The Washington Commanders continued adding to their depth on the defensive line by signing veteran Eddie Goldman. Here are five things to know about the 2015 second-round pick.

1. He's from the DMV.

Playing for the Commanders is a homecoming for Goldman. The 6-foot-3, 325 defensive tackle is from the DMV, and he was one of the best players in the area.

Goldman is a Washington, D.C., native and attended Friendship Collegiate Academy Charter School, where he played alongside Yannick Ngakoue. The Knights finished Goldman's senior year with a 9-1 regular season record, helped by the defense allowing just 14.5 points per game. Goldman played his part well, recording 38 tackles (23 for a loss), 15 sacks and five forced fumbles.

Goldman was one of, if not the best defensive line prospect in the country by the end of his high school career. He collected multiple All-American honors from Under Armour, USA Today and ESPNHS and was ranked as the No. 1 player prospect in D.C. by ESPN and 247Sports.

Goldman received interest from several schools, including Alabama, South Carolina, Maryland and Miami, but the five-start prospect ultimately committed to Florida State.

2. He was a dominant force in the middle of Florida State's defense.

The Seminoles didn't waste any time in getting Goldman on the field. He appeared in 10 games as a true freshman, recording eight tackles for the year.

Goldman took a major jump in his production during the Seminoles' national championship run in 2013. He recorded 19 tackles and two sacks in 13 starts and helped the team have the best scoring defense and total defense in the country. He also grabbed three tackles in the national championship win over Auburn.

By the time Goldman had wrapped up his junior year in 2014, he was one of the Seminoles' most important defensive pieces with All-ACC and All-American selections for leading the team with four sacks and recording 35 tackles. The Seminoles finished the regular season with a 13-0 record and earned a spot in the first-ever College Football Playoff against Oregon.

Goldman chose to forgo his senior year and enter the NFL Draft, and some analysts considered him a Year 1 starter. NextGenStats ranked him as the eighth-best defensive tackle at the combine, and the Chicago Bears took him with the seventh pick of the second round.

3. It was a "no-brainer" to play for his childhood team.

Goldman said it was "surreal" to be playing for the Commanders in what will be his eighth season. Not only does he get to come back to where he grew up, but he also gets to suit up for the team he loved as a kid.

"It was kind of a no-brainer," Goldman said.

Goldman doesn't like to get too high on the nostalgia that comes with playing for his childhood team, but he did acknowledge that it means a lot to him. He always knew it was possible, but because of various factors like opting out of the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 virus and officially retiring for the 2022 and 2023 seasons made the opportunity more difficult.

Now, he gets the chance to make that childhood dream a reality, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The team is just a couple of months removed from advancing to the NFC Championship after their best regular season in decades. The franchise went through a few rough patches when Goldman was rooting for them, but now he gets to help Washington retain its new status as one of the league's better teams.

4. He knows Jayden Daniels can "work his magic."

Speaking of that success, Goldman has first-hand experience in what it's like to prepare for the Commanders, particularly quarterback Jayden Daniels. Here's a spoiler: it isn't easy.

"The team rallies behind him," Goldman said. "I don't know Jayden Daniels yet, but he definitely knows how to work his magic, especially late in a game."

Daniels' late-game heroics were what lifted the Commanders over the Atlanta Falcons -- Goldman's former team -- and earned a playoff spot for the first time since 2020. He accounted for nearly all of the offense's 70 yards in overtime, converting a third-and-2 with a 16-yard run and throwing a touchdown pass to Zach Ertz on third-and-goal from the Falcons' 2-yard line.

But that was only part of Daniels' night, as the rookie accounted for 354 total yards and three touchdowns. He ran for 127 yards, including a long of 25 yards, on 16 carries and averaged 7.9 yards per attempt.

So, there's one more reason that Goldman is excited to join the Commanders: he doesn't have to see Daniels as an opponent anymore.

5. Another player to help stop the run.

Goldman said during his press conference that he wants to do whatever the coaches ask of him, but the reality is that he's another player the Commanders brought in to improve their defense's performance against the run.

The Commanders had a glaring weakness on the ground in 2024. They allowed the third-most rushing yards per game during the regular season, and teams like the Philadelphia Eagles exploited it on multiple occasions. Though there were several reasons why the Commanders fell to the Eagles in the conference championship game, giving up 229 yards rushing yards and seven touchdowns was the most obvious.

Goldman is going to be a rotational player behind Johnny Newton and Daron Payne, but he will provide value as a run-stopper. He can hold up double teams long enough for Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner to shoot gaps and make plays either at or behind the line of scrimmage. He's been used most often as a nose tackle throughout his career, so the Commanders might want to use their defensive linemen packages and line Goldman straight up against the center.

Goldman won't singlehandedly fix all of Washington's problems against the run, but he can be part of the solution if used in the correct fashion.