Fifth-round pick Jordan Magee was one of several rookies who looked like he was going to be an early contributor for the Washington Commanders during last year's training camp. He was getting reps with the starting defense, and head coach Dan Quinn said the former Temple Owl had "rare quickness."

Magee's rookie season was upended a few days later. He had a procedure on his knee that forced him to miss half of the 2024 campaign with most of his snaps coming on special teams. After a solid offseason, he and his coaches are hoping this year's camp will go better than the last.

"I'm really hopeful that he can stay healthy," defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said of Magee. "He's been showing great call command."

Magee, taken with the 139th overall pick in 2024, was a productive player for Temple, recording back-to-back 80-tackle season with 223 stops for a loss in that span. His leadership and production led to him being given a single-digit number by Temple -- one of the program's highest honors for a player.

Some analysts believe Magee lacked ideal size at the NFL level, but he kept standing out during OTAs minicamp and training camp. Whitt said last June that Magee didn't carry himself like a rookie because of the way he "absorbed information." Prior to his injury, he was working with the starters alongside Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner, and the Commanders' staff had even started to design a personnel package to use against 12-personnel (one running back and two tight ends).

"Then he got hurt," Whitt said, "and so it sort of took that package away."

The Commanders are hoping that Magee can pick up where he left off last season. He got his first defensive snap in Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints and played 12 snaps against the Philadelphia Eagles the following week, but was inactive for the team's final two games. He played 10 total snaps in the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but was inactive for the Divisional round and NFC Championship.

Six months later, Magee is catching his coaches' eyes once again. Quinn said Magee has stepped up as a leader and had a strong offseason. He also mentioned Magee among a group of players who were "exactly where I'd hope they'd be going into this camp and eager to take that next step."

Although he did return to the roster last season, Magee spent most of his time trying to get back to full strength while also working to make some sort of meaningful contribution to his team. Now that he's been through a full offseason, he's more prepared to do that in Year Two.

"I believe linebackers control the huddle and control the defense," Whitt said. "And he's learning from Bobby [Wagner] and us how to do that."