For years, fans wondered when the Washington Commanders would make moves to upgrade the linebacker position. When Ron Rivera took over as head coach in 2020 and hired Jack Del Rio as defensive coordinator, Washington would surely make a significant investment into the position. After all, Rivera and Del Rio were longtime former NFL linebackers.
Outside of reaching on Jamin Davis with a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Commanders attempted to get by with well-traveled veterans the coaches knew from previous stops. Players who were not starting-caliber NFL linebackers. Washington’s best linebacker from the past few seasons, Cole Holcomb, was allowed to walk and replaced by Cody Barton. How’d that one work out?
This offseason, owner Josh Harris hired general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn. Judging from their previous stops, Peters and Quinn valued linebacker play and it showed in the early stages of free agency when the Commanders signed Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu.
In ESPN’s Mike Clay’s 2024 projections, he’s quite high on the new Washington linebacking unit. How high? Let’s take a look.