Daron Payne, Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu
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New defensive coordinator Daronte Jones unveiled a "matchability" plan for a Washington Commanders All-Pro.
When they hired Daronte Jones to take over as defensive coordinator, the Washington Commanders got a first-year play-caller with a rich history of designing sophisticated blitz packages and creating mismatches in protection, two things perfect for restoring All-Pro linebacker Frankie Luvu to his disruptive best.
Like most of the Commanders, Luvu was a shell of what he had been in 2024 this season. Fortunately, Jones has immediately outlined a plan the 29-year-old is sure to love, a strategy designed to let Luvu do what he does best.
Jones explained to reporters at his introductory press conference on Tuesday, February 10, how Luvu is at his “best going downhill, getting him matched up on running backs, that’s always a key. You’re going to hear that a lot in terms of matchability and putting guys in advantageous positions. He’s best when he can go downhill and use his athleticism to win on edges. Use his speed, sometimes in space, to encounter those matchups. You want to put him in that situation where he’s matched up with running backs.”
Those are just the words Luvu should want to hear headed into a contract year. He’s gone from being a linchpin of the front seven to a potential trade candidate in the space of a year, but what Jones revealed about his schemes can lead to a true breakout season for Luvu in 2026.
The chances of Jones having that level of impact on Luvu are increased by a major and welcome decision taken by head coach Dan Quinn.
Daronte Jones Scheme Perfect for Frankie Luvu
When the Commanders swiped Jones away from the Minnesota Vikings, they got a key assistant to what one of the brightest defensive minds in the NFL. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who calls a complex mix of multi-layered blitz pressure in front of cleverly disguised coverages.
Jones faces a tough task to emulate Flores, but his role as passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach in Minnesota gives him a chance. Jones is likely to call the same combination of bespoke blitzing and an ever-changing picture on the back end.
That’s terrific news for Luvu, who is a gifted blitzing linebacker. His 6-foot-3, 235-pound frame makes him a viable force when rushing off the edge or charging through an A-gap.
Scheming pressures to force running backs to block Luvu will be a matchup win for the Commanders. The obvious parallel for how it might work is how the Vikings have deployed similarly versatile ‘backer Andrew Van Ginkel in recent seasons.
Van Ginkel moved all across the front in passing situations, depending on pressure designs and protection matchups. He would blitz the middle or rush the edge as a de facto defensive end, the way he did when Van Ginkel snagged a pick-six off Commanders QB1 Jayden Daniels back in Week 14.
Luvu can expect to take on a Van Ginkel-like role, based on what Jones said about how he plans to call defensive fronts. The new DC made it clear, “3-4, 4-3, they’re just numbers. It’s just 7 man spacing,” per JP Finlay of NBC4 Sports, who also pointed out “Jones says he wants Washington to be multiple.”
JP Finlay
Asked about his base defense, Daronte Jones says “3-4, 4-3, they’re just numbers. It’s just 7 man spacing.” Jones says he wants Washington to be multiple
Jones can count on having plenty of autonomy to change the look of Washington’s defense. Thanks to Quinn’s latest call.
Dan Quinn Delivered Great News for New Commanders Defense
Quinn used the press conference introducing his new coordinators, Jones and OC David Blough, to answer one pressing question. Who will call the defense for the Commanders?
It will be Jones, based on Quinn saying the following, “I wanted to be very clear with him on that, that this would be his system. I think it’s hard to think for someone else. And so, I wanted to make sure coming here, he wouldn’t have, my system learn it. I said, ‘You’re coming here to install it, man.”
This is what many wanted to hear after Quinn took play-calling duties from Jones’ predecessor Joe Whitt Jr. during last season. Quinn was still calling the vanilla scheme that did little to belie a lack of elite talent at both ends of the defense.
Jones has a better chance to offset any deficiencies in personnel by surprising teams with the designer pressure the Vikings used so often. Luvu will be the central figure in making this dramatic shift work.