The Washington Commanders are firmly at an early-season crossroads. Something is amiss with head coach Dan Quinn's squad right now, and there is plenty of blame to go around.
There's still plenty of time to string together wins and back up last year's run to the NFC Championship game, but it will depend on a multitude of factors. More than anything, several key players need to improve.
One of them is someone who, through six weeks, has had a lack of production that has been nothing short of shocking.
Commanders aren't getting enough from Frankie Luvu, and the defense is suffering
Frankie Luvu was an overlooked name on general manager Adam Peters' laundry list of free agency acquisitions over the 2024 offseason, and he quickly became the gem of the class. He was named a second-team All-Pro after a career-best campaign with eight sacks, 14 quarterback hits, and two fumble recoveries.
More importantly, he became the enforcer of the Commanders' defense. He was a player who gave his best effort on every play and wasn't afraid to drag his opponents around in the mud. He brought a passion and energy to the field that sparked everybody around him and made him a cult hero with the Washington fanbase.
Through six weeks in 2025, that version of Luvu has been invisible.
There's been the occasional big play or hit, such as when he decked quarterback Caleb Williams for a significant third-down loss at the end of the first half against the Chicago Bears. But far more often, Luvu's looked lost in space and been a step slow moving from side to side, especially on outside runs and short passes.
It's been a problem, to say the least.
The Commanders' defense wasn't by any means excellent last year, particularly against the run, but they at least played with much more fire underneath them. This season, the unit has been prone to many of the same mistakes of previous coaching staffs: missed tackles, busted coverages, giving up yardage in chunks, and failing to make key stops.
Some of that is coaching, but some of it is on the players to step up.
Luvu, in particular, needs to take ownership of his responsibility as the inspirational leader of this defense on and off the field. Simply put, he has been too quiet.
If the Commanders are going to get their season steered in the right direction for good, the veteran linebacker will need to be one of the defining forces.