It’s 5 o’clock somewhere…
The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.
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Ale Kaho
Ale Kaho is a 25-year-old rookie who played his first season of college football in 2018 for the Alabama Crimson Tide and his final season of college football in 2024 at UCLA, where he was teammates with Commanders 6th-round draft pick, Kain Medrano and coached by Commanders linebacker coach Ken Norton Jr.
In those seven years, he played three seasons for each school, missing virtually the entire 2022 season while re-habbing a foot injury that also limited him to playing in just one game in 2023.
Kaho is 6’2”, 230 pounds and pretty fast. At his pro day, he clocked a 4.5 40 time, not far behind teammate Medrano’s time of 4.46, which was the fastest among linebackers at this year’s Combine.
Kaho is remembered by Crimson Tide fans because he blocked three punts in his sophomore season, one of which he recovered for a touchdown. His three blocked punts are the second most in Alabama single-season records.
Though it took seven years, Kaho played in 60 games with UCLA (2021-24) and Alabama (2018-2020); he made five starts as a Bruin and logged 91 total tackles, with 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.
Ben Standig of the Athletic indicated that Medrano would likely be in competition with Dominique Hampton, a fifth-round pick last year, for a possible roster spot and replace Mykal Walker, Washington’s lone 2024 linebacker who is not returning. Standig indicated that If both Hampton and Medrano make the roster, Kaho could be a candidate for the practice squad.
Kam Arnold
The 23-year-old Arnold was a 4-year fixture in the Boston College defense, starting 43 games at linebacker after starting his college career as a safety.
Unfortunately, he missed the back half of his final year in which he was named a team captain, and which was also shaping up to be his best season, due to an injury suffered against Virginia Tech.
At 6’1”, 229 pounds, Arnold ran a 4.58 40-time, which would have been 6th among linebackers at the Combine.
Kam Arnold Highlights
Kam Arnold Media Availability (Sept. 24, 2024)
The Commanders rarely have more than two off-the-ball linebackers on the field, but the team’s defensive schemes often feature one linebacker rushing the passer, so a smaller linebacker with good speed may be able to find a role in the Quinn/Whitt system.
It seems as if the following players are roster locks:
- Bobby Wagner
- Frankie Luvu
- Jordan Magee (5th round, 2024)
- Nick Bellore (special teams)
In addition, Dominique Hampton, who was also drafted in the 5th round last season, is listed a safety on the team’s website, but projected by many (including Ben Standig; see the article above) to play linebacker. Hampton is unproven, as he was injured in preseason of his rookie season and played only 6 special teams snaps in Week 18 before being put on IR for the remainder of the season.
Outside of Hampton, there are 3 players competing for what is likely a maximum of one roster spot:
- Kain Medrano (6th round; 2025)
- Kam Arnold
- Ale Kaho
Both players seem to be on the outside looking in when it comes to the 53-man roster, and it seems as if the best one of them can hope for is to earn a spot on the practice squad. Even that may be out of reach if Hampton is fully healthy and the coaches who drafted him a year ago see him as more of a linebacker than safety.