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How Good Is Sonny Styles? Commanders Rookie Is Washington’s Third-Highest-Graded Defender
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- How Good Is Sonny Styles? Commanders Rookie Is Washington’s Third-Highest-Graded Defender
Sonny Styles was all over the field in the Washington Commanders' 27-10 win over the Eagles on Sunday night. The No. 7 pick played 68 of 69 defensive snaps, and he enters Week 9 as Washington's third-highest-graded defensive starter on the season, according to PFF's midseason review of first-round rookies .
He finished with eight tackles, two stops and two hurries. His 79.1 run-defense grade and 81.0 tackling grade led a 71.3 overall mark in PFF's final charting of the game, and he missed only one tackle on nine attempts.
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Sonny Styles ranks second among rookie linebackers
Sep 27, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles (52) deflects a pass intended for Seattle Seahawks running back Jadarian Price (8) at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Styles' 70.5 season grade ranks 18th among 76 qualifying linebackers, and his 73.7 coverage grade ranks 10th, according to his PFF page . That puts him second among nine rookie linebackers, behind only Giants rookie Arvell Reese. His eight pressures on 46 pass-rush snaps rank 11th at the position.
The coverage numbers from Sunday depend on which PFF count you use. The rookie roundup credits him with two catches allowed on three targets for nine yards, while PFF's final game charting has four catches on five targets for 42 yards. Either way, Philadelphia didn't get a big play on him.
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That range is what Washington drafted him for. On draft night, Styles said the coaches told him "they think I do all three at a high level," meaning the Mike, Will and Sam spots. The one weakness is tackling over the full season, as PFF has him with 10 missed tackles, which ranks 68th among the 76 linebackers.
He wasn't the only defender who stood out. Amik Robertson (77.1), Frankie Luvu (77.0) and Jeremy Reaves (75.9) all graded higher in the game, and Charles Omenihu was one of our winners with five pressures as Washington sacked the Eagles five times, according to PFF.
At 2-4-1, the Commanders are back in the NFC East conversation , and the schedule gets busy right away. They host the Rams on Sunday and visit the Giants four days later, and an offense that needs a cleaner opening script will lean on a defense with its rookie linebacker at the center of it.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
