New look LB room could become Commanders’ best unit

One of the Washington Commanders’ weakest position groups over the past several seasons has been at linebacker. The unit struggled to bring down would-be ball carriers, consistently cover tight ends, and make an impact for a fledgling defense.

Enter new coach Dan Quinn, defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., and general manager Adam Peters. The trio identified a linebacker room that needed major upgrades during the offseason and so far they have delivered.

What once was a liability now has the potential to be the Commanders’ strongest and most competitive unit.

In the offseason, Washington signed free agents Bobby Wagner (Seattle Seahawks), Frankie Luvu (Carolina Panthers), Anthony Pittman (Detroit Lions), and Mykal Walker (Pittsburgh Steelers). The Commanders drafted Jordan Magee out of Temple University to compete for significant playing time. Add these players with former first-round draft pick Jamin Davis and the team feels like they have a collection of veterans, budding stars, and young potential that boosts the unit’s fortunes.

The big name in the group is Wagner. The former Seahawk standout is a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. He’s a Super Bowl XLVIII winner, a nine-time Pro Bowler, and a ten-time All-Pro selection (six first-team selections. The accolades don’t stop there. Wagner is a three-time NFL tackles leader and leads all active players in career tackles. Although he is in the backside of his playing career, don’t be fooled into not understanding the impact and value Wagner brings to the other players on the roster.

Washington Commanders Training Camp Day 1 News and Notes

Washington Commanders Training Camp Day 2 News and Notes

Luvu who has budding star abilities instantly benefits from Wagner’s presence on the field.

After Day 2 of training camp, Luvu spoke of the synergy that’s developing with Wagner.

“Sometimes we don’t say anything, but we just feel each other, and it just connects man,” Luvu said. “Like we just kind of play off each other. The communication level between me and him is on point so it’s moving forward, and the process is to keep it like that.”

Luvu spoke about Magee and what he’s seeing in the rookie.

“He’s picking it up real quick. He’s coming on a long way, real quick for a rookie taking everything as early as it is in camp,” Luvu expounded. “He’s just been a sponge and trying to pick our minds, me, [LB] Bobby [Wagner], and the rest of the defense. So, looking forward to working with him for the rest of the camp.”

Perfecting the details of assignments is one of the most important things to adhere to in camp and the former New York Jets and Carolina Panthers linebacker sees that developing.

“Oh man, I think it’s very important,” Luvu mentioned. “This is where we build the brick-by-brick foundation and the standards that we want our team to be at in December. So it’s the little things right now we don’t have the pad on, so from there on we need to work on our techniques, our fundamentals, our steps, just playing smart football and talking and looking out for each other, but at the same time, we’re competing between the whistles and on that field.”

If everything goes the way the team plans and the unit continues to build, the Commanders could go from a bottom-tier linebacking group to potentially having one of the NFL’s best in 2024.