This past weekend, Tennessee football edge rusher Joshua Josephs heard his name called in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Washington Commanders took the productive four-year LEO with the 47th overall pick in the fifth round of the draft.
How does Josephs fit in with the Commanders, though? ESPN lists Josephs as the backup SLB in Washington’s 3-4 base scheme. This places him behind K’Kavon Chaisson, a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
This will be Chaisson’s first season with the Commanders after playing last year with the Patriots. With New England, he appeared in 16 games while posting 31 tackles, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
The expectation is for Chaisson to make an instant impact with Washington. However, Josephs could work his way into the rotation among outside linebackers early in his tenure. Listed behind Josephs is veteran Charles Omenihu, also in his first year with the franchise.
a Vol who can ball 💪@joshuajosephs2 | #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/B1sF6mLea9
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 25, 2026
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Josephs joins the Commanders after being a four-year player at Tennessee. During his career, he racked up 104 total tackles, eight pass deflections, 9.5 sack and six forced fumbles.
Most recently, he is coming off a senior season in which he produced 33 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a touchdown in 11 games played.
Josephs now joins a group of successful LEOs in the NFL produced under Josh Heupel. Byron Young has had an extremely productive young career with the Rams after playing for the Vols in 2021 and 2022. James Pearce Jr. had a really strong rookie year last season, but had off the field issues which puts his future in jeopardy.
