The Washington Commanders believed they found a steal with linebacker Jordan Magee. A fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft from Temple, Magee quickly took advantage of being on the same team as future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner.
Throughout the spring and now into training camp, players and coaches have praised Magee, including Wagner. While Washington has Wagner and Frankie Luvu as the starters in 2024, Magee appears to have moved past Jamin Davis on the linebacker depth chart. Davis has worked mostly with the edge rushers.
Before Sunday’s training camp practice, head coach Dan Quinn heaped more praise on Magee:
“I’d say the speed and athleticism is what jumps out to me,” Quinn said about Magee. “He’s got a rare quickness and short-area burst to him that the really good linebackers have. He plays square and he’s got real speed, so we’re going to push him hard in those spaces. But he’s off to an excellent start.”
In addition to working at linebacker, Magee has also worked as a pass rusher this summer. Quinn likes versatile linebackers, and Magee fits the bill. Check out what one Temple coach said to Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy last year about Magee:
The @seniorbowl is looking live at Temple vs. SMU. We’ve gotten plenty of agent calls on Owls LB Jordan Magee this fall, which usually means they’re getting good feedback from NFL scouts. We spoke to @Temple_FB coaches during pre-game and here’s what they had to say about Magee:… pic.twitter.com/1kHHuKEPkU
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) October 21, 2023
There isn’t a ton of pressure on Magee this season. He needs to focus on special teams and learn as much as he can from Wagner and Luvu. If Quinn, general manager Adam Peters, and others are right about Magee, he could prove to be one of the 2024 draft’s top steals.
It will be interesting to watch Magee in the preseason.