Former Falcons 3rd Round Pick Reunited with Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders

The Atlanta Falcons drafted linebacker Duke Riley out of LSU in the third round (75th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft. He spent two full seasons with Atlanta before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019.

Since then, he’s bounced around the league. Adam Schefter announced via X that the veteran linebacker was signing with the Washington Commanders.

Commanders are signing former Dolphins linebacker Duke Riley, per agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 10, 2025

Riley will be reuniting with coach Dan Quinn in Washington, who was his head coach in Atlanta from 2017-2019. The move adds a veteran presence to a defense that struggled at times last season.

Riley did not do much on the field during his time in Atlanta. He started in 16 games and had 90 tackles (52 solo, 38 assisted), two tackles for losses, two passes defended and one quarterback hit. However, Falcons fans will remember the viral video of Riley training during the offseason of his rookie year, where he was pulling an entire car back in 2017.

There's offseason workouts and then there's Falcons rookie Duke Riley pulling an SUV. 👀 pic.twitter.com/9B4mzva2gi
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 20, 2017

An awesome moment that had fans speculating about how good Riley could be in the NFL, unfortunately, it never transpired into anything on the field.

After his trade to the Eagles, the linebacker spent two years in Philadelphia, where he recorded the one and only interception of his career. In his time with Philadelphia, Riley also began to see more snaps on special teams, primarily defending against kick returns and occasionally filling in on punt coverage and defense.

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During his time with the Eagles, Riley started in eight games and amassed 69 tackles (42 solo, 27 assisted), two tackles for losses, 0.5 sacks, one pass defended, and one quarterback hit. The Eagles did not re-sign after the 2021 offseason, and Riley went on to sign with the Miami Dolphins.

He has spent the last four years in Miami before signing with the Commanders this week. He saw action as a starter in 12 games for the Dolphins and recorded 124 tackles (75 solo, 49 assisted), three tackles for losses, 1.5 sacks, three passes defended, and two quarterback hits.

For the last few seasons, Riley has been contributing mostly as a special-teams player; however, if he makes the Commanders' roster, he can be plugged in as a defender for short spans. Washington’s Dan Quinn brings in a familiar face for a cheap depth signing in linebacker Duke Riley.