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One Commanders' position group has Dan Quinn excited
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- One Commanders' position group has Dan Quinn excited
One Commanders' position group has Dan Quinn excited
Two years ago, the Washington Commanders saw two linebackers named to the NFL's second-team All-Pro team. Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu, both in their first year in Washington, enjoyed outstanding seasons in helping the Commanders finish 12-5 and make it all the way to the NFC Championship Game.
Unfortunately, things fell apart for Washington in 2025. Injuries played a part in the Commanders' demise, but the defense was terrible. Wagner had another productive year, but at 35, his lack of speed led opponents to attack him directly in the passing game. Luvu's play regressed, as he often had to play out of position.
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After the end of the season, GM Adam Peters promised the Commanders would be "younger and faster" in 2026. That approach led Washington to sign former Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal in free agency. Chenal, one of the NFL's most athletic linebackers, certainly fits the bill of making Washington younger and faster.
In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Commanders selected linebacker Sonny Styles, an All-American at Ohio State and one of the most athletic defensive players to come out in years. Suddenly, Washington's linebackers looked like a completely different unit.
While Wagner will not return in 2026, Luvu will. New defensive coordinator Daronte Jones seemed excited about having the chance to coach Luvu. In addition to Chenal, Styles and Luvu, third-year linebacker Jordan Magee also returns.
Head coach Dan Quinn couldn't contain his excitement talking about his linebackers.
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"I think its size, its speed," Quinn said on Tuesday. "I certainly feel like the speed and the length of it, during this time of year, last week in practice, there was lots of zone. So, how quickly could a guy break? In other words, when I'm dropping, and I'm near the hash, can I make a play that's over by the numbers? Can I burst that fast to go see if I can do that? And so, this is the time to see can they make it, can they get to that location? I like the urgency that I'm seeing from them. Guys have been intermixing in between the groups, but there is a lot of speed from Jordan and Frankie and Sonny and Leo, like those four, I feel them in all different ways and different accommodations and certainly [LB] Kain [Medrano] and [LB] Ale [Kaho] too, honestly, the guys at linebacker are really pushing the speeds."
In addition to adding size and speed at linebacker, the Commanders also made significant additions elsewhere, too. Barring injuries, Washington should be significantly better on defense in 2026. So, when people say that Peters didn't do enough to help Jayden Daniels, they clearly haven't been paying attention.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Dan Quinn excited about this position group
