The way the Green Bay Packers shredded the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football in Week 2 made it look there are holes all over the Burgundy and Gold’s defense, but Bobby Wagner knows the unit’s biggest weakness.
He’s still the leader of this defense, but the 10-time Pro Bowler was as lost as anybody covering Packers tight ends, particularly Tucker Kraft. The third-year pro feasted with six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown, so Wagner was naturally asked why the Commanders struggled against tight ends.
Wagner told reporters, including JP Finlay of NBC4 Sports, “It was just our eyes. I think, collectively, our eyes have got to be better. That’s pretty much it.”
Although he kept things simple, Wagner can’t ignore what is a fundamental flaw for Washington’s defense. Namely, the ability of linebackers to stay with receivers in the middle of the field.
No member of the linebacker corps, including Wagner, looked competent in this area during the 27-18 defeat at Lambeau Field. It’s something the Commanders must fix when there’s more than one gifted tight end looming on the schedule, starting as early as Week 3.
Bobby Wagner Looked Vulnerable vs. Packers
He’s the beating heart of the Commanders’ front seven. The on-field general who calls signals pre-snap and leads by example after the ball is snapped, but 35-year-old Wagner appeared vulnerable in Green Bay.
Never more than on this play when he lost track of Kraft, who got free for a huge 57-yard gain. The play prompted Commanders analyst Chad Ryan to comment six-time first-team All-Pro Wagner “Looked totally lost.”
It’s natural for Wagner to be showing signs of slowing down during his 13th season, but coverage was always a solid part of his game. A breakdown in this area is worrying when the Commanders don’t have natural cover linebackers, a deficiency ruthlessly exploited by Kraft and the Packers.
Not only were the Commanders unable to prevent Kraft from stretching the seams vertically. They also couldn’t bring the 6-foot-5, 259-pounder down after the catch.
Kraft tallied “a career-high 74 yards after catch (+19 over expected),” according to Next Gen Stats.
That number is an indictment of the Commanders and their inability to handle big-bodied pass-catches in space. It’s a problem with no easy fix ahead of facing more beefy playmakers.
Commanders Have No Obvious Fix for Problem vs. Tight Ends
There aren’t many alternatives to a declining Wagner in coverage. Not when fellow ‘backer Frankie Luvu is more effective as a blitzing weapon.
Nor when second-year pro Jordan Magee has potential breakout skills, but hasn’t stayed healthy. Then there’s Kain Medrano, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft who would need to make a significant leap to solve a not-insignificant problem for the Commanders.
Unfortunately, there is no respite ahead when the Las Vegas Raiders and All-Pro Brock Bowers are set to visit Northwest Stadium in Week 3. Bowers is an injury doubt this week, but the 22-year-old who caught 112 passes in 2024, could be fully healthy by Sunday, September 21.
There’ll be no letup when Kyle Pitts and the Atlanta Falcons host the Commanders in Week 4. A larger threat will be presented by the Kansas City Chiefs and perennial All-Pro Travis Kelce in Week 8.
The schedule is all the incentive Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. need to fix a major weakness. Doing so won’t be easy without more fluid athletes at the second level, but the Commanders need more than greater eye discipline to plug the gaping hole in their underneath coverage.
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