Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu celebrates after making a play Dallas Cowboys. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Commanders LB Frankie Luvu Could See Role Increase

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Feb 23, 2026 7:00 AM ET

The Washington Commanders defense will be led by defensive coordinator Daronte Jones in his first season at the job.

Jones is excited to work with everyone on the defense, but one player in particular that stands out is linebacker Frankie Luvu.

“Love Frankie Luvu. Watched him on tape. He's a guy that before I even got here that we would watch and put on a tape in our meeting room. I love his athleticism. He's best going downhill, getting the match up on running backs, that's always a key," Jones said.

"You're going to hear that a lot in terms of match ability and putting guys in advantageous positions. He's best when he can go downhill, use his athleticism to win on edges, use his speed, so time distance and space to encounter those matchups. And you want to put him in that situation where he's matchable on the running back. And I think running backs are one of the guys, on offense that gets the least amount of reps and protections.”

Frankie Luvu Should Be Commanders Defensive Centerpiece

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Luvu will be the main heartbeat of the defense next season for Jones, who has high hopes for what the unit can do. Jones shared what he is looking for with the rest of the defense outside of Luvu.

"I know there are some there's some older pieces there, but for the most part, especially the guys that we know we have in our system here, you look at the back end with, we're talking about Sainristil, [CB] Trey Amos, Quan Martin, Will Harris, you know, those guys are athletic," Jones said. "Then you throw in the [S Jeremy] Reaves in there as well, who provides some versatility, you know?

"And [S Tyler] Owens is also another guy who's versatile. You look at Magee, you look at Luvu, you look at [LB Kain] Medrano, those guys are athletic and they're young. You know, and up front you have some savvy vets up there. And then you have [DE Jer’Zhan] Newton, who's also a young player who has some mobility inside in the interior d-line. And so, when you look at that, the first thing that jumps off the tape is these guys can run and hit. And so, you definitely want to use that to where guys are going forward versus going backwards.”

Jones is going to have the offseason to figure out where his players thrive and where his players struggle. He will also have a chance to look at some of the top defensive prospects in this year's rookie class at the scouting combine to determine which players he feels would best fit his new vision in Washington.

The Commanders are trusting Jones to get the defense right, so he needs to push the right buttons to get the most out of his guys.