Sometimes, there are players who provide you with more than you actually expected from them.
Such is the case for Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. when he thinks of defensive tackle Sheldon Day and what he has produced for Washington.
At his weekly presser on Thursday, Whitt was asked what Day brought to the Commanders’ defensive line.
“Man, consistency. Alright, he was a guy that when he did his workout, I was like, ‘Okay, he’s a little small.’ And I like big guys. I don’t like a bunch of little guys, but he plays thick and heavy, and he’s right where he needs to be.”
The Commanders are the sixth team Day has played for and has played in 83 regular-season games. Day has been counted out previously but keeps returning for more, attempting to stay in the NFL.
Day became a free agent last March and did not re-sign with the Vikings. In August, the Commanders picked him up and signed him to the practice squad. After elevating him to the active roster for the season opener, the Commanders signed Day to the active roster when Jonathan Allen went down with a partially torn pectoral muscle during the Ravens game.
Whitt likes how active Day is inside and how he plays within the scheme, which is always good for the entire defensive unit.
“He’s very smart, you could tell him; he understands the blocking schemes and what’s coming at him. The lean and the balance of the offense alignment. If it’s run, pass, he gets all that. And so, he’s been a very important part to our defense.”
It’s not how flashy you are on defense but how hard you play within the scheme that best helps your unit, and Day is helping with that process this season.
