The Washington Commanders have set themselves up in a great position for the 2026 NFL season. After spending over $256 million in free agency, they were able to address several roster needs and walk into the draft with flexibility. This allowed them to select Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles with their first-round pick.
GettyOhio State linebacker Sonny Styles recorded 82 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception in 2025.
American sportscaster and host of the Up & Adams show, Kay Adams, stated that the Styles pick was the cherry on top for Washington.
“I’m all in on the Commanders”, Adams stated. “I love them right now, sue me! And if I’m being honest, I already was before the draft, but the Sonny Styles heist last Thursday, kind of pushed it over the edge for me.”
Adams believes that the Commanders’ landing Styles at seventh overall was a steal. Styles was the top graded linebacker in the draft and the perfect piece for Daronte Jones’ defense.
Kay Adams Claims The Commanders Were The Bizarro Texans
Adams continued to elaborate on her belief in Washington by highlighting the defensive moves general manager Adam Peters has made so far this offseason.
“Adam Peters added 11 new defensive players to the roster,” Adams stated. “They had to fix, I mean, the worst defense. 32nd-ranked defense, they are the bizarro Texans! The opposite! They have a projected seven new starters on that side of the ball. Gotta love that. It’s not just the quantity that stands out. The difference in athleticism between this group and what we saw they were a year ago it’s crazy.”
Adams fixation on the athletic difference is in reference to the Commanders bolstering the oldest average roster age of any team in more than a decade last season. She goes on to highlight some of the main additions ot the team.
“Sonny [Styles], [Odafe] Oweh, [K’Lavon] Chaisson. They’re going to be a problem to deal with, and I think it will be the best defense they’ve had in a long time.”
She prefaces her remarks by warranting that the offense with quarterback Jayden Daniels will have to hold up their side of the bargain as well, but if they do, the Commanders should expect to win many games next year.
Sonny Styles Pick Provides Glimpse Into Commanders’ New Defensive Scheme
The Commanders may be set to embrace a significant change on defense beyond just the players. Washington hired Daronte Jones as their new defensive coordinator this offseason after he spent five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. Jones spent the last three seasons with the Vikings working under coordinator Brian Flores. Flores is known for his unique defensive scheme. It was unclear if Jones would implement Flores’ style in Washington. The Sonny Styles pick suggests that he will.
The Vikings last year:
46.3% blitz rate (First) 41.4% pressure rate (First) 2.57 seconds to avg. pressure (First) -.21 EPA/pass allowed (Second) 1,577 YAC allowed (Third) 9.3% sack rate (Third) 5.4 YPA allowed (Sixth)
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Acclaimed NFL YouTuber Brett Kollmann broke down how Brian Flores runs his defense in a video detailing his scheme last season. Essentially, Flores’ scheme only works if you have a versatile linebacker who can cover. This is because Flores enjoys utilizing “two-deep” and “four-deep” fire zone blitzes. Kollmann states that this is uncommon compared to how the majority of the league blitzes out of what is known as a “three-deep” fire zone.
His scheme also utilizes a linebacker’s ability to cover the middle of the field and the backend’s ability to negate big plays. The additional pressure forces opposing quarterbacks to release the ball quickly and allows linebackers to make many tackles underneath.
This is why Sonny Styles is so essential. He will be used to hold the defense together and reel in any fish that manage to escape the net. A Brian Flores-style defense wouldn’t work without a versatile linebacker to rely on. Styles’ addition opens up all the possibilities for Jones to work with.
These blitz packages were highly effective for Minnesota last year. Despite them ranking second in the team sack percentage, their leading sacker is tied for only the 25th-most in the league.
Team pressure folded opponents consistently. It will be a team effort for the defense moving forward, but all the pieces are in place for them to succeed.
Kay Adams Expects The Commanders To Be Problematic Next Season