​The Washington Commanders entered this offseason with a mission: completely overhaul their defense after a season that left little to celebrate. While not every metric placed Washington at the bottom of the league, the consensus among observers was clear—changes were necessary to salvage a unit that had underperformed in every meaningful sense. The rebuilding effort started at the top, in January, when the team fired defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. After an extensive interview process, head coach Dan Quinn elected Minnesota Vikings secondary coach Daronte Jones to take the reins. Quinn granted Jones broad autonomy to implement his defensive philosophy, a scheme that could bear similarities to the approach Brian Flores employed in Minnesota over the past three seasons.
Next came the personnel moves on the front end. General Manager Adam Peters prioritized upgrading the edge rush and the linebacking corps. In free agency, Washington added a trio of edge defenders—Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, and Charles Omenihu—to bolster the pass rush and improve structural integrity around the quarterback. The Commanders also inked linebacker Leo Chenal in free agency and used their first-round pick on Sonny Styles, a versatile defensive back who can contribute in multiple roles. The front seven is projected to look considerably more formidable in 2026, with more consistency and explosive playmaking up front.
Turning to the secondary, Washington made two significant free-agent acquisitions in hopes of stabilizing the back end. Cornerback Amik Robertson and safety Nick Cross were the marquee names added to the defensive secondary, and both figures are expected to be Week 1 starters. Cross, a 6-foot, 212-pound DMV native who played his college ball at the University of Maryland, brings starting experience and athletic versatility at only 24 years old. He started every game for the Indianapolis Colts in each of the last two seasons and should fit well within Jones’s defensive structure. Cross’s skills could be especially valuable in the type of scheme Washington aims to run, which often emphasizes flexibility and aggressive ball-holding at the line of scrimmage.
Yet, even as some see Cross as a natural fit for Jones’s approach, not everyone is sold that he’s the perfect solution for Washington’s safety corps. Moe Moton of Bleacher Report identified a potential bust for every team ahead of the 2026 season and pegged Cross as Washington’s. His reasoning centers on Cross’s limitations in pass coverage when asked to operate deeper in center-field roles. In Moton’s view, Cross has shown inconsistencies in coverage and, over the past two seasons, produced nine touchdowns allowed and passer ratings approaching or exceeding 99 in multiple matchups. That critique, however, misses the broader context of why Washington pursued him and how the coaching staff plans to deploy him.
Cross’s skill set is not the only factor at play. The Commanders did not bring Cross in to be the sole solution in the secondary; rather, they intend to leverage his strengths near the line of scrimmage, with Jones optimizing players to exploit their natural advantages. It is reasonable to expect Cross to compete for a key role next to Will Harris, whose career has included multiple seasons with passer ratings above 105 in several campaigns. The decision about whether Harris starts opposite Cross will hinge on who earns trust this summer and how the coaching staff maximizes their complementary abilities. On a two-year, $13 million deal, Cross’s impact will be measured not just by traditional statistics but by his fit within a broader, more aggressive defensive plan designed to generate pressure while tightening coverage in passing situations.
Ultimately, Washington’s defensive rebuild is about more than adding individual pieces. It is about aligning personnel with a cohesive blueprint under Jones, one that emphasizes aggressive, versatile playmaking from the secondary, dependable play from the back end, and a front seven capable of disruptive pressure and solid run defense. The command of the defense will hinge on how well Jones can integrate these new players into a unified system, how the linebackers and edge players supplement a revamped secondary, and how the safety pairings communicate and adjust on the fly. There is optimism in the air about the potential for the front seven to be markedly improved by 2026, while the secondary carries the weight of the plan to balance athleticism, versatility, and reliability at the deepest positions on the field. The Commanders clearly understand that the stakes are high, and the alignment between Jones’s scheme and the personnel acquired this offseason is the critical factor in determining whether the defense can finally take a substantive step forward.