The Washington Commanders had a strong run in head coach Dan Quinn's first season. Now, it's time to find ways to build and improve upon a roster that went 12-5 in the regular season and advanced to the NFC Championship for the first time in over 30 years.
Over the next few weeks, Quinn and general manager Adam Peters will review their personnel to determine what moves should be made to bolster each position. Though we don't have any say in how the new front office will mold the team going forward, Commanders.com will look back at how each group performed last season, breaking down top performers and looking ahead at where they could go next. The safeties are up next.
On the roster
Jeremy Chinn: 117 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 PBUs, 1 INT, 1 FF, 2 FRs
Quan Martin: 87 tackles, 3 PBUs, 1 INT, 3 FFs
Percy Butler: 47 tackles, 1 PBU
Jeremy Reaves: 20 tackles, 1 FF
Darrick Forrest: 13 tackles
Tyler Owens: 11 tackles, 1 FF
Top performers (per Pro Football Focus)
OVR: Darrick Forrest (66.2)
RDEF: Darrick Forrest (71.3)
TACK: Jeremy Chinn (77.1)
PRSH: Jeremy Chinn (61)
COV: Jeremy Chinn (64.5)
Stats to know
-- Chinn was one of the most active safeties in the league with 117 tackles, which ranked fourth for his position in the regular season. He was just as productive in the playoffs, as his 29 stops ranked second among all defensive players. Chinn tied his career high after getting 70 tackles in 2022 and 2023 combined and had seven tackles for loss.
-- Though his PFF grades don't necessarily reflect it, Martin showed noticeable improvement in his second season. He nearly tripled his snap count from 2023 and nearly doubled his total tackles. PFF also notes that Martin allowed 10 fewer receptions in his second season and 73 fewer yards after the catch.
Questions to answer
-- Will the Commanders re-sign Chinn? The former 2020 second-round pick said last March that he believes Quinn's "run-and-hit" style of defense suited him perfectly, and he backed that up by playing closer to his rookie season, when he was the runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year, than he did from 2021-23. Chinn played in the box for one-third of his 1,199 defensive snaps, using his physicality to help disrupt running plays. He was one of the players who embodied Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.'s philosophy and became one of the secondary's key pieces. However, Chinn only signed a one-year deal with Washington, which means they'll need to decide whether to bring him back. Chinn built a strong case for himself, though, so we'll see if it was enough for Washington to bring him back long-term.
-- Possible depth adds in free agency? The Commanders seem happy with the depth at the position. Forrest, Reaves and Butler all provided solid reps and had positive moments at times. With that said, despite the defense finishing in the top half of yards allowed and third against the pass, the unit is likely to be retooled in the offseason. Washington must decide whether safety needs to be included in that discussion. There are veterans available like Quandre Diggs, Jordan Fuller and Damontae Kazee who could provide some quality snaps, but the key for Washington will be to determine whether they would be more valuable than developing the young talent already on the roster.
Free agency
Click HERE to see all the players the Commanders could pursue in free agency with their available cap space.
Draft
Click HERE to see Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board of draft prospects.
