The Commanders won’t find any of their own names on ESPN’s latest top-10 defensive tackle list, but they’ll see plenty of familiar trouble when they scan it.
ESPN this week rolled out the results of its seventh annual survey of NFL executives, coaches and scouts, ranking the league’s best defensive tackles entering the 2026 season. It’s not a career honor roll.
It’s a snapshot of who sits at the top right now. And for Washington, that snapshot is loaded with names that have caused problems before, especially in NFC East matchups.
Leonard Williams of the Seattle Seahawks takes the No. 1 spot, and that should ring a bell for Washington fans. He has been a steady headache for the Commanders over his 11-year career, first with the New York Giants and now in Seattle.
Jeffrey Simmons comes in at No. 2 after the Tennessee Titans handed him a three-year, $105.8 million extension with $100 million guaranteed. His $35.276 million average per year is the highest for any defensive tackle in the NFL.
At No. 3 is Jalen Carter of the Philadelphia Eagles, whose 83 pass-rush wins as an interior lineman since 2023 are tied for seventh-most in the league. Washington will see him twice every season he’s in Philadelphia.
Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs lands at No. 4 after leading the league in pass-rush wins when double-teamed with 22 and pacing interior linemen with 45 pressures in 2025.
Derrick Brown of the Carolina Panthers checks in at No. 5, continuing to justify the No. 7 overall pick from the 2020 NFL Draft.
Quinnen Williams of the Dallas Cowboys is sixth, and Washington will have to deal with him twice a year as well. In 2025, he finished fifth in run stop win rate at 43% among 204 qualified players.
Dexter Lawrence, now with the Cincinnati Bengals, sits at No. 7. He spent years giving Washington fits as a Giant, and the Commanders will see him again in a Week 11 Monday night game.
Zach Allen of the Denver Broncos comes in at No. 8. Since 2022, his 131 quarterback hits are eight more than the next-closest player, Myles Garrett.
Milton Williams of the New England Patriots is No. 9. Washington used to face him twice a season when he was with the Eagles, though that won’t happen nearly as often now.
Rounding out the list at No. 10 is Jordan Davis of the Eagles, giving the Commanders yet another heavy interior force to handle twice each season.
In Other News...
Commanders Just Sent A Clear Message With Latest Cornerback Decision
The Commanders added veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas ahead of training camp, a move that fits the way this front office has approached the roster all offseason. Washington has several corners battling for spots, so bringing in a proven defender gives the group more stability while also reinforcing the idea that every addition has to fit what the staff wants on and off the field.
It also says plenty about how the Commanders are handling the bigger picture at the position. Even with a former first-round cornerback available after his release in Detroit, Washington has not shown interest, a choice that lines up with the organizations repeated emphasis on team culture in personnel decisions. In a league where depth is always worth monitoring, the Commanders appear content to keep their focus on the players already in the building. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Are Asking Fans To Believe In Two Big Bets Again
Washingtons roster conversation keeps circling back to the same theme: the Commanders are trying to make smart, layered bets and trust that a few under-the-radar moves can hold up when the games start counting. Rachaad White looks like a potential answer on passing downs, giving the backfield a different kind of utility if he settles into the role the team has in mind, while the defense is also being reshaped with safety Nick Cross expected to matter in Daronte Jones system.
Kain Medrano adds another layer to that same puzzle, because his path to the roster runs through a crowded linebacker room and the special teams work that often decides those final spots. And as the football side keeps asking for patience, the organization is making a bigger promise off the field too, one that says plenty about how aggressively it wants to sell the future to fans who have heard versions of this pitch before. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Just Got A 2026 Label Fans Wont Want Ignored
The Commanders 2025 season ended up looking nothing like the year before, when they reached the NFC Championship, and the 5-12 finish was driven in large part by injuries that kept key pieces out of the lineup. It was the kind of collapse that can make a team look far farther away from contention than it really is, especially when the roster had already shown it could compete at a high level the previous season.
One analyst believes that record may be masking more than it reveals, pointing to Washington as a team that could rebound in 2026 if it gets healthier and benefits from some coaching changes. The bigger question now is whether the Commanders can turn that optimism into something more than a preseason label, because after a year like this, they are going to enter next season with people watching closely to see if the talent is still there. [Read more 🡒]