Commander Country

Former Washington DE Leads USFL in Sacks; Could Commanders Sign?

Chris Odom played four games for Washington in 2019.

Jeremy Brener

The Washington Commanders are looking to possibly upgrade their defensive line.

After it was revealed that the Commanders put in an unsuccessful claim for former Atlanta Falcons defensive end John Cominsky, it seems possible that Washington could still be looking for someone to add to the defensive line rotation.

Maybe the Commanders should rely on a familiar face.

This spring, former Washington defensive end Chris Odom has been tearing up the USFL with the Houston Gamblers.

On Sunday, Odom became the first player in the league to reach the 10-sack threshold and recorded three sacks in a loss to the Tampa Bay Bandits.

His 11 sacks lead the USFL while nobody else in the league has more than seven.

Odom went undrafted out of Arkansas State in 2017 and signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent. However, Odom failed to make the 53-man roster and was cut by the team just before the start of the season.

Odom played seven games with the Green Bay Packers last season after picking him up off waivers.

In 2018, after being cut by the Packers, Odom joined the AAF's Salt Lake Stallions. After the AAF folded midway through its inaugural season, the Falcons signed him to a two-year deal ... only to cut him just before the 2019 season.

Odom caught on with Washington later that season and suited up for four games in 2019, recording his first two NFL sacks in a game against the Carolina Panthers.

Odom hadn't played pro football since 2019 before joining the Gamblers, and he's definitely made the most of his opportunity.

He's looking to parlay his strong play into a path back to the NFL, and maybe the Commanders should take another look.

Published
Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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