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Three Commanders To Replace Odafe Oweh's Production vs Philly
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- Three Commanders To Replace Odafe Oweh's Production vs Philly
(Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)
Dan Quinn said Odafe Oweh is expected to return to practice next week. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but losing Oweh for Week 1 against the Eagles would be a major blow. Washington signed him to a $100 million deal to anchor the edge opposite K'Lavon Chaisson and give Daronte Jones the legitimate pass-rush threat this defense has badly needed. Still, the depth behind Oweh has quietly become one of the more intriguing storylines of the preseason. Three players, in particular, have shown enough this summer to make an Oweh-less Week 1 feel manageable. They are not Oweh , but they do not have to be.
Javontae Jean-Baptiste
Jean-Baptiste has had the most complicated path of anyone in Washington 's edge room. A seventh-round pick out of Notre Dame in Peters' first draft class in 2024, he spent most of his first two seasons either on injured reserve or playing limited rotational snaps behind a deep depth chart. A torn pectoral in 2025 cost him most of the year — he played just three games. But he came back healthy this spring, posted a 75.5 overall PFF grade across his limited 2025 snaps — with a 71.2 run-defense grade that ranked as one of the better marks among Washington's edge defenders — and has been one of the more consistent veterans in camp this August.
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His career line is modest: 19 tackles and two sacks across 15 games. But the run defense and the effort level have never been the question. Against an Eagles offensive line that will likely try to establish the run early, Jean-Baptiste's physicality and gap discipline make him a useful early-down piece if Oweh can't go.
Joshua Josephs
Josephs has been the biggest surprise of Washington's entire training camp — and that's saying something given Sonny Styles . The fifth-round pick out of Tennessee came in as a developmental edge rusher with 9.5 career sacks across four college seasons, limited experience as a featured rusher after playing behind James Pearce Jr. , and real questions about whether his 6-foot-3, 242-pound frame would hold up at the NFL level. Then camp happened and it didn't stop there. Against the Dolphins in joint practice, Josephs got into Quinn Ewers ' face on a play-action rollout fast enough that it would have been a sack in a live game. Dan Quinn noticed too: "I thought Josh, he's on the right trajectory. I feel his length as a pass rusher. Long arm. Gain separation on the offensive tackle. He's got a nice natural bend to him."
He's also been playing SAM linebacker in certain packages, which tells you how much the coaching staff trusts his athleticism and football IQ. His 84-inch wingspan is an elite physical tool that disrupts throwing lanes even on plays he doesn't finish. Josephs still has room to grow as a run defender — that's the honest limitation — but as a situational pass-rush weapon in clear passing situations against Philadelphia , his combination of first-step burst and length is a legitimate problem for offensive tackles.
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Charles Omenihu
Omenihu is the one who gives Washington the most reliable bridge option if Oweh misses time. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound veteran spent three seasons in Kansas City winning Super Bowls and posting 11.5 sacks and 25 quarterback hits across 34 games in a defensive front that knew exactly how to use him. His 2025 PFF run-defense grade of 75.0 ranked 15th among all edge defenders in the league — and that's the trait that matters most against a Philadelphia team that has leaned heavily on a physical run game to set up Jalen Hurts ' play-action. Omenihu wins with a violent first punch, natural bend around the corner, and the length to disengage from blockers and influence the quarterback even when he doesn't finish the sack. He said it himself when he arrived in Washington: "I did it in college, I did it in Houston , I did it with the Niners, I did it with the Chiefs. I think it's really fun to be able to rush anywhere." Against the Eagles, that versatility — the ability to line up at defensive end, kick inside on clear passing downs, and generate pressure from multiple spots — is exactly what Jones needs to keep Hurts uncomfortable.
None of these three are Odafe Oweh. But collectively — Jean-Baptiste setting the edge in the run game, Josephs attacking upfield in clear passing downs, and Omenihu generating interior pressure and rotating through the line — Washington has enough to make Philadelphia's offensive line work for every completion. Week 1 against the Eagles was always going to be a war. These three can help make sure it stays a fair fight.
Depth was built for moments like this. Washington's edge room is about to find out what it's made of.
