Dan Quinn looked right into a Commanders in-house camera moments after Washington selected linebacker Sonny Styles and said two words we’ll have to paraphrase on this family-friendly site.
“Eff yeah.”
The Commanders got their guy. Their head coach was pumped.
Rightfully so. Styles was one of the best prospects in the 2026 NFL draft, only available at No. 7 overall because he plays a non-premium position. Styles should be a game-changer for a team looking to get
younger and faster on defense, with the smarts, savvy and athletic traits to star in the NFL.
[RELATED: Commanders NFL draft class: Realistic Sonny Styles expectations in 2026]
We knew from the moment mentioned above that Quinn was excited about the Styles pick. We hadn’t heard much else from him since. He wasn’t at any of the post-draft press conferences and hadn’t spoken to the independent media before Thursday’s appearance on the Rich Eisen show.
Quinn heaped praise on the former Ohio State star, who converted from safety to linebacker a few years back, and explained how he felt once the pick was made.
“When that took place, knowing that we were going to add him to the group, that was awesome,” Quinn said during the interview. “He had such an impact at Ohio State, and even on his visit here it was so strong that he loves (the game). The traits he has playing the game and where we think he can go to, we’re really pumped about.
“… Every once in a while all the stars align. This was one of those cases.”
Quinn believes the sky’s clearly the limit for the 6-foot-5, 244-pound athlete, someone who wowed at the combine and in a visit to the Commanders training complex.
That’s why Quinn’s so excited to work with an individual of great talent and high character.
“I can’t wait to coach him,” Quinn said. “He’s hungry for it; he wants to improve. Seeing his first couple years at DB and then shifting down to linebacker at the start of the 2024 season, I just felt like this guy’s gonna take off. Reps at the position, and like just seeing it more and more, I cannot wait to get rolling with him.”
Quinn’s mind is already racing with the prospect of adding him to the Commanders defense, working with coordinator Daronte Jones on how to use Styles best. Considering Styles’ talent and versatily, it sounds like the Commanders are going to get creative.
“We will play in a lot of zone, where we will have vision to the QB and you can imagine this type of speed, this type of length, to be able to close to the ball,” Quinn said. “Although he hasn’t blitzed a ton at Ohio State — (Arvell) Reese was there, as well — the fact that we’re going to send this guy as a blitzer. So, I think it’s that type of versatility, where we will align him, how we can do that. He’s got the football acumen because of his time at safety, the coverage part of his game is intact and so to see him unleashed in some new ways, that’s going to be something that I very much look forward to being a part of.”
The Commanders could also add the green dot to his helmet, a relative rarity for a rookie. Being in charge of communication with the defensive play caller requires leadership and scheme mastery, which is why veterans often carry the mantle. Quinn said that Styles might be up for the assignment right away.
“That’s one of the nice things about guys already doing that in college,” Quinn said. “In the old days, we’d wait to see if he has the leadership in that space. He’s the type of player who is certainly capable of that.”
