Commanders DL coach Eric Henderson looking for a specific mentality

New Washington Commanders defensive line coach Eric Henderson is most interested in how his players approach every day.

Henderson stopped long enough to talk with Washington ABC 7 sports reporter Natalie Spala after OTAs this week.

“You talk about the discipline we gotta have to play this game every day,” Henderson said. “The attitude we need to have on a day-to-day basis, having that work ethic and that mindset to be able to do the things that we’re asking them to do. We ask them to apply that to their day-to-day life.”

Henderson knows something about day-to-day football life. He’s not a former big-name player, and he has had to work to build a reputation. After three years in the NFL as a player with the Bengals (2006-08), he played three seasons with the Las Vegas Locomotives in the United Football League.

Henderson has had to work hard to stay involved. There have been coaching stops at Georgia Military College, Oklahoma State, UTSA, the L.A. Chargers, the L.A. Rams, and USC; in February, Henderson was hired by the Commanders as their defensive line coach.

Being process-oriented is Henderson’s Modus Operandi.

The #Commanders new defensive line coach Eric Henderson talks like a head coach.

D.A.W.G. mindset & approach to life.

He was with the Rams when they won Super Bowl LVI. He knows what a championship defense looks like.

He believes Washington has all the pieces. pic.twitter.com/I3fkAalJyE

— Natalie Spala (@_nataliespala) June 12, 2026

“I don’t think you can be a dawg without having that grit and griminess about you, said Henderson. “We want to make sure we are putting that on in full display in our approach every day. If you’re willing to do those things, you become obsessed with the process. So that process is what really drives you every day.”

“When you become obsessed with that, you can attack that with a relentless mindset. There’s going to be adversity at times. How do you respond to those things?”

The Commanders certainly had adversity last season. Too many starters went down, to many guys were shown to be too old, too slow.

Henderson talked about having the killer instinct to finish the competition, finish what you started. So, that’s what the dawg-work mentality is. Henderson said it is how he tries to live his life.

“I want these guys to see it’s bigger than just football. If you take that approach to life in general, that’s how you become a champion. Those are the things that I know from an experience standpoint and want these guys to really understand that.”

With the Rams, when they won a Lombardi Trophy by defeating the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, Henderson said he believes this team has put together good enough talent to succeed. And then he went back again, stating that the mental aspect will be the most rewarding.

Still working in his own personal life, Henderson is working toward a master’s degree in educational psychology. Well, he certainly does seem to talk an awful lot about the psyche of his defensive linemen as well.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: New DL coach Eric Henderson is impressive