Rookie Washington linebacker Sonny Styles played his first game as an NFL player on Friday in a 20-7 preseason win over the Dolphins.
We’ll save the term “NFL debut” for games that count – that starts in Week 1 against Philly – but the No. 7 overall draft pick was in fact playing live football in a Commanders uniform.
For a little while, anyway.
Styles played 14 defensive snaps in that contest, all of them on a 93-yard touchdown drive by the Dolphins. He sat down after that to preserve health, with
a quick cameo to build on moving through training camp and the remaining preseason slate.
Looking back at the performance during a Wednesday press conference, Styles “wasn’t big a fan of it.”
“It was your first game and your first drive and you start slow,” he said. “There will always be things you want to be better at. … But it’s the first game. You’ve got to keep getting better.”
“If you asked him, he didn’t get downhill enough, didn’t take a shot when it was there,” head coach Dan Quinn said earlier this week. “… But, for the first time out, (he had) real command, and (was) ready to play.”
Styles didn’t have a chance to find a rhythm in that game, but he has developed one in training camp practices and looked good doing it. The more opportunity Styles gets, the better he’ll be. He didn’t feel anything was different during that in-game cameo. He just needs to be himself.
“You’re a linebacker, you need to have good footwork, good hands, get off blocks and get to the ball,” Styles told on-site reporters in a Wednesday press conference. “From the game, I thought I had to clean up my footwork a little bit and to make sure I’m getting off blocks. Linemen are going to get their hands on you, and you have to use your length, but that’s the same thing (as always). Ball is ball.”
Styles plays ball well. So does veteran Frankie Luvu, who looks rejuvenated in camp and has been a leader within a relatively young linebackers group. While Leo Chenal’s also in the mix at off-the-ball linebacker, it could well be Styles and Luvu partnering up regularly.
Styles appreciates his presence, and the benefits of on-field work with someone like Luvu.
“I’m trying to soak in as much information as I can,” Styles said. “He has been playing at a high level for a long time. I respect him a lot. It’s great to have a vet like that in the room. We’re learning how to play alongside each other. When you’re two linebackers playing next to each other a lot, you’ve got to get a feel for each other, like how each of you fit certain runs and knowing how to play off each other.”
The Commanders are deep into training camp now, with 13 practices under their belts. We’re still a solid distance from regular-season action starting on Sept. 13, but improvement has been made executing coordinator Daronte Jones’ new defensive scheme. There’s a lot to learn about an attacking system that prizes versatility and moving parts, but Styles believes significant progress has been made.
“We’re pretty good at knowing what to do and how to do it,” Syles said. “Now it’s about knowing why. Why are we calling this? What are we trying to defend? If we’re in this defense, what is the offense going to try and attack? That’s something Coach (Daronte Jones) talks about a lot, helping your IQ and to keep getting better in that sense.”
While the Commanders defense has dealt with injuries throughout the defense, there’s a belief among the defensive players that this group will be difficult to deal with.
“It’s going to be a high-level defense,” Styles said. “We’re going to help the team win. By any means necessary. We’re going to run fast, play violent and get after the ball.”
