Commanders Sign Familiar Face to Replace Dorance Armstrong Jr.
Losing Dorance Armstrong Jr. for the season is the latest blow to a hit a Washington Commanders defense bleeding among every position group, but the Burgundy and Gold have at least moved quickly to replace the versatile defensive end and team sack leader, by signing a familiar face.
The Commanders brought back Jalyn Holmes on Tuesday, October 21 after Armstrong was sent to injured reserve. Both moves were confirmed by the team on X.
Holmes suited up for the Commanders in 14 games, including the playoffs, last season. He offers similar flexibility to Armstrong as a lineman who can play on the edge and also slide inside to D-tackle.
What Holmes won’t do is provide the same juice as a pass-rusher as Armstrong, who’d logged 5.5 sacks before suffering what proved to be a season-ending knee injury against former team the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7.
Armstrong’s ability to create pressure will be missed, but Holmes might offer more as an edge-setter against the run. Meanwhile, being without Armstrong should mean extended work for a more decorated pass-rusher.
Commanders Play Safe With Jalyn Holmes Move
Sticking with who they know makes some sense for the Commanders. Holmes is familiar with the schemes of head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., as well as being able to work alongside defensive line coach Darryl Tapp.
Those things might not be endorsements given how much the Commanders are struggling on the defensive side of the ball. They surrendered 44 points to the Cowboys, who moved the ball freely both through the air and on the ground.
Quarterback Dak Prescott threw for three touchdowns and was sacked just once. Running back Javonte Williams gained 116 yards on 19 carries and also found the end zone.
Both phases worked for the Cowboys because the Commanders generated too little pressure up front. Holmes is unlikely to change that because he only recorded a mere two sacks and as many pressures for the Commanders last season, per Pro Football Reference.
What the 6-foot-5, 283-pounder might do is provide some more solidity against the run. The Commanders are missing big-bodied edge defenders along the front after both Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Deatrich Wise Jr. suffered season-ending injuries.
Perhaps Holmes helps offset those losses, but the Commanders will need more dramatic solutions for adequately replacing Armstrong.
Dorance Armstrong Jr. Injury an Opportunity for 8-Time Pro Bowler
Some solid performances from 36-year-old Von Miller have been lost in all of the ineptitude embodied by Washington’s defense. The eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion has logged four sacks in seven games, including two in his last three outings.
Miller can still create havoc off the edge and make the big plays the Commanders are missing on this side of the ball. He was signed to be a situational pass-rusher, but the 2011 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year should see an uptick in his snap count while Armstrong is sidelined.
Turning Miller loose more often will make a sluggish pass rush better, while Holmes can add some much-needed beef on running downs. The combination can be a start of sorts to the Commanders fixing their widespread problems on defense.
Cowboys Legend Sends Strong Message to George Pickens
At this point, the Dallas Cowboys look like they have two of the top-five wide receivers in the NFL. Star wide receiver George Pickens has been as good as anybody could’ve imagined, and continued that against the Washington Commanders in Week 7 with 82 yards on four receptions.
On the season, Pickens already has 607 yards on 36 receptions, including six touchdowns.
With CeeDee Lamb back in the mix, some questioned if he’d still get the football as much or be as dominant as he has been for the Cowboys, but it was clear in Week 7 that he’s still someone Dak Prescott is looking to get the football to.
However, with a contract situation coming up for the Cowboys, it’s a question that looms. Some believe they’ll allow him to walk, while others want him to stay around. That includes former Cowboys legend Dez Bryant, who said that he should look at him and Lamb and want to grow together and be in the Hall of Fame together one day.
“I’d tell George, ‘I guarantee you, brother, it won’t be like this nowhere else. You & CeeDee, you guys are dynamic. Stay together, grow together, go into the HOF together,” he said on 105.3 The Fan.
Should George Pickens Want to Stay With the Cowboys?
Bryant delivers an intriguing pitch for Pickens to stay with the Dallas Cowboys, but players prioritize getting paid. Pickens won’t stay on the roster long-term if the Cowboys fail to make a competitive offer.
The NFL enforces a harsh reality: players earn their pay.
Will George Pickens Want to Leave the Cowboys?
There are also some other aspects that the Dallas Cowboys have to consider, including the fact that Pickens and Micah Parsons both have the same agents.
When Parsons went through this a few months ago, the Cowboys clearly didn’t value him as much as Parsons and his agent thought he was worth. As a result, they traded him to the Green Bay Packers.
Jerry Jones doesn’t believe that’s a problem.
“Don’t pay any attention to that at all. No attention,” Jones said, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. “Too much was made of that — that the agent had something to do with the ultimate decision of where we were. It almost had zero to do with it, period. That’s not a negative; it just didn’t have that kind of influence. I was going to be where I was with Micah, relative to dollars and cents, no matter who represented him.”
Jones took a risk this past offseason by trading for Pickens, considering some of the on-field issues he had. There was never much of a debate about his talent, but Pickens was often seen doing things that he shouldn’t have been doing.
With that out of the picture now, according to Jones, it gives him even more of a reason to go out and get the money he wants.
“He is doing more than we did expect or that we could have expected,” Jones said when speaking about Pickens’ contract. “What’s really special is he’s a real plus to have around the team. He’s a real plus around his teammates, he’s a great plus around those coaches… We knew full well that if things really went like we want them to go that certainly we need to think about having some [salary cap] room available if we’re going to pay a second receiver at that level.”
