Commanders' run defense looks much improved in 2025

Bryan Manning, Commanders Wire August 13, 2025 at 2:40 AM PDT· 3 min readDid the Washington Commanders fix their run defense? While Washington lost to the New England Patriots 48-18 in the preseason opener on Friday, they weren't playing with their projected starting defensive line.

Washington was ridiculed for giving 27-year-old Javon Kinlaw a three-year deal worth $45 million at the start of free agency. A first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2020 NFL draft, Kinlaw dealt with injuries and inconsistency during his first four seasons, and the 49ers didn't pick up his fifth-year option.

Kinlaw signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets, where he started all 17 games for the…