Washington’s defense ranked in the NFL’s lower third last year, necessitating Joe Whitt Jr.‘s firing at the end of the season. Daronte Jones was brought in to correct the defensive issues, and Dan Quinn has asserted the new defensive coordinator will have full control to implement his own scheme. We previously looked at several coverage schemes Jones might utilize to disguise his secondary and keep the opposing offense on its heels, plus how the cornerbacks and safeties fit within them. Now our series
concludes with the off-ball linebackers.
Sonny Styles
The versatility associated with Sonny Styles is such that analysts are already spending a fair amount of time hypothesizing over the various roles in which Jones might deploy the No. 7 overall NFL draft pick. Options include safety, big nickel, multiple linebacker spots and Styles coming off the edge. The possibility of Styles filling several roles on the field would allow Jones to constantly change how the defense attacks the opposing offense without the need to substitute additional personnel. The former Ohio State linebacker’s draft profile suggests he has the athleticism, measurables and football IQ to be a key cog in Jones’ defense, making him an excellent fit for the system. However, this endorsement comes with a disclaimer.
Sonny began his college career as a safety before transitioning to linebacker for the final two years of his career at Ohio State. Consequently, while he has a high ceiling, Styles is still very much a work in progress and will need time to develop at the professional level. Concerns for the rookie revolve around playing too high, a lack of discipline in coverage, and gap-dependent blitzes. The inevitable complaints about drafting a developmental player in the top ten 10 can be assuaged with the realization there is a clear role for Styles’ rookie season modeled after Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman.
As a fifth-round selection by the New York Jets in the 2019 NFL Draft, Cashman may seem like an inauspicious comparison, but Styles would be lucky to match Blake’s role in his first year. The Vikings linebacker is versatile and can play multiple positions. His sideline-to-sideline speed makes his main role a stabilizing force in the middle, totaling 256 tackles over two seasons for an average of 9.5 tackles per game. While he can also provide pressure in blitz packages, his true value is in coverage.
When Cashman was in the lineup, the Vikings had previously limited opposing quarterbacks to a 77.3 passer rating and allowed just 17 passing touchdowns to 22 interceptions. When he went out with an injury to start the 2025 season, those numbers climbed to a 98.2 passer rating and 10 passing touchdowns to only 4 interceptions.
Cashman has the athleticism to stick with both tight ends and wide receivers, gain depth quickly in coverage, and the tackling ability to bring receivers down quickly on short completions. In Palms coverage, Cashman aligns midway between the No. 2 receiver and the tackle to split the difference and maintain leverage. From there the linebacker diagnoses the play and either latches on to wide receivers in man-to-man coverage or drops into zone, to act as a robber to cut off inside breaking routes and shallow passes. Here are some clips of Cashman in coverage from his time with the Texans, provided by Vikings writer/fan Matt Fries. Cashman is located at the top of the screen in the first two, and in the middle on the last.
Styles demonstrates plus instincts in coverage and his history as a safety gives him a solid understanding and feel for route concepts. His 9.99 RAS score is even more impressive than Cashman’s 9.52 score, and Styles’ plus size at 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds matches up well with even the biggest receiving tight ends in the game. He still needs to refine his coverage skils, but the potential is there. Hogs Haven analyst Jamual Forrest, highlighted Styles’ coverage ability in his film review including this clip of Sonny in a similar ROBOT coverage shown by Cashman above. He is located at the bottom of the screen by the logo.
Styles does have a tendency to bite on playaction fakes and overrun plays, but elite athleticism should allow him to learn on the job. As he grows in his role, Jones may utilize Styles as a big nickel or in other roles more but, to start, I believe Jones parks Styles in Cashman’s middle linebacker spot and uses his athleticism in disguised looks and basic blitz packages day one.
Leo Chenal
The newly acquired linebacker was known for his versatility in Kansas City. Per Next Gen Stats, since the start of the 2023 season, Chenal split his time almost equally between a traditional linebacker role (45.8%) and the line of scrimmage (49.1%). This happens to align with the usage of another Vikings linebacker, Eric Wilson, who returned to the team in 2025. He spent time in Philadelphia, Houston and Green Bay after his four seasons in Minnesota, where he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017. When Cashman went out with turf toe, Wilson stepped into the middle and filled in admirably, to an extent that Wilson did not relinquish his starting role to Ivan Pace Jr. when Cashman returned mid-season.
With Cashman back in the lineup using his instincts and speed to cover the middle, Wilson was freed up to make more splash plays, blitzing off the edge and shooting gaps in the middle. According to Next Gen Stats, Wilson played 400 snaps in a linebacker alignment, but also logged an additional 263 snaps on the edge. I would expect Daronte Jones to utilize Chenal in a similar role, where he initially lines up at the line of scrimmage pre-snap and either plays out the rep along the defensive line or drops back into the middle post-snap in disguised looks. Like Wilson, Chenal’s speed and power should work well at the line of scrimmage.
Used in a purely rotational role by the Chiefs, Chenal frequently logged less than 50% of the team’s total defensive snaps for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, and he’s still raw as a middle linebacker and needs to develop his instincts at the position. While Chenal is improving in coverage, he needs to be deployed properly there to succeed. In fact, I questioned his fit with the team in my free agent profile of Chenal back in March, with the idea he would be lining up alongside Frankie Luvu. The addition of Sonny Styles solves this issue and allows Chenal to fit into Jones’ scheme as both an off-the-ball linebacker and a player that can operate near the line of scrimmage.
Frankie Luvu
Given the limitations Luvu demonstrated last season, plus the addition of two athletic, versatile starters; along with multiple hybrid linebacker/safety options, it may appear to be the end of a significant role for Luvu on the defense. Head coach Dan Quinn recently disagreed, saying they would use all three a “good bit.”
While I do think they want to involve Luvu, the phrase, “a good bit of time” is most likely coachspeak. Sideline-to-sideline speed has never been a big part of Luvu’s game, although his demeanor is certainly a fit. If Jones follows Flores’ tendency to blitz on early downs, I could see No. 4 play predominantly close to the line of scrimmage and used to blow up run plays in the backfield. Luvu would rotate out in sub-packages utilizing two linebacker sets and, with multiple options at the edge position, his time there should mercifully come to an end. The Vikings moved Pace Jr. into a similar role last season, where he played 30% of the snaps and blitzed on approximately a third of them. It all adds up to reduced snaps for Luvu but with increased effectiveness.
Best of the Rest
Jordan Magee enters his third year and continues to develop after flashing over limited snaps last season. Kain Medrano saw zero defensive snaps last year, but has the athleticism and a skill set that lends itself to coverage, while Ale Kaho excels in a downhill, attacking role. The undrafted free agent surprised some by claiming a roster spot last year. Hogs Haven’s Mark Tyler has an article coming out soon with a look at the Commanders positional depth, and I expect him to declare the talent in the linebacker room the best it has been in years.
Bottom Line
While some analysts suggest that Styles will be eased into the lineup at the beginning of the season, I see Quinn and Jones giving him significant snaps in the middle right away, but limiting his initial role. First, this is the fastest way for Styles to develop, and secondly, though still a rookie, there is no other linebacker in the room that has his potential in coverage. Chenal should be used alongside him as previously described, with Luvu working in a rotational role. I project the total defensive snaps as follows:
- Sonny Styles 85-90%
- Leo Chenal 75-80%
- Frankie Luvu 30-35%
Overall, the Washington Commanders linebacker room is athletic and versatile, which will allow Jones to run disguised looks at the line of scrimmage and bring pressure while maintaining the integrity of the defense. There may have been some concerns over positional value, but the selection of Sonny Styles is the final piece of the puzzle for a position group that will be key in Jones’ defense in 2026.
