He looks like the prototype modern NFL linebacker, but Sonny Styles’ top-tier athleticism and natural versatility might be more use to the Washington Commanders in a forgotten position, a hybrid role the seventh pick in the 2026 NFL draft has already been preparing for by working with a specialist.
During a discussion about the rookies who reported to training camp on Friday, July 24, franchise great Brian Mitchell outlined a different use case for Styles in new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones’ schemes.
Speaking on 106.7 The Fan, Mitchell asked, “You know that big nickel thing they used to play? What if you have four and your big nickel is actually Sunny? Yeah. Sunny now is your fourth linebacker playing right on the nose of that damn tight end.”
Styles playing something of a cross between a safety and a linebacker isn’t far-fetched. Nor is it the kind of schematic semantics observers of the NFL like to indulge in during this time on the offseason calendar.
There are legitimate reasons to believe Styles will operate as a so-called “Big Nickel.” Reasons based on the former Ohio State star’s own experience, what Jones will do with this defense, and how often the Commanders have used the niche position, both under current head coach Dan Quinn and his predecessor Ron Rivera.
Sonny Styles Preparing for Hybrid Workload
Styles may have invited comparisons to former Commanders’ All-Pro run-stopper Bobby Wagner, but the 21-year-old’s own elite upside is based on the wider scope of his skill-set.
He was a high-school safety who demonstrated “natural instincts in coverage,” according to Commanders.com Senior Writer Zach Selby. Styles “even started his college career as a safety before switching to linebacker in 2024.”
This background means it’s not a stretch to envisage Styles spending at safety in the pros. The case has only been strengthened by Styles “working with Defensive Back Specialist-Coach Aye in San Diego” this offseason, per highlights posted by Substack writer Hykeem Walker, who noted Styles exhibited “Elite footwork” and “DB Hands.”
Styles being put through his paces by former San Diego State walk-on and current “Defensive Back & Movement Specialist” Arnold Escaño is another sign the first-year linebacker expects to be moved around by the Commanders.
The expectation is lent further weight from the defense Jones learned under pressure guru Brian Flores with the Minnesota Vikings.
Commanders’ New Defense Has Room for Big Nickel
There’s a strong precedent for the Commanders deploying Styles as a third safety in certain packages. Either in the box or at more of a remove from the line of scrimmage.
Mitchell’s co-host David Aldridge pointed out how what the Vikings did last season fits Styles: “when you have a guy like Sunny Styles that has his speed and his agility at the linebacker position, think of the Brian Flores defense and what he likes to do and sometimes having a bigger safety. When you have a linebacker that can move like him, you can use him in that sort of a role where they’re going to have guys mugged up the line of scrimmage. You’re going to have six, seven, sometimes eight guys lined up right across the line of scrimmage, and I’m telling them, I’m dropping out, I need you to get back deep into this zone. Sunny can get to that where other linebackers across the league cannot.”
This scenario speaks to the mix of blitz and simulated pressure packages Jones was part of coaching on Flores’ staff. It’s a fusion of movement, bluff and disruption Jones is expected to use in Washington.
It means the “Big Nickel” can be a feature again for the Commanders. Just like it was when Landon Collins was a “Buffalo Nickel” for Rivera’s defense in 2021.
Collins was gone in 2022, and Rivera following him a year later, but Quinn kept the position alive during the 2024 season. He signed roving, chess piece, linebacker/safety Jeremy Chinn to make it happen.
GettyJeremy Chinn kept the Big Nickel alive for Dan Quinn’s Commanders in 2024.
Styles wasn’t drafted primarily to play a sub-package role, and the 6-foot-5, 243-pounder is certainly a bigger physical specimen than your average Big Nickel. Yet, this scheme fit still makes sense as a changeup for when Jones wants to get creative sending pressure.
It’s a fiendish way to get two other prominent inside linebackers, veterans Frankie Luvu and Leo Chenal, onto the field with Styles. Luvu and Chenal are both more classic downhill blitzing linebackers and thumpers against the run, but Styles is something more as a special athlete with greater range, so it makes sense for the Commanders to expand how they’ll use their prized rookie.
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