Commanders hired their new D-Line Coach.
Eric Henderson. Henderson won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams. That Championship team was Number 6 versus the run. No team ran for over 100 yards on the Rams in the Playoffs. Commander Von Miller played on that Rams squad.
The Rams had 50 sacks that year. Aaron Donald had 12.5, Von Miller 5, Greg Gaines 4.5, Sebastian Joseph-Day 3, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo 2, Ashawn Robinson 2. Meaning over half of the sacks came from the D-Line.
Eight-five TFLs. Ninety-Five QB Hits. Fifty-nine from the D-Line. Fourteen forced fumbles. Twelve fumble recoveries. They were +2 in turnover differential.
Here's a Mock with features on Cole Payton and David Bailey.
I'm a fan of Payton's. I think the Commanders will need a young trainee at QB. Especially if Mariota leaves.
Previously I was thinking Bailey might be too small for the Edge. Not big enough to avoid discharge. But in a pressure defense there's a place for "specialists".
Still, hard to fathom a Top Ten pick on a third-down player.
How valuable is that pick going to be? Enough for a later first round pick and a Top 100 pick?
And if Top 5 guys like Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, Jeremiyah Love, fall to Number 7 Pick, is the haul of draft picks going to be bigger in any trade?
This roster's cupboard is one of the barest in the NFL if you believe the commentators. [I don't.] Free agency goes well I can see the Commanders settling for five picks.
But if it doesn't go well they may have to trade down. I guess that will inevitably suggest to we "decoders" what they think of their free agency work.
With all the development time inherent in draft picks, if they go long on draft picks, does that suggest they think they have all the time in the world to turn the team around?
No offense but I don't think they do. Economics being what they are.
This is a league where if you are wrong in the first place there is no reason to trust you're right the second time.
Based on the two years we've had the Quinn-Peters regime, the playing time of their draft picks is not indicative of calibration.
Why pick them if they never see the field? And you play guys over them just signed off the street?
That body language decodes your cryptic press conferences. The press around here can read defenses. They see through disguises. What you can't disguise don't try to hide.
It makes you look foolish. The emperor is not wearing clothes. Don't tell us he's got on an Armani.
So I was thinking their Press Conference introducing the new coaches would tell us a lot.
But their actions will tell us more. What they say in free agency is their first body language display. From which they can't escape.
So free agency is the tell. Not the press conference. The Draft is another tell.
Pro Football Network has several draft ranking filters available for your convenience. I recommend their Mock Draft Simulator Highly. Triangulation is good.
Here I used PFF Draft Rankings.
"Cole Payton redshirted his first year at NDSU, and from 2022 through 2024, he was the backup to Cam Miller. He was utilized most often as a designed runner, but finally got his shot as a full-time starter in 2025. In his last season of eligibility, Payton passed for 2,719 yards, 16 touchdowns, and four interceptions on over 70% completion, while also running for 717 yards and 13 additional TDs. Additionally, he ended the year with the second-highest PFSN QB Impact score in the FCS (89.7). The crux of Payton's appeal as a prospect is his physical talent. At 6'3", 233 pounds, he's a well-built prototype with elite explosive athleticism, bristling long speed, and a rocket arm that can generate high-end velocity from multiple launch points and angles. But as a one-year starter, he's sorely lacking in-game reps, and his processing runs on the slow side as a result. Payton shouldn't be thrown into the fire right away as a field general, and is a developmental QB first, who could be utilized in certain Taysom Hill-esque packages early on. If he enters the right situation and has time to acclimate before getting needed reps, starting upside is present."
Cole Payton: Highlights. Interview. Senior Bowl.
PFN's info blurb on Bailey:
"David Bailey has skyrocketed up the 2026 NFL Draft board, largely on account of his unmatched pass-rush dynamism and production on later downs. In 2025, after transferring from Stanford, Bailey emerged as the star of Texas Tech's elite defensive line and a consensus All-American, amassing 14.5 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and an elite PFSN EDGE Impact grade of 92.9, that stands as the best score in the entire nation. At 6'3", 250 pounds, with plus proportional length, Bailey is a lean, hyper-explosive rush linebacker with a logic-defying first-step, deadly off-setting twitch and energy, a ruthless motor, and the searing speed to run the arc against hapless blockers. He flashes legitimate speed-to-power with his fast-striding acceleration, compact mass, and length, and while he can be more consistent in run defense, he has flashed the ability to properly stack-and-shed and control blocks 1-on-1. As of now, Bailey is best as a pass-rush specialist; he needs to improve his lower-body strength to avoid giving up displacement at the NFL level, or he risks losing early-down utility. Additionally, he can improve his discipline, as his over-aggression can lead to penalties. But regardless, Bailey's pass-rush value is at the caliber that very few other players can replicate. He's a banshee off the edge with blue-chip upside as a pass-rush presence, and the building blocks are there for him to build a complete three-down game."
It looks like it is between David Bailey and Rueben Bain for the Commanders. But things could get complicated if Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, or Jeremiyah Love come in range. People have them in the Top 5 with Reese rated No. 1 in the Draft.
Jack Endries. PFF Analysis. 2024 Highlights. Versus Pitt. Versus N.C. State. Stats.
Davison Igbinosun. Highlights. Unreal Int. Interview.
Roman Hemby. Highlights. Interview. Stats.
Dametrious Crownover. Film Study. Alabama Week. Samford Week. 47 Games at Texas A&M.
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