Joshua Josephs and the legend of Andrew Van Ginkel

Ever since Daronte Jones was hired as the new defensive coordinator for the Commanders in January, Washington fans have heard about the “Van Ginkel” role. A fifth-round selection of the Miami Dolphins in the 2019 NFL Draft, Andrew Van Ginkel started his career in relative anonymity, providing good, if not spectacular, production for the Miami Dolphins. The head coach that drafted him? None other than current Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

Flores was an early believer in Van Ginkel’s potential, and he jumped at the opportunity to sign the outside linebacker when he became available in 2024. Flores took Andrew’s length, instincts, and versatility and used him to create a constant unknown for quarterbacks and offensive coordinators. At times Andrew Van Ginkel will rush, other times he will drop in coverage, and still others set the edge versus the run. While not dominant as a pass rusher, Van Ginkel has a good first step and the athleticism to create havoc on the outside. After spending multiple years in Flores’ system, he has a firm grasp of the defensive concepts and how to execute the scheme.

It makes for a key cog in Minnesota’s defense, and at one point last season it was noted the Vikings ranked eighth in total defense with Van Ginkel in the lineup and 20th without him. In fact, Andrew Van Ginkel’s instincts and effectiveness are so good that descriptions of his play sometimes almost take on mythical qualities. Consider this write-up on Van Ginkel by The Athletic’s Alec Lewis:

There are instances where Van Ginkel, 30, seems to teleport. In other moments, a review of a Vikings defensive coverage is almost necessary to ascertain whether there are multiple Van Ginkels on the field.

His ability to make plays in both coverage and in pass rush is so rare that some might, if you will pardon the expression, consider him a unicorn amongst defensive edge players.

So which options do the Washington Commanders have for this key role in Jones’ defense? The first, and most likely, is K’Lavon Chaisson. The projected starter opposite Odafe Oweh, Chaisson has plenty of pass rush ability and streaky ability to set the edge in the run game but is not comparable to Van Ginkel in coverage. Gink played the most coverage snaps of any edge in the league last year, with 135 coverage snaps. Chaisson played about 25 coverage snaps with the Patriots last season, and it has never really been part of his six-year career. Leo Chenal might also be under consideration, but he has limited ability as a pass rusher, and his coverage skills are still a work in progress. The most natural fit for Van Ginkel’s role on the Commanders’ roster may be a fifth-round selection of their own.

Joshua Josephs was selected with the No. 147 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. A four-year senior out of Tennessee, the selection caught some fans by surprise, but Josephs offers upside as a long, athletic edge and was the top player on Adam Peters’ board by a wide margin at the time of the selection. A bit undersized, Josephs is almost a physical mirror image of Van Ginkel and his athletic profile is similar as well.

Like Van Ginkel, Josephs has a good first step and plays with effort and a high motor. Playing behind James Pearce for a good part of his college career, Josephs had limited production in college but a good final season with the Volunteers, recording 33 tackles, six TFLs, four sacks, three pass deflections, and three forced fumbles. Josephs plays with discipline and gap integrity when setting the edge but can be inconsistent as a tackler and needs to add strength. While this may make him seem like any other developmental Day 3 edge prospect, the interesting part of Josephs’ training camp has been his ability in coverage.

While Josh wasn’t known for his coverage skills at Tennessee, he has performed well when called upon. His draft profile from the Ringer cites, “Josephs shows the fluidity and athleticism to flip his hips and drop back into coverage.” So far that has proven to be true, and the rookie has looked comfortable dropping into space during training camp.

Josephs has been catching the eye of reporters in training camp all summer and had a great joint practice session with Miami. While he didn’t have any splash plays in Friday night’s preseason game and his lack of a pass rush plan was evident, Josephs’ energy and motor were on display. His length stands out of the field, and he was utilized in Van Ginkel’s role on several occasions. While he did allow a completion, Josh looked capable in coverage on the play.

Josephs still lacks Van Ginkel’s instincts and innate ability to read defenses, but the tools are there. He needs time to develop his game, but the early indications are Josh is ahead of schedule. Daronte Jones has noticed and believes that he is in a good situation to continue his upward trajectory.

“Josh is, he’s picking up the tutelage of Coach Pagano. But then also, he’s surrounded by some good guys in that room. With K’Lavon Chaisson and ‘Doff’ [OLB Odafe Oweh] and Dorance [Armstrong], they’re in his ear. He’s watching those guys, he’s learning from those guys. So, he’s in a good group where he can kind of fast track a little bit some of the maturation process, but I like where he is so far.

It all adds up to a breakout performance for the rookie coming sooner than later, and fans should expect Josephs to take on a rotational role in the Washington Commanders’ defense at some point during the season. Rotational doesn’t necessarily mean insignificant, because, as Andrew Van Ginkel has shown, the ability to disguise the coverage while generating pressure makes a Flores’ style defense far more effective. Hopefully Josephs can do the same for Daronte Jones and the Washington Commanders.