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Ohio State linebackers Sonny Styles<\/p>\n
The Washington Commanders<\/a> rebuilt their defense\u2019s coaching structure. With Daronte Jones replacing Joe Whitt Jr., the defensive scheme will venture in a new direction. As a result, upgrades and talent infusion<\/a> are necessary. Beau Bishop, who covers Ohio State, appeared on 106.7 The Fan to discuss Buckeye products. One of whom is linebacker Sonny Styles. Bishop appeared on 106.7 The Fan<\/a> with nothing but praise for the prospect.<\/p>\n \u201cStyles could be used all over the lineup. He doesn\u2019t just have to be a linebacker. He can be a pass rusher, too. Can even drop into coverage. Like, he\u2019s just a freak athlete. He\u2019s a total freak athlete. You saw that at the combine. And then he\u2019s really incredibly intelligent as a football player.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Pro Football Focus<\/a>, Styles played everything from the defensive line to the box to slot corner. As a result. The Commanders could deploy him in base defenses and subpackages, making him a three-down linebacker. Frankie Luvu is more of a downhill linebacker who attacks, but he struggles with flipping his hips and running. Meanwhile, Styles, a converted safety, can move with the back and tight ends.<\/p>\n GettyOhio State linebacker Sonny Styles breaks up a pass during a 2024 College Football Playoff.<\/p>\n Preparing for Life at the Next Level<\/p>\n The Commanders, with the No. 7 pick<\/a>, could envision Styles as the type of player who changes the face of a defense. At Ohio State, Bishop said he was geared and shaped into a linebacker.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember when Laurinaitis got a hold of him and really convinced him to be a linebacker. And it took some convincing because obviously these kids know where the money is. He really convinced him and coached him up as kind of a hybrid, someone who could blitz, someone who could cover tight end, someone who could even drop over if they went to a three-safety look.\u201d<\/p>\n James Laurinatis is considered by many to be the best linebacker in Ohio State history. A two-time consensus All-American, he set a standard for a position. After an eight-year NFL<\/a> career, he became a position coach.<\/p>\n Laurinitis took Styles from a roaming safety to a three-down linebacker.<\/a> At the next level, offense will become tougher to diagnose<\/a>. Not to mention, the speed and physicality occur on every down. Yet, in his favor, the Commanders assembled a defensive front filled with playmakers. With Jer\u2019Zhan Newton and Daron Payne disrupting upfront.<\/p>\n GettyOhio State linebacker Sonny Styles tackles Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard.<\/p>\n Positionless Defense Suits Styles\u2019 Approach<\/p>\n While listed as a linebacker, Styles could serve the Commanders at all three levels<\/a>. A blitzer flying through the A\/B gaps would prevent guards and tackles from doubling an edge rusher. As a result, they would be free to rush a single blocker.<\/p>\n In the middle of the field, Styles\u2019 burst and ball skills would attempt to take away the quick game from tight ends and the odd receiver that wants to cross his face<\/a>. As mentioned, the three-safety look would see him trail deeper down the field to negate passes thrown down the seam.<\/p>\n GettyOhio State linebacker Sonny Styles.<\/p>\n In the offseason, the Commander spent millions to help their defense. To their credit, they accomplished just that. Still, with a potentially game-changing defender<\/a> available, will they take the chance and bring Styles into the fold?<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tTerrance Biggs<\/a> Terrance started at heavy.com in January 2026
\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Commanders\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Ohio State linebackers Sonny Styles The Washington Commanders rebuilt their defense\u2019s coaching structure. With Daronte Jones replacing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":867793,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2069],"tags":[427,7,6,855,111,2480],"class_list":{"0":"post-867792","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-washington-commanders","8":"tag-commanders","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-washington","12":"tag-washington-commanders","13":"tag-washingtoncommanders"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=867792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/867793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=867792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=867792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=867792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Sonny](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Sonny-Styles-3-1.jpg\")
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\nHe is a veteran sportswriter with 12 years of experience, covering NFL, College, and MLB. Terrance has held positions at Sports Illustrated and Pro Football Sports Network. A graduate of Fort Hays State University with a bachelor’s in Communication, he is also a voting member of the Football Writers Association of America, United States Basketball Writers Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. More about Terrance Biggs<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n