A year can change the conversation fast, and Washington’s linebackers are a good example.
ESPN asked NFL executives, coaches and scouts to rank the top 10 off-ball linebackers heading into the 2026 season, and only two players who suited up for the Commanders in 2025 showed up on the list: Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner. Luvu’s presence makes sense. Wagner’s inclusion is harder to square after a 2025 season in Washington where he was repeatedly taken advantage of in pass coverage.
The top spot belonged to Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers, who stayed No. 1 despite playing only six games in 2025. Washington will see him in Week 6 on the road, and the Commanders are hoping they’ve found a player who can grow into that kind of role in Sonny Styles.
Roquan Smith of the Baltimore Ravens checked in at No. 2. He is one of only two players to post at least 130 tackles in each of the past six seasons, joining Wagner.
Carson Schwesinger of the Cleveland Browns landed at No. 3, a strong showing for a player with just one season of NFL experience. He was one of three players with at least two sacks, two interceptions and 10 tackles for loss.
Zach Baun of the Philadelphia Eagles came in at No. 4 and was one of two linebackers to appear on every top-10 ballot. That matters for Washington, too, since the Commanders face him twice every year in the NFC East.
Jack Campbell of the Detroit Lions took No. 5 after a 176-tackle season, the most by a Lions player since Chris Spielman in 1994. Azeez Al-Shaair of the Houston Texans followed at No. 6, with his nine passes defended last season standing as the most for a Texans player with 100 tackles since Brian Cushing had 10 in 2009.
Jordyn Brooks of the Miami Dolphins landed at No. 7 after earning first-team All-Pro honors. His 5.9% run stop percentage led all off-ball linebackers, and his 13 tackles for loss ranked second at the position last season.
Nick Bolton of the Kansas City Chiefs was No. 8, and his 4.6% career run stop percentage leads all linebackers since he entered the league in 2021. Edgerrin Cooper of the Green Bay Packers came in at No. 9, with 17 career tackles for loss - the most for a Packers player over his first two seasons since Clay Matthews III had 35 in 2009-10.
Devin Lloyd of the Carolina Panthers rounded out the list at No. 10. He was the only NFL player last season with five interceptions and five tackles for loss.
Washington also overhauled its linebacker room this offseason, adding free agent Leo Chenal to join Styles as new pieces alongside Luvu.
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Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that there is no clear sign of outside interest at the moment, which only adds to the uncertainty around Samuels future. The expectation now is that his next contract will come in well below the kind of deal that once seemed plausible, and unless the market changes quickly, his next stop remains very much up in the air. [Read more 🡒]
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Washington spent the offseason trying to get younger and faster at linebacker, and the additions of Leo Chenal and Sonny Styles fit that plan neatly. Chenal brings a physical presence to a group that also includes Frankie Luvu, while Styles gives the Commanders another athletic option as they shape the middle of the defense around a more versatile look.
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