The Washington Commanders hired Dan Quinn as their new head coach in part because they saw the need to re-define a defense that struggled (to put it kindly) last season under defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and head coach Ron Rivera last season.
The Commanders worked to give Quinn two outstanding and underrated defenders in the first wave of free agency, agreeing to terms with former Carolina Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu and ex-Dallas Cowboys pass-rusher Dorance Armstrong.
Luvu was one of my favorite player in this free agent class because the more you watch his tape, the more you’re stumped on the things he can’t do as a linebacker. Last season, he played 56% of his snaps at inside ‘backer, 23% outside, and the rest at the line of scrimmage as either a stand-up rusher or as a blitzer. Luvu had seven sacks, 20 total pressures, 84 solo tackles, 47 stops, 10 tackles for loss, and he was great in coverage when asked to do that. If you need a green dot guy in the middle of your defense, there’s nobody better (or more versatile) in this free agency class. He’ll be an ideal fit for what Quinn wants to do with his defense.
Is there anything Frankie Luvu CAN'T do? Not really. Tampa-2 deep third, run-stuffing, zone/match/man over the middle, racking up pressures at the LOS. The very definition of the modern do-it-all NFL linebacker. pic.twitter.com/AFCdgST7Gb
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) March 8, 2024
Frankie Luvu led all linebackers in both completion percentage allowed (56.4%) and CPOE (-19.4%) when targeted as the nearest defender last season (min. 25 targets).
The Commanders allowed a league-high +6.1% CPOE on targets in the middle third of the field last season.#HTTC https://t.co/ZyB7Gd4NSz pic.twitter.com/chb2pyCVMF
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 11, 2024
Of course, Quinn already knows that Armstrong is a great fit for what he wants to do. The Cowboys selected Armstrong in the fourth round of the 2018 draft out of Kansas, and he became a force under Quinn, who was Dallas’ defensive coordinator over the last three seasons. Micah Parsons was the talk of the Cowboys’ pass rush, and justifiably so, but Armstrong racked up nine sacks and 35 total pressures last season — one year after amassing nine sacks and 43 total pressures in 2022. No one-year wonder, he.
Quinn likes guys who can win in multiple gaps, and Armstrong proved that ability last season. 74% of his snaps at EDGE, but he had a sack and six pressures inside on just 112 snaps. https://t.co/Y6A34U0Lv6 pic.twitter.com/dpReKXeFOh
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) March 11, 2024
The Commanders have a lot of work still to do on that side of the ball, especially in a secondary that might lose cornerback Kendall Fuller and Kameron Curl in free agency. But the first wave of Quinn Guys has what it takes.
