The Washington Commanders’ strong start to the 2024 season initially masked some of the team’s flaws, as it’s easy to overlook issues when victories keep coming. However, after suffering three straight losses, with what now feels like a series of must-win games starting in Week 13 against the Tennessee Titans, that early success seems distant. One of the players now under scrutiny is defensive end Dorance Armstrong, who was recently named to a “hot seat” list by Dean Jones of Riggo’s Rag.
Armstrong, a key offseason acquisition for head coach Dan Quinn, joined Washington after following Quinn from the Dallas Cowboys, where Quinn had been the defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. The Commanders signed Armstrong to a 3-year, $33 million contract in March 2024.
Jones pointed out that Armstrong hasn’t recorded a sack since Week 5 and has only 2.5 sacks for the season, along with 18 pressures and 25 tackles. Given that Armstrong was expected to be the team’s primary edge rusher, the coaching staff may have anticipated more production from him. All three of his sacks came in the first five games of the season.
Armstrong Got Off to Blazing Hot Start in 2024
Just four games into his time with the Commanders, Armstrong appeared to be one of the offseason’s biggest free-agent bargains. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox highlighted him as one of the 32 “Hidden Gems” on every NFL roster. Knox noted that the 27-year-old had started all four games, recording two sacks and an impressive 10 quarterback pressures—three more than Steelers star T.J. Watt had managed in the same span. While acknowledging that Armstrong isn’t quite on Watt’s level, Knox suggested that Armstrong had emerged as the Commanders’ new edge rusher after the team traded away Chase Young and Montez Sweat in 2023.
However, not everyone was convinced by Armstrong’s performance. Jerry Trotta of The Landry Hat criticized head coach Dan Quinn and the Commanders for paying Armstrong so much. He argued that spending big in free agency doesn’t always lead to success and mentioned that Quinn had overpaid for Armstrong and fellow Cowboys free agent Tyler Biadasz, along with signing 33-year-old tight end Zach Ertz, who had only played 17 games over the past two seasons. Trotta warned that any of these moves could backfire on Quinn.
Armstrong Had Unique College Experience
During his college career at the University of Kansas, Armstrong gained plenty of experience with losing. Under head coach David Beaty, the Jayhawks posted a dismal 3-33 record over three seasons from 2015 to 2017. They went winless in 2015 (0-12), followed by a 2-10 record in 2016 and a 1-11 finish in 2017, Armstrong’s final year before leaving with one year of eligibility remaining.
Despite the team’s struggles, Armstrong’s individual talent caught the attention of NFL scouts. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 255 pounds, Armstrong was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round (No. 116 overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. While he never became a full-time starter, Armstrong made an impact during his six seasons in Dallas. He played in 93 games with just 14 starts, accumulating 23.5 career sacks, including 21.0 in his final three seasons, capped by a career-high 8.5 sacks in 2022.
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