Heading into the first week of preseason, buzz around the Washington Commanders‘ 2026 first-round pick, linebacker Sonny Styles, was sky-high. The number seven overall selection had lived up to the lofty expectations the front office had for him up until that point. Styles was expected to stand out in his first game action much as he has throughout Training Camp.
Unfortunately, following the team’s first action against the Miami Dolphins, Styles began standing out for the wrong reasons.
Sonny Styles Is Not The First Star To Struggle In Their Preseason Debut
GettyWashington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles finished his debut game with three tackles.
Styles went viral after the Dolphins game because of a social post clipping together a string of plays where he looked out of position.
Polymarket Football posted on X, “Commanders Rookie LB Sonny Styles is going viral for looking absolutely lost last Saturday. Poor coverage instincts, couldn’t shed blockers, didn’t seem like he wanted to tackle.”
Poor coverage instincts, couldn’t shed blockers, didn’t seem like he wanted to tackle.
Executives are talking.
Former NFL defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko then poured fuel on the fire by following up on his X account with, “Boy Arvell Reese is light years ahead of Sonny Styles”.
Is it fair to evaluate Styles’ performance negatively? Yes.
Is it fair to let one drive determine an entire player’s value? Definitely not.
Ja’Marr Chase was another top draft pick who received heavy criticism after struggling with drops in his first few preseason appearances.
Safe to say no one is talking about that anymore.
Regardless, Styles is aware of this perception following the first true look in the red and gold.
Sonny Styles Waiting For The Game To Slow Down For Himself
GettyWashington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
He evaluated his own performance in an interview with Scott Abraham of ABC 7News.
“It didn’t go the way I wanted,” Styles admitted about his performance.
“Look, I didn’t think it was up to my standard. But I mean, it’s the first game. First game out there. Kind of figuring out the routine of an NFL game. Getting a feel of just my first time in the stadium. So I just want to keep getting better. But yeah, definitely wasn’t up to my standard.”
When asked specifically about what he can improve, Styles responded with, “I think I just started off a little slow. So I wasn’t really playing like myself. Like getting my footwork cleaned up… consistent hand violence, on-and-off blocks, and then just reading keys better.”
Styles then revealed that he talked to veteran players about how their debuts went.
“They were saying sometimes you go out there for the first time. Your mind’s moving a little fast. And the more reps you get- and I kind of felt this in college too- the more reps you get, the game starts to slow down…and you’re starting to see things a little bit slower and things like that.”
Styles is certainly not the first person to echo this sentiment about the difference between the college and pro levels. Linebacker and quarterback are perhaps the two positions where that speed difference is most noticeable due to the quickness of the reads they have to make.
Styles is expected to take the field again in Washington’s second preseason game against the Detroit Lions. Perhaps in round two he will begin to wash out the poor taste he left after the first.
Commanders LB Sonny Styles Opens Up About Controversial Preseason Performance