What base defense did the Washington Commanders employ in 2024, when they went all the way to the NFC Championship game? This is not a trick question. I watched every snap that season, and I’m not sure I could tell you.
To me, it looked like a 4-2-5 in most situations. But that could easily morph into a 3-3-5. It could also look like the more traditional 4-3-4 and 3-4-4 at times.
The Commanders used two linebackers — Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu — on almost every snap. They usually had three defensive linemen and a standard two-corner/two-safety secondary on the field. That leaves two other defenders who floated.
More often than not, those players were edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr., who was often tabbed as a linebacker, and big nickel safety Jeremy Chinn. Both could shift into the linebacker role, creating a de facto 3-4 front.
Commanders desperately need to upgrade their talent at linebacker for Daronte Jones
It can be difficult to recall that just one year ago, Washington had two second-team All-Pro linebackers. Neither was so honored in 2025. Wagner still made a lot of tackles, but was a year older and another half step slower. Luvu regressed when asked to move into the hybrid role Fowler had played in 2024.
Now, there is speculation that new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones wants to employ more 3-4 fronts in 2026. That’s fine, especially considering that he will no doubt throw in numerous wrinkles that will make the defense more amoeba-like, without any one clear preferred alignment. The Seattle Seahawks showed just how effective that could be in Super Bowl LX.
The problem is that the Seahawks have elite talent at the second level. Washington, Luvu’s outstanding 2024 season notwithstanding, does not.
Wagner is a free agent and is unlikely to return. Luvu needs to get back on track. Jordan Magee has talent but is unproven. Every other linebacker currently on the roster should be considered developmental at this point. Expecting Kain Medrano or Ale Kaho to step into a significant role next season is a major reach.
But Washington will need better playmaking from its linebacking corps, and the more Jones leans into the 3-4 concept, the more it will matter.
The 3-4 front offers a lot of flexibility. But it requires linebackers to be stars.
Defensive linemen often sacrifice their own stats in order to allow linebackers to make plays. This is especially true of nose tackles, but it applies to 3-4 ends as well. Their job is to tie up blockers on the line so that the fast, athletic second-level defenders behind them can make plays.
That’s what Jordyn Brooks — the NFL’s leading tackler in 2025 — did in Miami’s 3-4 front. First-team All-Pro Nik Bonitto was a pass-rushing terror as an outside linebacker in Denver’s base 3-4. The Commanders need talent like that to make this alignment work.
Luvu might benefit from playing inside in a 3-4. Magee seems ideally suited for the same role. They could form a solid interior core. Of course, that is just speculation. They haven’t done it yet.
Jacob Martin, if he re-signs, could also benefit from playing outside in a 3-4. He is undersized for a defensive line position, but playing behind a bigger, edge-setting end might free him up to rush the passer and drop into coverage.
But none of these are sure things. The Commanders need a major upgrade at linebacker, regardless of the scheme Jones runs. This need becomes even greater if he wants to run more 3-4 concepts.
The Commanders’ first-round pick may tell us something about what Jones wants to do. Three players have been primarily associated with Washington in mock drafts. Edge rusher David Bailey, safety Caleb Downs, and linebacker Sonny Styles.
If Styles ends up being the pick, that is about as sure a signal as you will find that Jones wants to use more 3-4 looks on defense, and recognizes that to do so requires a serious upgrading of the talent at linebacker.