Position Group Breakdown – Defensive Tackles

June 9, 2023

By Noonefromtampa

This roster preview will cover the defensive tackle position. The biggest news in this position group this offseason was the re-signing of Daron Payne to a four-year, $90 million contract with a $28 million signing bonus, $45 million fully guaranteed and $60 million in total guarantees.

2022 Defensive Snaps & Stats

Player	Snap Count	Snap Pct
Daron Payne	908	86.97%
Jonathan Allen	802	76.82%
John Ridgeway	280	26.82%
Benning Potoa’e	36	3.45%
David Bada	27	2.59%
Phidarian Mathis	3	0.29%

 

Player	Sack	QB Hits	PD	FF	FR	Comb	Solo	Asst
Daron Payne	11.5	20	5	0	1	64	32	32
Jonathan Allen	7.5	17	3	2	0	65	44	21
John Ridgeway	0.0	0	1	1	0	24	9	15
Benning Potoa’e	0	0	0	0	0	4	2	2
David Bada	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2
Phidarian Mathis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Roster Changes

Key Loss – None

Key Additions – Abdullah Anderson (one-year – $1.7 million)

Re-signed – Daron Payne (four-year – $90 million)

2023 Projections

Allen and Payne are the heart and center of the Commanders’ defense. They consistently apply pressure on passing downs and stuff running plays. Both players were recently rewarded with significant contract extensions. Allen’s contract was for four years and $72 million. Payne’s extension was a bit of a surprise given that the team essentially drafted his replacement last year in Mathis. But Mathis was injured in the first game and missed the season. Mathis is expected to be ready when training camp starts. Payne’s extension was also made possible because the team elected to go with a quarterback on a rookie contract, which freed up cap space for Payne’s deal.

Mathis and Ridgeway are expected to be key pieces of the rotation to keep the line fresh during the game. Ridgeway was claimed off waivers from the Cowboys when they tried to sneak him on to the practice squad in a series of roster moves. Ridgeway had his ups and downs early but finished the season strong. He did have a seriously boneheaded play in the Minnesota game when he contacted the long snapper and drew an unnecessary roughness penalty. This enabled the Vikings to run down the clock and kick a last-second game winning field goal.

The Commanders signed Anderson from Atlanta to compete with Potoa’e and Bada as rotational players. Anderson has bounced between teams since 2019 and his year with Atlanta was the first time he was on the roster for most of the season. Bada was assigned to Washington as an International player, which granted him exempt status on the practice squad for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He was on a full contract last year and was eligible to play in games. Potoa’e played for Tampa Bay in the 2020 and 2021 seasons bouncing between practice squad and active roster. This past season was his first with Washington and was on the active roster for one game.

The final roster will probably have eight to nine defensive linemen, of which four will be defensive tackles.

My roster predictions for this group are Allen, Payne, Mathis, and Ridgeway.

Position flexibility will come into play when the final roster decisions are made. Players who can play both inside and outside will be given preference in those decisions. Expect one or two players who can play multiple spots on the defensive line to be included on the final roster. The practice squad will probably include two defensive linemen.