The Washington Commanders added depth to their defensive line by bringing Tim Settle back to the roster. Here are five things to know about the defensive tackle.
1. He spent the first half of his career with Washington.
This isn't news for most Commanders fans, but for the people who may have recently jumped on the burgundy and gold bandwagon, this isn't the first time Settle has worn the colors.
Settle, a fifth-round pick in 2018, spent the first four seasons of his career with Washington, amassing 54 tackles in 63 games. He was mostly a reserve player in that span, thanks to Washington having four first-round picks at the top of the defensive line depth chart, but he was known for being a solid rotational player who could help stop the run and provide some pressure on quarterbacks (more on that later).
Settle left Washington after the 2021 season to pursue other opportunities to be a starter, first signing with the Buffalo Bills and later with the Houston Texans. He got the most starting snaps of his career with the latter, as he started in 23 of 29 appearances in two seasons with the Texans.
Now that Settle is back, he's part of a small group that can claim they played for the franchise as a Redskin, Washington Football Team player and Commander. That list includes the likes of Tress Way, Jeremy Reaves and Daron Payne, all of whom are still on the roster from Settle's first stint.
2. He can be an efficient pass rusher.
Settle has a firm grasp of his skill set and what he can bring to a defense by now. He knows the Commanders are most interested in his ability to stop the run, and at 6-foot-3 and 313-pounds, he's expected to play a role in the middle of Washington's new defensive scheme under coordinator Daronte Jones.
But Settle does have some pass-rush juice in his bag. His 15 sacks over 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.
In fact, he was actually the most efficient pass rushers on Washington's roster back in 2020. Despite playing in only 21.9 defensive snaps per game through the first 12 weeks of the season, he had a league-best sack rate of 4.5%, according to Sports Info Solutions. There was a five-game stretch where he averaged a sack every 29 snaps.
So, while players like Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson will take on most of the responsibility of revamping the Commanders' pass rush, Settle has a role to play in that as well.
3. He's an artist.
Settle isn't just talented on the field. He's also an aspiring rapper.
Settle first tried his hand in the music industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since he, like everyone else, knew he was going to be spending a lot of time by himself in his house, he decided to pursue the venture to see where he could take it.
Settle, under the name "ItzTim," wrote and produced 20 songs and even released an album, "Trench General," back in 2021. He found inspiration from the people around him, from Greg Stroman -- another former Washington player who had been his teammate since high school -- and his son.
He even has a song that gives a shoutout to Way and his status as an elite punter. Check it out below.
4. He has a unique sack celebration.
Like many defensive players, Settle has a celebration for when he gets a sack. There have been some good ones over the years -- fans will probably remember Ryan Kerrigan's "RKO" that he would pull out whenever he got a quarterback on the ground -- but Settle's is even more unique. He jumps up and down like a penguin.
There was some trial and error involved in Settle, well, settling, on the celebration. He told the hosts of It's Always Gameday in Buffalo that he hated his old celebration in high school, so he decided to change it once he got to Virginia Tech. He tried a few different ideas in front of his teammates, and for whatever reason, the penguin dance stuck.
Settle even embraced the penguin identity beyond the field. He even had custom shoes designed with the animal on them.
Settle likes busting out the dance on the field, although he only did it once in 2025. Hopefully fans will see a lot more of it in 2026.
5. He's in Washington to man the middle of the defense.
Settle has one goal during his second stint in Washington. He wants to man the middle of the defense, and he wants to do it in a destructive manner.
"I'm coming to control the middle of the field," Settle said. "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 is fine with doing whatever the Commanders need, but the middle of the field is exactly where they need him the most. The Commanders had one of the league's worst defenses in 2025, particularly against the run. They ranked 30th in yards allowed per game, 27th in yards per attempt and 26th in rushing first downs allowed per game.
And that sounds good to Settle as long as he can be himself while doing it.
"You're gonna hear me before you see me," Settle said. "I'm just all energy. I feel like if you can bring good energy to your work environment, you can have good results."
