Dan Quinn Names 2 Commanders Set for ‘More Opportunities’
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Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn named two players who have earned "more opportunities" on defense.
Changing their defense was an imperative for the Washington Commanders, and head coach Dan Quinn believes two players have earned “more opportunities” thanks to their performances during Week 8’s otherwise disappointing 28-7 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Quinn highlighted second-year linebacker Jordan Magee and big-bodied safety Tyler Owens after the game on Monday Night Football. As Quinn put it, “I liked the speed I felt from them. … They earned the right to have more opportunities in there, too,” per ESPN’s John Keim.
Dan Quinn on Jordan Magee/Tyler Owens: “I liked the speed I felt from them. … They earned the right to have more opportunities in there, too.”
The increased workloads for both Magee and Owens were just a small part of a number of alterations the Commanders made to their schemes. Those changeups also included a new role for dynamic, roving linebacker Frankie Luvu.
While the defense was still burned by three Patrick Mahomes touchdown passes, the Commanders’ unit did create pressure and force turnovers. Those are necessary steps toward genuine and long overdue improvement on this side of the ball.
Commanders Made Positive Changes on Defense
Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. had teased more snaps for Magee against the Chicago Bears in Week 6, but the Commanders committed to the linebacker in Kansas City. They also put 6-foot-2, 213-pound hybrid defensive back Owens in the box more often.
All told, Magee was on the field for 58 snaps, while Owens, who was also touted for bigger things this offseason, clocked 25 reps, according to The Washington Post’s Tom Schad.
A whopping 58 snaps for Jordan Magee, and 25 for Tyler Owens.
Quinn’s reference to the increased speed the Commanders had with Magee and Owens involved was key to how this defense changed the picture in coverage. The Commanders played more zone, an approach that yielded interceptions by cornerback Marshon Lattimore and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Keeping the ball in front and maintaining eyes on Mahomes worked early, but things fell apart when the Commanders weren’t able to keep heat on the pocket, despite a different look up front for Luvu.
Frankie Luvu Change Produced Mixed Results
Getting Luvu more involved in the pass rush was a priority, and he “played 48 snaps on the DL against the Chiefs, tied for the most in his career. Last time he played that much on the line was Week 16 of his rookie season,” according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic.
Frankie Luvu played 48 snaps on the DL against the Chiefs, tied for the most in his career. Last time he played that much on the line was Week 16 of his rookie season.
Luvu aligning further forward was part of Quinn and Whitt deploying a “lot of 3–4 looks,” per Keim. The altered appearance of the front seven unsettled Mahomes, but it didn’t leave him under siege, with Pro Football Reference noting Luvu didn’t register a sack, nor a single pressure, although ESPN credited the 29-year-old with a QB hit.
While Luvu couldn’t make a dent, fellow edge-rusher Jacob Martin did. The versatile veteran “took advantage of an opportunity on Monday night in his highest workload of the season (32 pass rush snaps),” per Commanding The Huddle host Ryan Fowler, who highlighted Martin’s two sacks.
Jacob Martin took advantage of an opportunity on Monday night in his highest workload of the season (32 pass rush snaps).
14 pressures & 3.5 sacks the last two weeks combined. His energy and pop was evident all evening.
Martin led a makeshift pass rush, but the Commanders are still waiting on more from Luvu. They can play zone at a high level with Magee and Owens covering ground more quickly sideline to sideline, but passive coverage shells won’t hold up without greater pressure.
Raiders’ Brock Bowers Gets Strong Words Before Jaguars Game
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(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders have only had a healthy Brock Bowers for one game, which was their Week 1 contest against the New England Patriots. Since then, he’s dealt with a knee injury.
Bowers did his best to play through the injury despite the injury as he wore a brace. However, eventually, the Raiders coaching staff shut him down for a couple of weeks to truly get healthy.
Now, coming off a bye week, all signs point to Bowers potentially playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the Raiders having arguably their best offensive weapon out on the field in Week 9, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen spoke about facing the young tight end.
“I think you look at last year and early in the season,” Coen told reporters about preparing to potentially face Bowers. “The first play of the season against the Patriots, they got him the ball on the very first play. When he’s healthy and available, he’s someone they definitely want to get the ball in his hands.
“We’ve got to make sure we understand where he is because he’s in the hip at tight end, he’s in an inline stance, he’s in the slot, he’s out at one. They want to move him around as the weapon that he is. I think we don’t want to say overprepare, but definitely lean more toward expecting them to get him going.”
Raiders Will Have to Worry About Travis Hunter
Still, Coen isn’t the only coach gearing up to contain a rising young offensive threat. In their upcoming matchup with Jacksonville, the Raiders
“He’s not just a good fast kid that can play ball,”
“That’s the kind of guy who has the savvy and awareness that make him unique and special, and why they went so hard after getting him. He’s the centerpiece of their offense and, in particular, defense. Maybe they’re cutting back a little on that, but offensively, he did really well last week. He’s not just a catch guy; he’s a catch-and-run guy, and he blocks, too. He’s got a good mentality about him.”
Jaguars Will Need to Prepare for a New Raiders Player
The Jaguars will see a new face in a Raiders uniform when they take the field. On October 27, Las Vegas announced the signing of veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett, reuniting him with Pete Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith.
Lockett began the 2025 NFL season with the Tennessee Titans but requested his release, which was granted on October 20. Before Lockett’s possible debut with the Raiders, Carroll spoke about reuniting with the former Seattle Seahawks standout.
“High hopes for him and high hopes for us that we can make a good connection here, “ Carroll said on the latest episode of “1 on 1.”
“He’s a marvelous football player and a tremendous person; he’s one of the real natural ball players—he’s got great sense and feel and has always demonstrated that. Geno knows him really well. They’ve played together for quite some time, and there’s a chemistry between them that
“We’ll see what happens and hold out good hopes for this to help us. I’m really excited for Tyler to be with us again, in a place where people love him, know who he is and what he’s all about, and hopefully our fans will be able to see that.”
