The Washington Commanders entered the offseason looking for a roster refresh. The team spent nearly $260 million in free agency, looking to revamp the weak spots on the roster. One of the team’s biggest areas of concern was on the defensive side of the ball. Pro Football Focus ranked Washington as the third-worst coverage team in 2025. As a result, the team brought in defensive backs Amik Robertson, Akhello Witherspoon, and Nick Cross to help support their backend unit.
New defensive coordinator Daronte Jones specifically highlighted how Amik Robertson’s addition has paired well within the defense as a whole and opposite Mike Sainristil.
“Amik is a Pit Bull out there, as we know, and he plays with a certain level of intensity,” Jones told reporters on Tuesday. “Those guys, you see them in the meeting room, they mess very well with one another, they like two peas in a pod, and so that chemistry that they’re building will help us grow, and again utilize our versatility on the defensive side of the ball.”
Dan Quinn continued to elaborate on Robertson and Sainristil as a complementary unit, stating, “I liked the balance of what I’ve seen with Amik and Mikey outside. Both of them have similar games in some ways, in terms of the competitiveness … they’ve got football smarts.”
Amik Robertson Attempting To Bounce Back With Commanders in 2026
GettyAmik Robertson recorded 52 total tackles, two forced fumbles, an interception, and 12 passes defended in 2025 with the Detroit Lions.
Much like the Commanders, Robertson is attempting to rebound from a disappointing 2025 campaign. Evan Winter and Mike Payton of A to Z Sports compiled Pro Football Focus’ grades for Robertson from his 2024 and 2025 seasons with the Detroit Lions and compared them.
Amik Robertson PFF Grades: 2024 / 2025
- Reception % allowed: 57.5% / 67.0%
- Receiving yards allowed: 595 / 817
- Interceptions: 0 / 1
- QB rating allowed when targeted: 89.3 / 109.3
- Forced Incompletion rate: 11% / 10%
- Receiving TDs allowed: 2 / 6
- Missed tackle rate: 10.6% / 16.4%
- PFF coverage grade: 60.4 / 48.1
Robertson grades better in nearly every category listed during his 2024 season. Despite this, Washington still signed the 27-year-old to a two-year $16 million contract in March, literally banking on a return to form.
Daronte Jones Pulling From Past Experience In Defensive Scheme
When the Commanders hired Daronte Jones as their new defensive coordinator, the thought was that he would bring over a scheme similar to the one used during his five-year tenure with the Minnesota Vikings.
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is known for his unique coverage attack and aggressive blitz packages. Jones alluded to pulling inspiration from Flores and many other defensive minds from his experience.
“B-Flo [Brian Flores] has definitely been very instrumental in my background, along with many others”, Jones told reporters. “And so you’re talking about a Marvin Lewis…a Mike Zimmer, Vance Joseph…I like to think to think you’re pulling from a little bit of everyone.”
Jones vast history will certainly play a big role as he enters a new domain as a first-time defensive coordinator at the NFL level.
Jones also told the media that it has been helpful to lean on Dan Quinn, who hails from a defensive background. Being able to lean on Quinn will be crucial as the entire team looks to get on the same page as the season nears.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Commanders’ $16 Million Free Agent ‘Pit Bull’ Signing Already Paying Off appeared first on HEAVY.