There has been a lot of hype around Washington Commanders linebacker Khaleke Hudson since his Week 18 performance against the Dallas Cowboys.
The 25-year-old fourth-year linebacker earned praise for his effort in the win over the Cowboys. Hudson had primarily played special teams in his first three NFL seasons, but for the first time in his career, he played 100% of the defensive snaps.
Coaches and teammates praised Hudson’s effort in the win.
Throughout the offseason, we kept hearing Hudson’s name. In OTAs, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio couldn’t say enough good things about Hudson.
“Guys like Khaleke Hudson have been really been playing outstanding,” Del Rio said in June. “I think gained a little bit of confidence from that last outing against Dallas. He went out there and played really well, and so he’s coming to the offseason full of energy and getting a lot of reps because Jamin is not going.”
With starting linebacker Jamin Davis sidelined during OTAs as he recovered from a knee procedure, Hudson stood out. Hudson continued that early into training camp, and head coach Ron Rivera noticed.
“Oh, I thought Khaleke has done some really good things,” Rivera said. “He’s flying around. Very positive attitude. Very good approach to everything, and he’s learning more than just the one position now. You know, and in light of some of the things he did last year, especially in the last game of the season. We’ve noticed. We’ve noticed an improvement, and we’ve noticed a guy also just playing with confidence as well.”
So much has been made of Washington’s refusal to add more linebackers in the draft or free agency. We know Washington views the linebacker position differently than most. The Commanders often employ just two traditional linebackers, sometimes one, and Davis has one of those spots. There is also Cody Barton, who signed in the offseason and has continued to impress this summer.
Then you have Hudson. Hudson has proven he can play both spots — and well. That means the Commanders have good depth there, whether Hudson moves into the starting lineup or spells Davis and/or Barton.
Whether he begins the season as a starter or not, Hudson will be a valuable piece to Washington’s potentially outstanding defense in 2023.