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The Washington Football Team made headlines this week when news broke of Jonathan Allen's extension. Allen, a key piece of the team's defensive line, received a four-year extension worth $72 million.
The Washington Football Team appear to be doing all they can to keep their star-powered defensive line together for the long haul. The effort to keep the defensive line intact should come as no surprise to anyone. A large part of why Washington was able to win the NFC East last season was the dominating play on the defensive front.
Washington's starting defensive line consists of four first-round draft picks: Jonathan Allen was selected in 2017, Daron Payne in 2018, Montez Sweat in 2019, and Chase Young in 2020.
You'd be hard-pressed to find another team in the NFL that has dedicated more draft capital to one position group than the Football Team has done with its defensive line.
All the talk surrounding Washington's defensive line brings up an intriguing question: Does the Washington Football Team have the best defensive line in the NFL? If not, who does?
Does Washington Football Team have the best defensive line in the NFL?
Before going into a discussion on which is the best defensive line in the NFL, it's important to first examine the individual pieces on Washington's defensive front.
The oldest member on the team's starting front is Jonathan Allen, who's an absolute force in the interior. He may not have had the most sacks in 2020 (only two), but he had 24 quarterback pressures.
Plus, he was consistently helping other Football Team pass rushers get to the quarterback by causing pressure up the middle.
The other starting interior defensive lineman is Daron Payne. Payne's specialty is run defense. He ended the 2020 season with seven tackles for loss and 54 total tackles. Payne is considered the weakest of Washington's four starting defensive linemen.
When someone as good as Payne is considered the weakest starter along your defensive line, then you've got an absolutely stellar unit.
At edge rusher, Washington features the dynamic duo of Chase Young and Montez Sweat. Young and Sweat are all-round players who can defend the run and rush the passer at high levels. Simply put, they're emerging stars in the NFL.
In his rookie season, Young had 7.5 sacks, 24 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for loss. Meanwhile, Sweat, in his second season, had nine sacks, 31 quarterback pressures and 12 tackles for loss. Assuming Washington is able to keep the two together, they'll be crushing quarterbacks together for the next decade.
Yes, the Washington Football Team's starting defensive line is incredible, but what really makes the group special is the strong depth behind the starters.
Tim Settle and Matt Ioannidis, in particular, are two players who could start on other teams around the league. Having six starting-caliber players along the defensive line is simply outstanding.
This leads us to the original question: Does the Washington Football Team have the best defensive line in the NFL?
It's a close call, as there are a couple of other exceptional defensive lines, but, yes, we believe the Washington Football Team has the best defensive line in football.
Washington's defensive line is great no matter the situation. Need a sack? They'll get you one. Need a run stop on third and one? They can do that too. In addition, each player is relatively young.
The group has the potential to become even more dominant as Young and Sweat continue to develop.
Other contenders for the best defensive line in the NFL
It's worth mentioning some of the other elite defensive lines in the NFL. The first being the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose defensive front poses the closest competition to Washington.
T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Tyson Alualu, Stephon Tuitt and Melvin Ingram is a stacked unit. Last season the Steelers had a league-leading 56 team sacks.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers are the other teams that deserve recognition for the strength of their respective defensive lines. WFT, though, reigns supreme.
