Film Session: Joshua Josephs’ Path to the Commanders’ Pass-Rush Rotation

Washington doesn’t need Joshua Josephs to become a star in Year 1. Josephs is unquestionably starting his NFL journey behind Washington’s veteran pass rushers on the depth chart, but if the fifth-round rookie can develop into a reliable situational pass rusher, he could solve one of the Commanders’ biggest weaknesses from a season ago. The expectations for a late draft pick should be reasonably low, but for a team that was among the worst in the league in pressure rate last season, anyone capable of creating disruption will have an opportunity to earn snaps under defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, regardless of draft status.

Joshua Josephs has an opportunity to earn a valuable role under his rookie contract. He possesses some of the prototypical traits of an NFL edge rusher. While he is undersized coming into the league, his arm length and hand size overshadow his 6’3 240-pound frame. Furthermore, from a physical standpoint, his tape is built on flashes rather than consistency, but the underlying traits—burst, bend, hand usage, and pursuit effort—are exactly what teams bet on in the middle rounds. Although I was impressed by his play strength as an undersized edge rusher, at the pro level, his ability to anchor and stalemate/shed blocks in the run game will be an important watch.

In the latest Trap or Dive film session, I break down his strengths as a raw pass rusher that sold Washington to draft Josephs. We also dissect exactly what his role could be as he continues his development as an NFL pro. If Josephs can successfully carve out a niche role as a situational pass rusher in this scheme, the payoff in a couple of years could easily make him one of the better Day 3 value picks in this draft class.

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