Dorance Armstrong’s return on Sunday is set up like a full circle moment. The Commanders defensive end will make his 2026 debut against the Cowboys, the team he spent the first six years of his career with, after missing the opener because of a one-game suspension.
It also happens to be Armstrong’s first trip back to Dallas since the injury that derailed last season. He tore his ACL there after opening the year with 5.5 sacks in seven games, a stretch that had him leading the NFL in pressures through seven weeks and producing a 15.4% pressure rate. By the time the knee gave out against the Cowboys, he had piled up 22 total pressures.
Armstrong sounded relieved to be back in the mix. “I'm blessed to be back in this position,” Armstrong said.
“I'm thankful for everything that I've been through. It's been almost a year now, so, yeah, I'm super excited.”
He said the rehab work has left him confident he can get back to the level he showed before the injury. “I feel like I'm the same person, if not better,” Armstrong said.
Dan Quinn sees the same thing on tape and in practice. “To see his speed back, his explosion back, that's a big deal,” Quinn said.
The difference for Washington now is that Armstrong doesn’t have to be the lone engine of the pass rush. Odafe Oweh, K'Lavon Chaisson, Charles Omenihu, Joshua Josephs, and Sonny Styles give Daronte Jones more options to heat up the quarterback, and Armstrong believes that kind of depth changes everything.
“That just makes us stronger,” Armstrong said. “I guess the better the pass rushers, the better our team's gonna be. We didn't have a lot of help last year, but now we got guys that are young, fresh, and ready to go.”
That depth also gives Washington the flexibility to ease him back in. Quinn has already discussed using Armstrong, Oweh, and Chaisson together in the rotation, a setup that can keep everyone fresh while forcing Dallas to sort through different looks. Armstrong can rush off the edge, slide inside in some packages, and become one more problem for an offensive line to track.
Washington showed plenty up front against Philadelphia without him, and adding Armstrong back into the mix only makes that group more difficult to handle.
There’s no need to dress Sunday up as a revenge game. Armstrong’s connection to Dallas, the ACL injury, the rehab, the suspension, and now the return all tell the story on their own. After nearly a year away, he’s finally headed back to the place where this long road back began.
In Other News...
Commanders Suddenly Have A Mike Sainristil Question They Cant Ignore
Mike Sainristil is already facing an early test of how the Commanders handle accountability under Dan Quinn. After Washingtons season-opening loss, Quinn publicly called out the young cornerbacks performance, and Sainristil responded by owning the mistakes and saying his focus is on getting better. For a defense that wants to establish a sharper edge, the issue is not just one rough outing, but how quickly the rookie can steady himself as the spotlight gets brighter.
Isaac Yiadoms arrival from the practice squad adds another layer to the conversation, because Washington now has more veteran depth in the secondary heading into its game against the Dallas Cowboys. The move does not settle the cornerback picture, but it does put a little more pressure on Sainristil to respond the right way. How Quinn and his staff sort out those snaps will be worth watching, especially this early in the season when every adjustment carries a little extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
Dorance Armstrong Gives Commanders A Personal Edge Against Dallas
Dorance Armstrong Jr. is back in the Commanders lineup after serving a one-week suspension, and his return comes with a built-in layer of familiarity. After six seasons with the Cowboys, Armstrong now finds himself on the other side of one of the NFC Easts most familiar rivalries, joining Washington as it prepares for an upcoming meeting with Dallas. He is working his way back from an ACL injury and sliding into a reserve hybrid linebacker role in the Commanders' 3-4 defense.
Even with a limited workload possible as he adjusts to the scheme and the roster around him, Armstrong still carries obvious value in a game like this. Washington did not bring him in just for depth, and his presence against his former team adds a little more edge to a matchup that already has plenty of it. The Commanders will be watching how much he can handle, but they also know the timing of his return is hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders May Need These Lineup Tweaks To Handle Dallas Better
The Commanders came out of their regular-season opener with enough encouraging moments to believe the roster can settle in quickly, but the 24-22 loss also exposed a few lineup spots that could use a closer look before the next meeting with Dallas. Washington has already spent time sorting through what worked, what didnt, and where injuries may force the coaching staff to look for more snaps from players who were on the fringe in Week 1.
Rasul Douglas, Antonio Williams, Ben Sinnott and Quan Martin all surfaced as possible beneficiaries if Washington decides to tweak roles heading into the Cowboys game. Those are the kinds of adjustments that can make a difference in a divisional matchup, especially when the margin for error is thin, but for now they remain ideas rather than confirmed changes as the Commanders weigh performance and availability against a Dallas opponent that will demand cleaner execution. [Read more 🡒]