe Obada

Obada is someone that flies under the radar on this roster because of the depth of the defensive line group, but he definitely has an impact when he’s on the field. His 6-foot-6, 265 pound athletic frame makes him a handful for whoever is trying to block him. He’s most natural as a defensive end rushing against a left or right tackle. 

Here against the Eagles, we see Obada lined up as a defensive end over the Eagles left tackle. Off the snap, Obada takes a few steps up the field before suddenly working across the face of the tackle by stunting inside. He actually gives that move away by not quite getting far enough upfield on his first few steps, so the tackle manages to slow his momentum outside and start working back inside. However, Obada is so quick and long he’s able to make it work. He closes the gap between himself and the tackle quickly, attacking that inside shoulder before the tackle can fully cut off that rush inside. He crucially uses his inside arm well, landing it on top of the inside arm of the tackle. This allows him to knock that arm down and give him a path inside. Without being able to use his inside arm, the tackle can’t cut off Obada and allows him through for a sack.