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Former Alabama DL Phidarian Mathis waived by Washington Commanders, per report
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Former Alabama defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis has been waived by the Washington Commanders on Saturday. Mathis had played in 12 games for the Commanders this season and collected 17 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 pass deflection.
Mathis was a 2nd-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but rookie Jer’Zhan Newton and veteran Sheldon Day surpassed the former Tide defender in the rotation. Now, Mathis will look to catch on elsewhere before the NFL playoffs begin.
As mentioned above, Mathis entered the league as a 2nd-round selection by the Washington Commanders. As a rookie in 2023, Mathis played sparingly, finishing with 8 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.
In 2024, Mathis appeared set for a bigger role on the Washington defense. However, a new staff had other ideas and used a 2nd-round pick on Jer’Zhan Newton. While Mathis fell out of favor in the nation’s capital, another team will likely be willing to take a chance on the former highly-drafted player.
Mathis sent 2017-21 in Tuscaloosa. The DL collected 129 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and 10.5 sacks during his career with the Tide. Mathis was a key member of the defense that won the National Championship in 2020.
However, Mathis’ best college season came in 2021. After racking up 53 tackles, 12 TFLs, and 9 sacks, Mathis was considered one of the top DL prospects for the 2022 NFL Draft. Mathis joined a Commanders team that had success with other Tide defenders like Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen, but unfortunately has been unable to approach those players’ levels of production thus far.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
