Commanders LB reveals interesting news about Sonny Styles

There’s little doubt about who will play linebacker for the Washington Commanders this season. Washington revamped the position this offseason, letting future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner walk, signing Leo Chenal in free agency and using the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on linebacker Sonny Styles.

With Frankie Luvu returning, Washington’s linebacker core was set.

But Wagner left a huge void. Not only was he the heart and soul of the team and the unquestioned leader, but he also played at a high level. Wagner’s problem was his lack of speed. Offenses often targeted him in the passing game. And while Wagner may have known what was coming, the lack of speed at this stage of his career was evident.

When Wagner wore the burgundy and gold the last two seasons, there was no question who would wear the green dot on defense. The player who wears the green dot is the one who communicates with the coach before every play. Wagner was essentially another coach on the field. Now that he’s gone, there has been a debate all offseason about who would handle the role.

Washington coaches said it didn’t necessarily need to be a linebacker, with safety Nick Cross mentioned as a possibility to wear the green dot. Luvu wore the green dot in OTAs. Styles, though, was obviously being groomed for the role.

However, last week, defensive coordinator Daronte Jones said he was in no hurry to make that decision. There was a long way until Week 1.

“No, it’s still early,” Jones said. “And we’re fortunate enough to have this time and training camp to let that play out.”

When asked if he felt wearing the green dot would be too much responsibility for a rookie, Jones didn’t believe so.

“Not so much as it used to be in the past, you know, for us, pretty much all the linebackers have the green dots because of the communication at practice,” Jones said. “But nowadays, they have that ability to have the green. In college, you’re going to see more and more college athletes coming to this level with a comfort level of hearing a call, hearing the communication, and then echoing and getting that out to their teammates.”

Echoing Jones’ point, Styles wore the green dot at Ohio State in 2025, and he was an All-American.

After Wednesday’s practice during Washington’s mandatory minicamp, fellow linebacker Jordan Magee revealed that Styles was already wearing the green dot.

“Coming in as a rookie, it’s always hard adjusting, but I feel like he’s doing an amazing job at doing that,” Magee told JP Finlay of 106.7 The Fan and NBC 4. “He has the green dot right now as the Mike.”

Jordan Magee confirmed to @JPFinlayNBCS that Sonny Styles has been the green dot and played MIKE linebacker for the #Commanders#RaiseHailpic.twitter.com/APpB8rCWsu

— Full Command (@FullCommandShow) June 17, 2026

It always felt like that once Styles assumed the green dot, he wouldn’t let it go. We shall see, as Jones and Quinn may want to see others in that role in training camp before making a final decision. But it’s clear things are trending in the right direction for Styles.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Jordan Magee reveals big news on Sonny Styles