Washington Commanders linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. is enjoying his first season with the team, and he is having one of the best years of his 10-year career.
Fowler, 30, has 8.5 sacks this season for the Commanders, the most in any year for him since 2019, and the team still has six games to go.
Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. has been with Fowler for a few years, even in previous stops, and he has seen his evolution with a front row view.
"He's a guy that I just knew if you gave him the right opportunities, put him in the right spots, he can produce at a high level," Fowler said. "He’s a guy that has tremendous bend and balance around the corner. The thing that we've talked about going into this year is finishing on the quarterback. The past couple years, his sack numbers haven't been as high. He's won, he's beat the tackle, he just hasn't controlled and finished on the quarterback. And I give all that credit to [Assistant Defensive Line Coach] Ryan Kerrigan. He's done just a heck of a job taking Dante, and once you get past the tackle, control to the quarterback and finish. That's really what he's worked with him for a long time and it's showing. And then the production that Dante's having. So, that's all Ryan right there.”
If Fowler continues to play at a career-best level, the Commanders defense could scare some teams in the playoffs.
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