The Washington Commanders' defensive interior looked drastically different last weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles. It turns out that it will be the new normal going forward.

The Commanders, already dealing with injuries to key players, were dealt three more blows on Tuesday, with Daron Payne, Jeremy McNichols and Javon Kinlaw all being placed on Injured Reserve, likely for the season, according to head coach Dan Quinn. The losses of Payne and Kinlaw are the most distressing; they were the Commanders' two best defensive tackles, and they played important roles in the unit's performance against the run.

For the rest of the year, the duo of Shy Tuttle and Tim Settle will be charged with manning the defensive interior. They handled themselves well in the Commanders' 27-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, but with more run-dominant teams on the schedule, they will be asked to continue stepping up. The Commanders believe they are ready for the task.

"For he [Tuttle] and Tim inside, I thought those were some of the things I was looking for in the interior spots," Quinn said.

Tuttle and Settle have enough experience to prepare for larger roles. They have played in a combined 251 games with 102 starts, recording 404 tackles between them. Settle is a more recent starter and was an important piece of the Houston Texans' run defense, on top of recording six sacks in two seasons. Tuttle has been more of a rotational player over the past two seasons but has more starting experience. He played at least 15 games in four consecutive seasons from 2022-24, and while he was not an impressive pass rusher, he did have 186 tackles in that span.

Tuttle at least earned the right to get more snaps on Sunday after being a disruptive force against the Eagles' offensive line. He filled the stat sheet with six total tackles -- including two for a loss -- a sack and a quarterback hit. It's his first multi-sack season since 2022, and his two tackles for loss were the most he has ever recorded in a single game.

He currently has a 73.9 tackle grade from Pro Football Focus – a career high for the veteran.

"He's got quickness, but he can also play square and wins with leverage," Quinn said.

Settle added more to that list: Tuttle has strength, although he joked that he has his fellow defensive lineman beat in that category.

"He's real good with his hands," Settle said of Tuttle. "In this defense, when you play with really good hands, you can be successful."

Settle came to Washington because he wanted to "control the middle of the field," as he put it when he rejoined the team that drafted him in 2018. They wanted him to help shore up the run defense, which struggled last season, and so far, while Settle is not solely responsible for it, the Commanders have done much better against the run. They were 22nd in the league in the category this time last season; now, they are 12th and allowing less than 100 rushing yards per game.

"I think I'm gonna be used in a really good way, and I'm gonna be used definitely to help the defense, just being able to penetrate and do what I've been doing in the past in my career," Settle said in March.

But Settle's value does not stop at stuffing runs. His 15 sacks in the previous eight years don't sound like much, but he has nearly doubled that number in quarterback hits, including 10 in 2024, and 41 total pressures, according to Pro Football Reference. He already has a half-sack this season, and there is a chance that will increase with more snaps.

Settle admitted that he is still getting back into the groove of rushing quarterbacks -- his previous role required him to be mostly a run-stuffer -- but with Payne now out for the foreseeable future, he will likely have more opportunities to generate pressure.

"It's starting to feel good to be able to fill blocks differently and be able to collapse the pocket," Settle said. "Just keep the quarterback uncomfortable."

Settle believes he and Tuttle work well together, partially because their skill sets are interchangeable. Jokes about strength aside, they are both larger presences in the defensive interior who know how to hold up blocks and prevent offensive linemen from covering up linebackers.

Tuttle agrees with Settle that the two have strong chemistry on the field. They have known each other since high school, so they have had plenty of time to learn how to work well together.

"That's my brother," Tuttle said. "And really, it's just taking advantage of the opportunity."

They will need more of Settle and Tuttle's on-field synergy on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, who average 125.5 rushing yards per game, fueled by the duo of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. The two have combined for 937 yards and nine rushing touchdowns.

The challenge, Tuttle said, will be attacking for four quarters.

"Just doing a good job...and executing for a full 60 minutes," Tuttle said.