There wasn’t much the Washington Commanders did right on defense in 2023, which means in 2024 there’s going to be a lot of new faces on that side of the ball.
The latest of those is a former Super Bowl champion after the Commanders signed edge rusher Justin Hollins on Aug. 19, announcing the move on the team’s official website and releasing linebacker Bo Bauer at the same time.
Hollins, 6-foot-5 and 248 pounds, is on his sixth NFL team in 6 seasons after the Denver Broncos drafted him in the fifth round out of the University of Oregon in the 2019 NFL draft.
In 2023 alone Hollins played 12 games for 3 teams, starting the season with the Green Bay Packers (4 games), before a quick stop with the New York Giants (1 game) and finishing the season with the Los Angeles Chargers (7 games).
Hollins Went From Pac-12 Star to NFL Journeyman
Hollins was a three-year starter at Oregon and capped his career by earning All-Pac-12 Conference honors in 2018 with 64 tackles, 14.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles and 6 pass deflections. He was also named Defensive MVP of the East-West Shrine Game following the season with 10 tackles, 3 TFL and 2.0 sacks.
Hollins started 2 games and played in all 4 postseason games for the Rams following the 2021 season, including a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. Hollins started a career-high 5 games for the Rams in 2022 before he was waived and finished the season with the Packers.
In 34 career games for the Rams, Hollins had 50 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. He’s also seen the postseason twice, playing in 6 games for the Rams in 2020 and 2021.
Commanders Strongest on Interior Defensive Line
The Commanders finished toward the bottom of the NFL in sacks (39) in 2023 and added a bevy of edge rushers in the offseason, including projected starting defensive ends Clelin Ferrell on a 1-year, $3.5 million contract and Dorance Armstrong on a 3-year, $33 million contract.
The Commanders traded away their best pass rusher midway through the 2023 season when they dealt defensive end Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears after 8 games. Despite playing the last 9 games of the season for a different team, Sweat still led the Commanders with 6.5 sacks.
Hollins is currently listed at the bottom of the depth chart behind Ferrell at left defensive end.
Where the Commanders are strongest on the defensive front is on the interior defensive line, where a pair of first-round picks remain with two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Daron Payne.
Allen and Payne are also two of the highest-paid players in the NFL at their position. Allen signed a 4-year, $72 million contract extension with the Commanders in 2021 that keeps him with the team until 2025. Payne signed a 4-year, $90 million contract extension in March 2023.
The Commanders have also planned for the future on the interior, drafting defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton, the 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, in the second round (No. 36 overall) of the 2024 NFL draft after Newton was projected by many as a first-round pick.
The Commanders close out the preseason on Aug. 25 at home against the New England Patriots and open the regular season on the road against the three-time defending NFC South Division champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 8.
