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Commanders' 2 replace 1 in key change this offseason originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Washington Commanders made one of the best positional upgrades this offseason, according to ESPN's Ben Solak.
Solak ranks the Commanders' improvement at linebacker as the No. 3 biggest uptick of any position in the NFL this offseason -- behind just the Cardinals at RB and the Raiders at linebacker.
For Solak, it was really about just one departure from the Commanders: Bobby Wagner.
"One of the more brutal declines of the past few years has come from Wagner," Solak writes. "As smart as they come, Wagner has continued racking up tackle numbers even in the twilight of his career, with 162 last season and a career-best 183 in 2023 with the Seahawks. He was making All-Pro teams as recently as 2024 for his incredible durability and nose for the ball carrier. But Wagner's lack of speed was a glaring weakness for the Commanders' defense over the past two seasons. In 2025, Wagner's max speed topped out at 18.2 mph, according to Next Gen Stats' tracking data -- fifth slowest among starting off-ball linebackers. His average speed -- 9.1 mph -- was dead last. The difference between Wagner and second worst (Cody Simon) was as large as the difference between Simon and 14th worst."
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Wagner was picked apart by opposing passing games, and so bringing him back for another season would've risked even further decline and struggle.
Instead, the Commanders signed Leo Chanel, and they drafted Sonny Styles.
"Chenal is younger and faster than Wagner, and in new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones' system, he will be used as a rusher from on- and off-ball alignments," Solak writes.
Chenal was just the appetizer. Styles could be everything.
"The stars aligned in the draft when Ohio State LB Styles fell to Washington at No. 7," Solak writes. "Styles is a converted safety who brings the coverage chops sorely lacking in Washington's linebackers room. At his size (6-foot-5 with an 81-inch wingspan) and with his speed (4.46-second 40-yard dash), he occupies a ton more space in zone coverage than the average LB. Styles hasn't taken a snap of NFL football yet, so I don't want to get over my skis here, but this is a player with revolutionary potential."
Styles, pictured atop this article with a big smile, could be the defensive face of the Commanders, joining forces with Jayden Daniels to lead a once-proud franchise back to perennial contention.
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