Frankie Luvu is happy, but not satisfied, with how things went for him during his first season with the Washington Commanders.
Luvu, who signed a multi-year deal with Washington last offseason, had perhaps the best season of his career with the Burgundy & Gold. He racked up his best stats in several categories, all while becoming an emotional leader for his teammates during their NFC Championship run.
But Luvu isn't dwelling on the past. The standards for him and his teammates have risen, and that means he needs to take his skill set to another level.
"I know it's unfinished business," Luvu told Bryan Colbert Jr. "We left a lot out there last year, but last year was last year. This year is a new beginning, new start."
The Commanders signed Luvu, who received ringing endorsements from Bobby Wagner and former teammate Shaq Thompson, with the belief that he was ready to take the next step in his development. Luvu said the Commanders could put him anywhere in their defense, and they did exactly that, mostly to utilize his athleticism as a blitzer.
Luvu's stats skyrocketed because of that usage. He ranked second on the team in tackles and recorded a career-high eight sacks. He did so well that Pro Football Focus ranked him 14th on their list of top 32 linebackers heading into the 2025 season.
Luvu started all 17 games last season as well as the Commanders' three playoff appearances. That, plus the preseason and training camp, can be a physically taxing experience, so Luvu has spent much of his time trying to fine-tune his health to stay available for the upcoming season.
"Mostly my eating and taking care of my body," Luvu said. "The extra work outside of the work."
Luvu has been following advice from veterans like Wagner and Zach Ertz, both of whom have maintained high levels of success and are some of the oldest active players in the league. Their biggest tip: whatever you do in the building, you have to do 10 times more outside the building.
"Just little things like that to bring my body to full energy and full battery for me to perform on Sunday," Luvu said.
Luvu added that he has also improved his flexibility, joking that he may need that boost when trying to stop the Philadelphia Eagles' "tush push" play.
"If I'm landing in certain positions, I can bounce back."
The Commanders will need Luvu at full strength to return to the NFC Championship game and reach the Super Bowl. The team spent much of their offseason capital investing in the defense, shoring up their run support and finding weapons to match up against the NFC East's top wideouts. Many analysts believe they achieved that goal, and there are expectations for the Commanders to have similar success to their magical run in 2024.
Luvu believes it's possible, but it will require them to put in more effort.
"We just gotta do the work now so when the time does come, we can celebrate," he said.
