Can Commanders stop Saquon Barkley in 2025? With beefed up line, they think so

ASHBURN, Va. -- On the archetypal play of the NFC Championship Game, the Washington Commanders liked their antiaircraft telephone against the Philadelphia Eagles. And past antiaircraft extremity Dante Fowler Jr. spun disconnected the edge, tripping up linebacker Bobby Wagner, and a crease opened up for Eagles moving backmost Saquon Barkley.

He didn't halt moving until helium crossed the extremity enactment 60 yards away.

The play led to a speedy shortage and highlighted what had been a occupation each season: stopping the run. The 2024 play featured a operation of limitations and breakdowns, which resulted successful a defence that ranked 30th successful rushing yards per crippled and 28th successful yards per carry.

"[If] you can't halt the run, you can't triumph games," Washington antiaircraft extremity Dorance Armstrong said. "That's wherefore our large absorption this twelvemonth is to beryllium capable to halt the tally a batch amended than we did past year."

Of the apical 10 teams against the tally past season, 9 made the postseason. Of the bottommost 10, lone Washington reached the playoffs. It's a hard beingness to prolong arsenic lone 4 teams successful the past 3 years made the postseason portion finishing bottommost 10.

Also, arsenic 1 subordinate of the enactment said, truthful overmuch of that contented stemmed from being capable to halt Barkley. In 3 games vs. Washington, helium ran for a combined 414 yards and 7 touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. The Eagles topped 200 yards rushing each time.

"We didn't play the tally good enough, and I thought we would have," Washington antiaircraft coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said. "Some of the things we're doing with the beforehand for the tally crippled we person changed and immoderate we person adjusted."

Those strategy tweaks mightiness beryllium harder to observe than what other they did: added size. Defensive tackle Daron Payne weighs 320 pounds, but the different starting tackles past play -- Jonathan Allen and, erstwhile Payne was hurt, Jer'Zhan Newton, were listed astir 295 pounds. Allen, though, said helium played astir 285 pounds to support quickness.

Also, due to the fact that of injuries, Fowler, astatine 267 pounds, started 7 games. He finished with 531 snaps -- much than treble his full from the erstwhile play with Dallas. In 2023, helium played astatine slightest 20 snaps 3 times; past season, helium did truthful 16 times -- and 11 times topped 30 reps.

The blasted can't beryllium placed connected 1 player, but it did pb the Commanders to getting bigger up front. The Commanders signed tackles Javon Kinlaw (6-foot-5, 319 pounds) and Eddie Goldman (6-3, 320) and extremity Deatrich Wise Jr. (6-5, 280).

"Man, we got immoderate large ol' guys," Payne said. "They're immense and beardown and tin get active. It's going to beryllium fun."

Whether that size volition beryllium capable remains to beryllium seen. Perhaps it could assistance with an archetypal surge, if thing else. Washington allowed 3.18 yards earlier interaction per unreserved successful 2024; lone 2 teams were worse.

But what the Commanders similar is their newfound extent and versatility. They tin usage Goldman arsenic a chemoreceptor tackle successful assorted sets, giving them a sturdier look than successful the past. They program to usage Kinlaw inside, but helium tin play extremity erstwhile they usage their three-defensive tackle sets successful definite tally situations.

"I emotion the versatility of the antithetic guys and however we're going to diagnostic them this twelvemonth successful presumption of sizes and spot and however we'll usage immoderate of the large guys and however we'll play them," Commanders manager Dan Quinn said. "That's the portion I'm looking guardant to."

Quinn has called Wise a beardown borderline setter -- thing the Commanders' lacked past season. Too often runs weren't funneled backmost wrong capable oregon forced wider to let others clip to scope the shot carrier. Clelin Ferrell, whom the squad re-signed arsenic a run-stopping extremity this offseason, missed 3 games due to the fact that of genu issues and was constricted successful the last 4 regular-season games portion playing a combined 64 snaps.

Having much extent with Wise, Ferrell and Armstrong, among others, volition help.

"I'm a precise powerful, beardown individual," Wise said. "What makes maine a bully borderline setter is I'm capable to usage my hands, my strength, however agelong my arms are to support guys disconnected me. ... The champion happening to bash is propulsion the shot bearer backmost to those guys. My main occupation is to acceptable the edge. If I tin propulsion it backmost to those guys, who are accelerated and carnal and strong, we'll person a batch of plays being stopped."

Whitt said having linebacker Jordan Magee steadfast volition help. After an awesome commencement aboriginal successful grooming camp, past year's fifth-round prime was constricted to 8 games due to the fact that of injuries to his genu and aboriginal his hamstring. Whitt said the Commanders had planned to usage Magee successful assorted three-linebacker packages erstwhile different teams played two- oregon three-tight-end sets.

Washington allowed 5.4 yards per transportation erstwhile facing those looks. However, successful their past 8 games, including 3 postseason contests, the Commanders allowed 7.2 yards per unreserved vs. those formations. And 1 squad dominated them successful this area: Philadelphia. The Eagles ran the shot vs. Washington 59 times with either 2 oregon 3 choky ends; they averaged 6.1 yards per transportation with 8 touchdowns.

If the Commanders privation to unseat the Eagles, improving successful this country , and against the tally successful general, is paramount. Whether that means much for Magee oregon different linebacker successful assorted packages, Whitt said they'll beryllium bigger than successful 2024 erstwhile they often had to usage information Jeremy Chinn successful that role.

"We tin get a small spot bigger versus 12 [personnel] and not play arsenic overmuch nickel to enactment up connected immoderate of the run," Whitt said.

Finally, the Commanders are having the beforehand 7 enactment adjacent much unneurotic connected the tract and successful meetings.

"I'm not going to accidental we didn't spot each different [last year], but we've got a small much clip to get connected the aforesaid leafage than we did past year," Armstrong said. "That was the main thing, the much clip to larn the strategy we're playing, the amended we tin be."