Bobby Wagner - Commanders LB
There is no denying Bobby Wagner's place in NFL history. He is one of the greatest linebackers of the modern era. He is a first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer beyond dispute. He was also instrumental in the Washington Commanders' exceptional cultural reset under head coach Dan Quinn, culminating in the 2024 NFC Championship Game.
Wagner's cracks have begun to show this season, especially when he is isolated in space. He's firmly in the twilight of his glittering NFL journey, so there will be no better time to see what Washington's other linebackers can do as part of their long-term planning.
Quinn has a fierce loyalty to Wagner. The fact that he played 100 percent of the team's defensive snaps against the New York Giants is further proof. However, keeping Jordan Magee on the fringes is nothing short of organizational malpractice at this juncture.
Magee flashed enormous promise when his number was called this season. The Temple product is fast, explosive, physical, and instinctive. But the only way he's going to get better is by gaining more snaps. The second-year player was on the field for 14 reps in Week 15, which was a bizarre turn.
Ale Kaho and Kain Medrano are even further down the pecking order. Unless the Commanders plan to extend Wagner this offseason, which seems unlikely, they should diminish his involvement.
Von Miller - Commanders OLB
I went back and forth with this one. The Commanders don't have many players capable of consistently generating pressure. This was a concern for fans before the campaign, and the injury problems on the defensive edge have only magnified it.
Von Miller, like Wagner, is another first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer when he eventually calls time on his prolific career. There isn't much he hasn't achieved in the game, and he's done relatively well when called upon this season. But the fact that he is leading the team in sacks with seven speaks volumes about how this campaign has unfolded.
Miller has outlined his desire to continue playing. He wants to stay with the Commanders if possible, but that remains unlikely if Adam Peters gives the team's pass-rush the priority it clearly deserves this offseason. That's why reducing his involvement couldn't be dismissed entirely.
The Commanders probably don't have the personnel to do this, even if they wanted to. However, trying different defensive alignments, potentially even throwing Ale Kaho on the edge on occasion, is only going to help with their evaluations in the coming weeks.
Of all the names on this list, reducing Miller's reps seems the most unlikely. If the Commanders had other viable options, it would be a different story. That's not the case, which has to change in time for 2026.