After drafting linebacker Sonny Styles, the Washington Commanders have upgraded the talent level in the front seven of the 2026 defense
Ahead of the start of the first round, the Washington Commanders had multiple routes they could turn to with the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. How it ultimately played out took away some of those dreams - and quickly.
After the New York Jets turned to David Bailey with the second pick, the Arizona Cardinals became the first heartbreaker after drafting former Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. The Tennessee Titans followed it up with the first true surprising pick of the night after taking wide receiver Carnell Tate, allowing the New York Giants to take another fellow Buckeye in Arvell Reese.
The first trade of the night took another defensive target off the board with the Kansas City Chiefs swapping with the Cleveland Browns to take DMV native and cornerback Mansoor Delane, paving the way for general manager Adam Peters to add another impact piece to the front seven.
With linebacker Sonny Styles in the fold, the Commanders did exactly that.
Both Styles and Leo Chenal, the former Chiefs linebacker who inked with the Commanders in free agency, came into the NFL with a 9.99 RAS score, giving the Commanders the most athletic linebacker duo in NFL history.
With his range on full display after transitioning from safety to linebacker ahead of the 2024 season, Styles adds versatility to Washington where he noted he will be able to play inside and out for new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones while general manager Adam Peters noted the former Buckeye as a "future Fred Warner." Styles finished with 9.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss during his time in Columbus after transitioning from safety to linebacker in 2024, flashing his short area quickness and sound tackling while doing well shedding blocks.
Yet that description also fits what Chenal noted, pointing to his ability to become a blitzed in the aggressive defensive scheme while playing both on and off the ball. The former Wisconsin star ranked third out of over 2,400 linebacker prospects spanning from 1987 to 2022 with Chenal drawing elite grades in multiple combine drills including the 40 yard dash.
Chenal's RAS is somehow not an exception on the Commanders' defense with Styles also owning a 9.99 score out of ten, ranked just behind Chenal as the fourth-best linebacker prospect since 1987.
Chenal arrived in DC with a chance to play inside and out, though with Styles now in the fold, the former Chiefs linebacker has the flexibility to stretch back outside with Styles capable of playing MIKE or WILL with Peters also pointing to SAM as a possibility.
For a Commanders defense that generated pressure on less than 20% of snaps in 2025, the new linebacker tandem becomes impact pieces in the path to flip the script in 2026.
The athletic linebacker pairing adds versatility to Daronte Jones's blitz packages alongside new edge rushers K'Lavon Chaisson and Odafe Oweh, anchoring a deeper room with others like Dorrance Armstrong and Drake Jackson back and looking to bounce back along the defensive line. Add in the addition of versatile interior defensive lineman Tim Settle to a unit that returns Daron Payne, Javon Kinlaw and Jer'Zhan Newton, the pieces are there to become an imposing front seven and flip the script from 2025.
Maybe the question now will be whether the Commanders secondary will show signs of improvement with Nick Cross back in the DMV looking provide an upgrade as the new starting strong safety, yet the cornerback room has its question with no clear cut number one cornerback as Trey Amos recovers from his season-ending 2025 injury.
Led with Styles and Chenal now anchoring a linebacker room that returns Frankie Luvu and Jordan Magee, who could thrive in the new defensive scheme, the Commanders continue upgrading the athleticism at the disposal of Jones and head coach Dan Quinn heading into a critical 2026 season.