The Washington Commanders made several big splashes during the opening rounds of free agency. However, one analyst believes one of their quietest ones could generally have an extremely loud impact. Mark Bullock believes the former Kansas City chief will play a profound role in new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones’ defense.
“Omenihu is listed at 6-foot-5, 280 pounds. He has spent most of his career as a 4-3 defensive end, but we’re anticipating the Commanders to switch from a 4-3 base defense to a 3-4 base defense. When you look at the other edge defenders that the Commanders have signed, Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson, those two are listed at about 250 pounds, which is significantly lighter than Omenihu.”
In Kansas City and before that, San Francisco and Houston, Omenihu played the strong-side defensive end. While he is not exactly a plodder, you cannot confuse the former Texas standout with a twitchy edge. However,as Bullock points out, Omenihu probably won’t be destined for the boundary. Instead, life as a 3-4 defense could open the door for the Commanders’ defense. 3-4 defenses rely on their outside linebackers to provide the majority of the pass rush.
Usually, in 3-4 schemes, the ends are converted defensive tackles, 300-pounders that plow forward, attempting to absorb blocks and cave the pocket in from the middle. Their approach usually meets power with power in a struggle at the line of scrimmage.
What are the Commanders getting in new DL Charles Omenihu and what might it mean for the overall defensive scheme? I took a closer look: https://t.co/2IiuquZkVV pic.twitter.com/ydufLkDAzc
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) March 23, 2026
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Make no mistake: Omenihu will surrender between 25 and 50 pounds to guards. As a result, he will need to adjust his rush path. As a 4-3 end, he used power to keep tackles off balance as they were more focused on speed and boundary quickness. Now, he will rely on a bit of quickness to be at the blockers out of their stances. Perhaps the biggest adaptation will be for Omenihu to rely less on the outside shoulder.
Multiple Fronts Look to Confuse Blockers
Omenihu, Jer’Zhan Newton, Daron Payne, and Deatrich Wise Jr. will not see the field together. However, Newton and Payne will look to start with a combination of Wise and Omenihu.
Granted, if you ask many NFL coaches what style of defense they run, the word ” multiple” will arise for a couple of reasons. First, by eliminating overarching titles, teams like the Commanders can cast doubt on offenses that will look to gameplan for a particular scheme. Multiple looks clouds offensive thinking.
Charles Omenihu (@charless_94) with the jab swipe. Beats the hands & gets the strip sack. Have a pass rush plan! #PassRush #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/CC06hD1jHW
— DLineVids (@dlinevids1) December 16, 2024
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Additionally, truth possibly resides in the multiple claims. Jones’ defense, based on Minnesota Vikings‘ defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ scheme, will look different from the first snap. Flores wants to generate pressure by blitzing more than one defender. At the same time, Jones and Flores want to make sure that the back end of the coverage holds up.
Players like Frankie Luvu and Leo Chenal play a more defined role. In reality, Jones will task them with doing a bit of everything, from rushing the passer to filling against the run to covering out of the backfield. The latter will apply more to Chenal, who recorded one interception and six pass breakups during his tenure in Kansas City.
Leo Chenal 58 TKL, 2 SCK, 1 INT 2025 Season Highlights.
New Commanders Linebacker.pic.twitter.com/xhCaU95UTk https://t.co/5CBkqPHnTV
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) March 11, 2026
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Omenihu could prove to be too big for quick tackles and too quick for bigger guards. Subsequently, he generated pressure. On top of that, by lining up new Coimmanbders edge Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson, the pressure increases.
That makes Odafe and Chaisson’s jobs a little easier. Teams will not be able to cheat an extra blocker to one side. Omenihu signed a one-year, $4 million contract to do much of the dirty work in Washington. Right now, his career-high sack total is seven. Will it pay off?
GettyNew Commanders defender Charles Omenihu during Super Bowl week in 2025.
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