Washington Commanders linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu rarely come off the field. In Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Wagner again played every snap, and Luvu played all but one snap. Despite concerns about Wagner in coverage at this stage of his career, he’s far too important to keep off the field.

Perhaps some young, fresh legs could spell Wagner and/or Luvu at times this season. Second-year linebacker Jordan Magee played 12 defensive snaps in Sunday’s game against the Chargers. That tied a career-high. He made those snaps count, too. Magee finished with three tackles, including one for loss, down around the goal line.

Advertisement

Here’s that impressive goal line stop:

Check out Magee here on a blitz:

Magee’s speed is a weapon. He’s also excellent at diagnosing plays, which means he has the instincts to play linebacker in the NFL. Ideally, Washington gives Magee more and more snaps each week, not necessarily at the expense of Wagner. The Commanders could use Magee as a blitzer, taking advantage of his speed.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn was impressed by his play on Sunday.

“You know, we’ve talked about him long as a special teams player, but in this game, we would see some other plays where he would be playing in some different packages,” Quinn said on Monday. “He just played so square behind the ball that that’s where he’s at his best, he can see it, he can tackle, he can accelerate. Thought he did a good job disrupting on the blitz. I think he missed on his sacks; he was upset about that, but it was really good to get him going. You have heard me talk about him, and with Frankie and Bobby here, we haven’t seen as much. So, I thought it was good design by [Defensive Coordinator] Joe [Whitt Jr.] and the staff to have a package that allowed him to really make his impact felt.”

Advertisement

Magee made the most of every snap on Sunday. He’s earned the opportunity to receive more snaps in the coming weeks. On a defense that could use more speed, Magee appears to be coming on at the right time. Health is the key for Magee. He needs to prove he can stay healthy.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: LB Jordan Magee coming on at the right time