The Washington Commanders touted creating turnovers as a foundation of their defense in the offseason, stressing the importance of creating more opportunities for the offense. Up to this point, however, the turnovers have not come, and the unit is one of just three teams in the league that could not take the ball away in the first two quarters.
The Commanders' defense feels the sense of urgency to end that drought, but the players aren't letting it dominate their thoughts. They're confident the system they're in will give them more chances at turnovers and capitalize on them.
"It's going to get loose soon," Odafe Oweh said in the locker room following Wednesday's practice. "It's bound to stop. If we keep forcing the issue, keep punching the ball out. It's going to get loose."
The Commanders have had lingering issues with forcing turnovers the last three seasons. It's an unexpected development given head coach Dan Quinn's recent history, as the Dallas Cowboys were near the top of the league in generating takeaways during his three seasons as their defensive coordinator. Since 2024, however, the Commanders have been in the bottom 10 in the category and had the second fewest in 2025. They forced just two fumbles last season -- the fewest in the league.
Enter Daronte Jones, who was hired as a first-time defensive coordinator and brought a variation of Minnesota Vikings play-caller Brian Flores' system with him. It's a system that uses disruption at the line of scrimmage to force quarterbacks to make poor decisions with the ball, and there's a track record of that working out. The Vikings led the NFL in forced turnovers in 2024 and had a league-high 13 forced fumbles in 2025.
Neither Jones nor Quinn has hidden their disappointment that the defense hasn't had similar success in the first two games of the season.
"I would have thought, from the takeaway department, that the defense would knock a few out," Quinn said. "I like the play style and the hitting and going. So those are ones that we'll continue to emphasize hard."
Although the Commanders acknowledge they plan to change up certain aspects of their scheme to fix other issues with the unit, particularly with giving up explosive plays, they feel like the play style will lead to more opportunities to take the ball away. For example, the Commanders have become one of the better teams at stopping the run after struggling in the area last season. They fill their gap assignments and attack blocks with physicality, which has helped them rank 16th in rushing yards allowed. They're also one of eight teams that have not given up a rushing touchdown.
That hasn't led to running backs coughing up the ball, but Quinn believes the good habits the unit has shown so far will yield more results in time.
"I like that we took shots at it," Quinn said. "You saw one; I thought [DT Daron] Payne had a couple good shots at the ball. I thought [OLB] K'Lavon [Chaisson] did on a sack of Dak. So, we gotta continue to wreak havoc, cause disruption, and I'm certain that that will take place the more that we hit it."
Quinn keeps track of how many times the Commanders' defense manages to "tap the rock," as he calls it, meaning the number of times a defensive play can get their hands on the ball, whether it's through a punch, interception or pass breakup. They are not at the number Quinn would like to see, but he feels like they are getting closer.
"When those numbers increase, I know the likelihood of getting them does," Quinn said.
Jones described the lack of turnovers as "the most glaring" issue that he would like to see fixed on defense. It's not as if the players and coaches lack an understanding of how important it is for their success. They have stressed it every day and tried to instill a mindset of taking the ball away so players are constantly attacking the ball.
There's still some room to grow there, though, and Jones knows it.
"It changes the game," Jones said of turnovers. "The turnover margin changes the game, and we have to do our part with that."
And the Commanders are being proactive about fixing their defensive issues. Jones said the defense is going to simplify some of the calls this week so that communication can improve and players can have more confidence in their roles on a given play. The hope is that will solve multiple problems for the unit. It will help prevent the unit from "shooting ourselves in the foot," as Payne described it, and help put players in a better position to make plays on the ball.
"I feel like if we can stop shooting ourselves in the foot, I think we will be good," Payne said.
And while it does require a certain mindset, Quinn believes it's possible to coach players to create more turnovers. On runs, players need to fly to the ball and create gang tackles to punch the ball loose. In the passing game, emphasizing the importance of getting a hand on the ball can create second-chance opportunities. The only thing the coaches can do is keep stressing those teaching points.
"I do think the speed can create it; the hitting can create it," Quinn said. "But it is a skill, and I do think there's a level of that. Like if you come in being able to take the ball away, I think that does factor in. Much like production in college, like a guy [who] has a lot of tackles there, it's likely that's gonna carry over."
The Commanders could use a turnover or two this weekend against the Seattle Seahawks. While the Seahawks' defense has already generated four takeaways, their offense only has one giveaway so far this season. However, if last year is any indication, the Commanders will have chances regardless of whether Drew Lock or Sam Darnold are in at quarterback. The Seahawks had the second most giveaways in the NFL last year and the seventh most in 2024.
The Commanders will need to execute against the reigning Super Bowl champions, though, which is not an easy task. But while their defense is still a work in progress, they know that if they stick to their tendencies, the opportunities will be there.
"I just gotta continue to encourage those guys," Jones said. "You just gotta keep going at it; gotta keep just chopping wood, and eventually, the tree will fall."
