Frankie Luvu and 2 Commanders who could enter post-bye week superstardom
By James Dudko
It's a testament to the smart team-building processes of general manager Adam Peters that two of the three Washington Commanders players on the cusp of superstardom are members of the team's 2024 NFL Draft class.
The burgeoning rookies set to dominate after the bye week play vital positions. One in the secondary, the other along the offensive line.
Both first-year studs have helped solve what were the worrying underlying problems on a rebuilding roster. Another issue has been solved by the veteran who has proved to be the prize acquisition of the Commanders' free-agent class from last offseason.
This player's heightened status may seem like a no-brainer to Commanders fans, but superstardom is about dominating the attention of the broader, league-wide fanbase. The primary game-wrecker of an increasingly aggressive and elaborate defensive scheme is becoming more widely known.
Here are the three Commanders players set for superstardom post-bye with the playoffs in sight.
3 Commanders players who could enter superstardom after the bye week
Frankie Luvu - Commanders LB
Adam Peters handed Frankie Luvu a three-year deal this offseason with the expectation he would become the roving menace head coach Dan Quinn has usually made the feature of his defenses. Think of Micah Parsons and his brief for the Dallas Cowboys.
It took time, but Luvu is finally thriving as the on-the-move disruptor Peters and Quinn envisaged. The Washington Commanders are sending Luvu off the edge, moving him inside, and running twists and stunts designed to unleash the former Carolina Panthers linebacker behind the line of scrimmage.
All that movement and Luvu's naturally destructive tendencies have yielded some increasingly impressive numbers. The stat line shows career-high marks of eight sacks, 12 quarterback hits, along with 83 blitzes and four passes batted at the line of scrimmage. Those numbers are helping the undrafted free agent break into the bracket of the game's elite, versatile pass-rushers.
His burgeoning brilliance is something Commanders fans are getting used to, but other NFL fans aren't as aware. That's sure to change the more Luvu continues to make big plays and wreck multiple phases of offenses, who face a weekly guessing game about where No. 4 will line up and how he will attack protection.
The true confirmation of his status as a star will come when opponents begin making specific plans to stop him. That's what happened to Parsons on Quinn's watch in Dallas, but the marquee players can't be stopped even with the best planning. The Commanders will have a league-wide sensation once Luvu reaches the same level.