The Washington Commanders are expected to add another body to the defensive line, with reports from Ben Standig on Team 980 indicating the team plans to sign Byron Cowart. The move would help cover the opening left when DJ Davidson unexpectedly retired over the weekend.
Cowart brings real NFL mileage to the table. Since leaving the University of Maryland, he has played regular-season snaps for New England, Indianapolis, and Chicago. The former fifth-round pick of the Patriots has appeared in 51 career games, starting 21 of them, and has put up 67 tackles, including 10 for loss, along with seven quarterback hits, 3.5 sacks, and a pass deflection.
There is still a health question attached to Cowart, though. He spent most of last season on injured reserve because of an ankle issue, so Washington will need to determine how close he is to game-ready shape.
Even so, the fit makes sense in the context of how the Commanders have approached camp this year: they want competition, not just warm bodies. Cowart may not have a locked-in role, but he does give Washington another legitimate option behind its established defensive tackles after Davidson’s exit.
Cowart was one of eight players who worked out for Washington on Monday.
The Commanders also got an update on Jayden Daniels from offensive coordinator David Blough, who spoke to reporters Monday as the team continues installing its new offense around the quarterback. Blough said the staff is tracking Daniels’ throws and comparing his accuracy and completion numbers across multiple seasons, rather than judging him only by what happens on the practice field.
On the injury front, cornerback Trey Amos is dealing with a new setback. Amos left practice early Saturday without an explanation from the team, and head coach Dan Quinn said Monday that Amos tweaked his ankle while defending Terry McLaurin on a deep ball. Quinn said Amos could miss about a day or two while the team evaluates him.
Amos had just gotten back on the field Friday after spending the start of camp working his way back from the fractured fibula that ended his 2025 season. With Wednesday’s joint practice against Miami coming up, the timing of this ankle issue could put his availability in doubt.
In Other News...
Commanders May Have Found A Surprise Answer To Their Pass Rush
Washington has spent the offseason trying to add more teeth to a pass rush that needs more reliable pressure, bringing in edge rushers Odafe Oweh and KLavon Chaisson while also using the draft to add linebacker Sonny Styles. The broader idea is clear: the Commanders want more disruption off the edge and more help making life uncomfortable for opposing quarterbacks, and camp has already started to sort out who fits into that mix.
One rookie has begun to stand out in that competition, even while he is still getting comfortable in Daronte Jones defensive system. As he works through the playbook, he has shown enough in training camp to get noticed, giving Washington another possible answer at a spot where it can use all the help it can get. The command now is simple enough, even if the path there is not: keep building the rush, and let the young players keep forcing the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Add A Familiar D.C. Name To Their Linebacker Room
The Commanders kept adding to their linebacker depth by signing Curtis Jacobs, a familiar name around the D.C. football scene after his run with the DC Defenders and his college career at Penn State. Jacobs entered the league as an undrafted free agent with Kansas City in 2024 and has spent time on practice squads with multiple teams since then, giving Washington another look at a player who has kept finding his way back onto NFL radars.
To make room, Washington also moved on from guard Sala Aumavae-Laulu and safety Rob McDaniel. The roster shuffle is the kind of spring and summer churn that often reshapes the back end of a roster, especially for a team still sorting out the right mix of depth pieces before the competition picks up in earnest. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Moody Is Putting Washingtons Kicking Decision In Real Doubt
Washingtons kicking picture has taken on an unexpectedly unsettled feel in training camp, and Jake Moody is right in the middle of it. The Commanders brought him in to stabilize a spot that can flip games in a hurry, but his accuracy has slipped in his second and third NFL seasons, leaving the staff to watch every rep a little more closely than planned.
Moody is trying to reclaim the consistency that made him a safer bet earlier in his career, yet the urgency around the job keeps growing. With his future in Washington far from settled, every practice kick now carries a little extra weight, and the Commanders are getting a reminder that even one of the least glamorous positions on the roster can become one of the most scrutinized. [Read more 🡒]