The Washington Commanders spent the offseason chasing one thing above all else: getting “younger and faster.” That was Adam Peters’ message in January, and it quickly became the theme of everything Washington did after the season.
Nowhere was that more obvious than at linebacker. The Commanders said goodbye to Bobby Wagner, a move that was hard but necessary after he was picked on too often in coverage last season. Then they attacked the position from two angles, bringing in former Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal and using the No. 7 overall pick on Sonny Styles.
On paper, that overhaul changed the look of the unit in a hurry. Washington went from one of the slowest linebacker groups around to maybe one of the fastest. And while Styles was widely expected to step right into the Mike role in Week 1, Chenal may have just complicated that picture.
Speaking with Steve Wyche on NFL Network’s “The Insiders,” Chenal said he was playing the Mike.
“It’s really cool how, like, personalized it is, and, as a Mike linebacker, being in the middle, go each way, come downhill, you got so much flexibility as a linebacker in this defense,” Chenal said.
That doesn’t automatically mean Chenal has jumped Styles on the depth chart. If Washington opens in the base 3-4 look most people expect, there’s room for two inside linebackers anyway. That gives the Commanders plenty of ways to mix and match Chenal, Styles and Frankie Luvu.
And that flexibility is the real story here. All three can play inside, bounce outside and even rush the passer some.
If Chenal and Styles are both on the field, Luvu can slide outside or serve as an extra pass rusher. For defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, the possibilities are wide open.
So when Chenal talked about lining up at Mike, the safer read is that he may have meant alongside Styles, not instead of him. Either way, Washington could roll into Week 1 with multiple linebackers capable of attacking downhill, covering ground and moving sideline to sideline.
There’s little doubt the Commanders’ defense should be better in 2026. The bigger question is how much better.
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