The Washington Commanders will look to get off to a 1-0 start when they face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 on Sept. 13. After missing the playoffs last season, the Commanders are looking for a bounce-back campaign.
One of the young players the team will be counting on is linebacker Sonny Styles, whom they took with the No. 7 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
During his four seasons with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Styles had 142 solo tackles, 97 assists, 9.0 sacks, one fumble recovery, and one interception in 53 games, per StatMuse. As a result, he’ll be looking to translate his college production to the NFL.
Moreover, NFL analyst Merril Hoge believes Styles can do so at a level that will earn him the Defensive Rookie of the Year award this season.
“I love Sonny Styles,” Hoge said on the Sept. 7 edition of “The OG Football Show” when asked who his pick is for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
“I think there could be a guy that could really be the centerpiece to your defense, and that linebacker is, if you get a real good one, he could be a centerpiece, and so many things flourish from that. I think he has the potential to do that, and he’ll show that early and often and throughout the year.”
Merril Hoge Isn’t Alone In Seeing Success for Sonny Styles
During the preseason, there were some concerns about whether Styles would struggle in his rookie season. Nonetheless, Hodge doesn’t see it that way, and he’s not the only former NFL player who believes Styles will find success in his rookie season.
Former Washington linebacker London Fletcher recently noted why he believes Styles will improve once the regular season gets underway.
“He’s a student of the game,” Fletcher said in an Aug. 29 video from “Good Morning Football.” “I was so impressed with that. But so far in the preseason, I thought he really made some great improvements in his last ball game, just with his physicality, his pad level, his length in coverage, dropping to the zones and all those types of things.”
The former Washington linebacker also believes that Styles has yet to show other aspects of his game.
“[Defensive coordinators are] kind of keeping everything close to the vest [during the preseason], not going to show everything,“ Fletcher said. “There are so many things that they haven’t even unleashed. Sonny Styles. He’s not blitzing the quarterback [and] he’s not coming off the edge.
“He’s not playing all the different positions that he has the ability to do. So I’m looking forward to calling his games and watching him, seeing one of the great young football players in the National Football League.”
Commanders Fans Shouldn’t Worry About Sonny Styles
Meanwhile, JP Finlay of 106.7 The Fan recently didn’t hold back for anyone, drawing conclusions about Styles based on how the rookie linebacker performed during the preseason.
“Listen, if you’re drawing conclusions on Sonny Styles at this point, you’re an idiot,“ Finlay said in an Aug. 24 video from 106.7 The Fan. “Whether he’s going to be the Sam or the Will might change depending on the setup… But what you want from Sonny Styles this year is a position that isn’t built on flash plays.
“What people want to see in preseason, where a guy plays 18 snaps or whatever, is, ‘Show me a flash, show me a flash.‘ He’s not a receiver. He’s not a quarterback. He’s not a running back.”
Commanders’ Sonny Styles Gets Strong Prediction Before Eagles Game