Last year was the first time we’d heard Washington general manager Adam Peters talk about the “Commanders Caucus.” The “Commanders Caucus” is a group of scouts, coaches, etc., who vote for a Day 3 prospect to select in the NFL draft. In Peters’ first season in Washington, that pick was Temple linebacker Jordan Magee.
Peters spoke of how everyone was unanimous in the Commanders’ selection of Magee. Washington saw a smart, athletic, and productive linebacker who could shadow future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner for a year or two before potentially taking over. Unfortunately, things didn’t go Magee’s way as a rookie, as he battled injuries and only appeared in eight games, playing primarily on special teams.
With all of Washington’s offseason moves and Wagner’s re-signing for another year, we haven’t heard much about Magee. On Wednesday, defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. spoke about Magee, and it’s clear the Commanders remain high on his ability.
“We really had a package in last year for Jordan, and then he got hurt and so it sort of took that package away versus 12 personnel,” Whitt said. “I’m really hopefully that he can stay healthy. And then there’s some other guys at the linebacker position that we want to have some three linebacker defenses that we can get a little bit bigger versus 12 and not play as much nickel to shore up on some of the run on that aspect as well. So, I’m excited to see, he’s been showing great call command. Being a linebacker, I believe linebackers control the huddle and control the defense. And he’s learning from Bobby and us how to do that.”
If Magee remains healthy in 2025, he could be in line for more playing time on defense. Ideally, Washington doesn’t want Wagner playing almost 100% of the defensive snaps. If Magee could relieve Wagner, it would make the veteran even more effective, especially later in the season.
The Commanders don’t have a ton of linebacker depth for 2025, so they’re counting on Magee to take the next step in his career.
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