Will Commanders' defensive overhaul be effective in 2026?

Adam Peters had one major goal during the offseason: Make the Washington Commanders' defense younger and faster. He addressed that largely in free agency, signing players like Odafe Oweh, K'Lavon Chaisson, and Leo Chenal, to name a few. He added to that list in the draft by selecting Sonny Styles with the No. 7 overall pick and edge rusher Joshua Josephs in the fifth round.

Suffice it to say that between the departures and additions, the Commanders' defense looks very different in 2026 than it did in 2025. But will what Peters did actually pan out this season? Under new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, one of the biggest storylines is whether this defense can get all of its new faces on the same page, something that NFL.com's Grant Gordon wrote about earlier this week.

When you fall from being everyone's NFC Championship Game darling to a 5-12 struggle bus, you can run out of fingers to point. The Commanders put a massive UNDER CONSTRUCTION sign in front of a defense that finished dead last in yards allowed. They used the No. 7 overall pick on Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, an athletic marvel who will draw plenty of hype as a preseason Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. General manager Adam Peters opened the check book before turning in the card to get Styles, too. Washington broke the bank to sign pass rusher Odafe Oweh, while adding plenty more veteran starters elsewhere: nickel Amik Robertson, safety Nick Cross, pass rusher K'Lavon Chaisson, linebacker Leo Chenal and defensive tackle Tim Settle. The Commanders added veteran depth, as well. Binging on free agents isn't always a winning formula, of course. How quickly new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones and Washington's cast of fresh faces get on the same page will be crucial in camp.

If you paid attention during minicamps and OTAs, you already know that the defensive players are putting a huge effort into creating bonds off the field just as much as on the field. It's not a secret that the bond between teammates is equally as important as the skill set each player brings to the table.

The biggest problem the Commanders will have here is the number of new faces on the roster. It's one thing if you bring in a handful of new players to join an otherwise stable unit, but it's another beast altogether when you add a dozen or more new faces. This is the task ahead of Daronte Jones: Make this unit a cohesive group that functions as such.

Jones has an advantage in this, though. The Commanders' defensive players want to bond. They want to get to know each other. They want to work together. They want to win games and prove that they weren't just slapped together haphazardly. Getting the players to buy in is half the battle, and these guys are already there. Now Jones just has to get them to understand his scheme and execute plays proficiently.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Will Commanders' defensive overhaul be effective in 2026?