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Commanders' Tim Settle described in three words
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- Commanders' Tim Settle described in three words
Washington Commanders fans were probably surprised to hear Tim Settle's name on the first day of free agency. Washington agreed to a three-year deal with Settle worth $24 million. Settle, a native of nearby Manassas, Virginia, played collegiately at Virginia Tech and was a fifth-round pick of the Redskins in 2018 — the same year Washington drafted fellow defensive tackle Daron Payne.
After four years in Washington, Settle signed a two-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. He appeared in 32 games, making four starts for the Bills in two seasons. Settle signed with the Houston Texans in 2024, starting 23 of the 29 games in which he played. Settle was an integral part of Houston's defense over the last two seasons, including recording 10 tackles for loss and five sacks in 2024.
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Settle's best football has come in the last two seasons and returns to Washington at only 28 years old. Settle's contract indicates the Commanders have a significant role in mind for him in 2026.
As for Settle, he's happy to return to home.
In a recent edition of " Next Man Up " with Bryan Colbert Jr., Settle said he was just happy to be drafted by his favorite team in 2018. Now, it's all about winning. After going to the playoffs only once in his first four seasons with Washington, he's gone to the playoffs in each of the last four years.
"My last four years, luckily, I've been able to make the playoffs, and I wouldn't have come here if I didn't see that," Settle said.
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Settle acknowledged that the opportunity to play for head coach Dan Quinn was also a selling point. He remembers watching the Commanders last season and seeing Quinn collide with quarterback Marcus Mariota. Quinn jumped right back up, with blood on his face. That impressed Settle.
"I think of myself as a dog, dog mentality," Settle said. "When you say dog mentality, everybody don't really have that. But when you see a leader bounce back up from something like that, oh ok, I can go to war with him. He might get dirty with us."
Settle then described his play in three words: physical, nasty and violent.
"I'm in the trenches, so I'm physical, nasty and violent."
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That's music to the ears of Washington fans who watched last season's defense. They were the opposite of physical, nasty and violent. General manager Adam Peters made it a mission to get "younger and faster" this offseason. He also made it a point to get tougher. While it's uncertain what defense Washington will play in 2026, Settle will be a big part of it.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Tim Settle's play described in three words
