The Washington Commanders have the pieces in place to have one of the best defenses in the NFL. When healthy, there isn’t a team in the league that can compete with their defensive front of Chase Young, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Montez Sweat.
That is the backbone of the Washington defense. Behind that, things could use a little bit of work. The Commanders did a solid job of replacing contributors that departed in safety Bobby McCain and linebacker Cole Holcomb. Cody Barton was signed away from the Seattle Seahawks to help replace Holcomb, but the safety position remains unaddressed.
With Kamren Curl and Darrick Forrest, safety isn’t the team’s most pressing need. But, the franchise isn’t going to leave any stone unturned, so they are doing their due diligence leading up to the draft. One player that could be on their radar is Alabama safety, Brian Branch.
Branch met with the Commanders last week, along with Florida interior lineman O’Cyrus Torrence. Offensive line depth, especially on the interior, is one of the team’s biggest needs heading into the 2023 NFL Draft. While the safety position isn’t Branch is still a player that could help this defense.
Branch has been contributing to the Crimson Tide since he stepped on campus as a freshman. While labeled as a safety, that doesn’t do him justice for just how versatile and productive he is. Depending on the need, Branch has experience playing deep safety, strong safety, nickel corner, linebacker and as an EDGE rusher in some packages.
If Branch can improve as a slot corner, he will be a true jack-of-all-trades at the next level. He excels as a defender in the box where his athleticism and instincts are on full display. His versatility would be a great addition to any defense, capable of filling different roles with his unique skill set.
That skill set was on full display in 2022. He stuffed the stat sheet as Branch recorded 90 total tackles, 14.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, two interceptions and seven passes defended.
