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Commanders working to hire LSU assistant to 2026 defensive staff<\/a><\/p>\n Pete Nakos of On3 reported on Friday evening that the Commanders are working to hire LSU safeties coach Jake Olsen to the staff. What role he would join with the Commanders is unclear with Tommy Donatell the current safeties coach and William Gay serving as cornerbacks coach, but he\u2019d be another piece to a defensive staff looking to turn the page from an abysmal season under Joe Whitt Jr.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Olsen [would become] the second college coach to join the Commanders staff this offseason after naming former USC co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Eric Henderson as Washington\u2019s new defensive line coach in 2026.<\/p>\n Riggo\u2019s Rag<\/p>\n What role will Johnny Newton have under Daronte Jones?<\/a><\/p>\n There has been some well-founded speculation<\/a> that Jones may want to play more 3-4 fronts. At 6-foot-2 and 295 pounds, Newton is a B-gap interior lineman. There will be room for him in a 3-4, but it is far from ideal.<\/p>\n [Johnny] Newton does not have the length to play outside, nor does he seem to have the bulk to play over center. Even in college, some scouts questioned whether his undersized frame would hold up against NFL guards. Some argued that he needed to line up next to a much bigger player in order to be most effective.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n That\u2019s one of the reasons the Los Angeles Rams signed Poona Ford to play next to Kobie Turner this year. He is the same size as Newton and has been very good playing next to stouter tackles.<\/p>\n That may be why Peters overpaid<\/a> for the physically imposing Javon Kinlaw last year. On paper, Kinlaw and Newton make some sense. On the field, it has not worked out.<\/p>\n Kinlaw can play either over center or at end in a base 3-4, but Newton does not have an obvious home. In that very promising Dallas game, he lined up in the B-gap on two-thirds of his snaps. That tracks with his entire career in Washington.<\/p>\n Under a new defensive alignment, that spot might no longer be available. That means Newton will have to find a new role to continue his slow climb toward becoming the player Washington thought it was getting in 2024.<\/p>\n Commanders Wire<\/p>\n Pressure is on Commanders to fix the defense<\/a><\/p>\n [T]he Commanders\u2019 defense wasn\u2019t good in 2024. In 2025, it was abysmal. They couldn\u2019t tackle, rush the passer, stop the run, or limit big plays. It was a mess, and head coach Dan Quinn took over defensive play-calling from defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. ahead of Week 11.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Commanders promoted David Blough to replace Kingsbury and hired Daronte Jones to replace Whitt. The offense has some excellent building blocks, led by quarterback Jayden Daniels, wide receiver Terry McLaurin and an ascending offensive line led by left tackle Laremy Tunsil.<\/p>\n There are fewer building blocks for the defense, which puts the onus on GM Adam Peters to significantly improve the talent on that side of the ball to aid Jones.<\/p>\n [I]f Washington expects to return to contention, it needs a defense that can finish in at least the top 15 of most statistical categories, force some turnovers and get off the field on third downs. Far too often in recent years, Washington\u2019s defense was the \u201cget-right game\u201d for struggling quarterbacks.<\/p>\n Podcasts & videosTalking HBCU Experience With Bill Croskey-Merritt & Rob McDaniel | Next Man UpNFC East links<\/p>\n D Magazine<\/p>\n