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[Washington Commanders]

Commanders Reacts Survey: Which DTs and DEs will make the 53-man roster?

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Poll questions!!

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Washington Commanders fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

In today’s Reacts survey, we have two questions related to the defensive line and which players are most likely to fill out the back end of the depth chart.

Last season, the Commanders brass decided to open the season with an 8-man group that was basically 4 defensive tackles and 4 defensive ends, though a number of players were capable of playing more than one position. Later on, the team added a 9th player to the DL group and kept the depth chart at 7 players for most of the season.

Based on what they did last year, it seems reasonable to think that the team will have 8 or 9 players comprising the defensive line group.

I think there are six players in the DL group who are locks or near-locks for the roster.

• Dorance Armstrong
• Daron Payne
• Javon Kinlaw
• Deatrich Wise
• Johnny Newton
• (Clelin Ferrell)

Honestly, I don’t think Clelin Ferrell is a roster lock, but I believe that if I included his name among the DEs in today’s survey, he would get the bulk of the votes, making the exercise largely pointless, so I’m treating him, in this article, as if he is in the roster lock group.

Personally, I might’ve been a bit hesitant to include Deatrich Wise in this group, but his $3.1m contract with $2.35m in guaranteed money argues that the team is committed to having him on the roster this year.

In today’s two questions, you are invited to pick, from two short lists, one defensive tackle and one defensive end who will make the 53-man roster for the Week 1 opener against the Giants.

Question 1 - Defensive tackles​

The three candidates are all experienced NFL veterans who have played between 7 and 9 seasons each, and who all have a cap hit of just over $1m. Two of the players — Sheldon Day and Carl Davis — were with the Commanders last year. Each spent time on both the practice squad and the 53-man roster, though Day was active for 12 games while Davis was active for only 3.

Eddie Goldman has gotten a lot of attention from Commanders fans and media after being signed in March free agency. While Goldman was active for 17 games with the Falcons in 2024, he played 30% of his team's defensive snaps, compared to 35% for Day and 23% for Davis.

Goldman is well-known among fans for having missed 3 NFL seasons by his own choice. He opted out of the 2020 COVID year, and retired ahead of the ‘22 season, missing both the ‘22 and ‘23 seasons before signing with Atlanta in 2024.

Sheldon Day was, statistically, the most productive of the three, with 24 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a QB hit.

Much has been made of Goldman’s size — he’s listed on the team site at 6’3”, 332 lbs. Davis is listed at 6’5”, 320 lbs, and Day at 6’1”, 285 lbs.

Question 2 - Defensive ends​

The dark horse here seems to be Andre Jones Jr, a former Ron Rivera draft pick who has played only 188 defensive snaps in 2 seasons, though he did play 250 special teams snaps as a rookie.

The remaining 3-horse race includes a 2nd-year player drafted by Adam Peters in the 7th round last year, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, and a pair of 7-year veterans in Jalyn Holmes, who started last season with the Jets but finished with Washington, and Jacob Martin, who has played for 6 NFL teams and was with the Bears last season where he spent nearly 2 months on IR to open the season.

When I listed Jalyn Holmes as a defensive end in another article earlier this offseason, a question was raised about whether he was a DE or a DT. I decided to find out for myself if the PFF charting I had relied on for that article was accurate or flawed. I picked one game — the 19 snaps Holmes played against the Eagles in Week 11 — and charted his alignments for the entire game. I learned two things. First, Holmes can be identified quickly on film because he plays with a long compression sleeve on his left arm but not on his right, and, second, PFF is pretty good at tracking pre-snap alignments. My alignment chart matched that of PFF almost exactly.

In watching subsequent game replays this offseason, it was pretty clear that Holmes’ primary position in Joe Whitt’s defense was at defensive left end in 2024, typically lined up as more of a 7-tech than a 5-tech, though he moves around a bit. In ‘24, out of 265 defensive snaps, he lined up at 5-tech or 7-tech on the left side 126 times, and as the RDE 97 times, with DE comprising 84% of his defensive snaps in Whitt’s schemes.

For a look at Holmes on film, you can read Mark Bullock’s defensive line film breakdown, which was published yesterday and which is also linked in Wednesday’s Daily Slop.

Holmes played only 28% of defensive snaps last year compared to 32% for Jacob Martin, but Holmes played 43 more snaps overall because Martin missed 6 games with a toe injury. While their production on a per-game-played basis is fairly comparable, a look at the contracts signed by the two players ($2.4m/$1m guaranteed for Martin; $1.2m for Holmes) indicates that the front office is more committed to this year’s free agent addition than to last year’s free agent addition.

Another advantage might be Martin’s special teams play. Last season, he lined up on special teams 206 times in 11 games, far out-stripping the competition from the three players who were on the Commanders roster last season.

As with the DT position, the coaches have a choice between the familiar (Holmes, Jean-Baptiste) and the new (Martin). Unlike the DT position, the contract situation may tip us to which player has the inside track to a roster spot.

Comments & Results​

Of course, we invite you to answer the survey questions below, but also feel free to expand on your answers and provide nuance in the comments section. I rely on those comments when discussing the results of the survey when they are posted in a separate article the next few days.

POLL QUESTIONS​

Source: https://www.hogshaven.com/2025/7/9/...which-dts-and-des-will-make-the-53-man-roster

 

[Washington Commanders]

Daily Slop - 9 July 25 - Will the Commanders adopt more 3-4 principles in 2025?

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, and a sprinkling of other stuff

Commanders links​

Articles​

Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)​

Could the Commanders adjust their defensive fronts this season?​

The Commanders use a base 4-3 defense, but could they adopt more 3-4 principles in 2025?

I’ve been wondering if a potential scheme change could be on the cards. I don’t think it will necessarily be a huge scheme change, more of a package that they did use last year but one that could become much more of a staple for them this season. The Commanders are a base 4-3 team, meaning when they line up in a base defense, they have four defensive lineman and three linebackers on the field. But I’m wondering if head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. might be considering using more three-man fronts that look more like a 3-4 defense.

This was something I first wondered about last offseason when the team drafted Johnny Newton in the second round. Newton joined Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen as notable defensive tackles and I wondered if the Commanders might try and get all three on the field at once. They did do that at times last year, but that package was heavily restricted, first by Newton’s injuries that held him out during the offseason and then by Allen’s injury that kept him out for a good chunk of the season too.

So without being able to use all three of Allen, Newton and Payne for a good chunk of the season, the Commanders had to stick to their normal four-man fronts. But the run defense was really struggling, especially on the edge. That led to the Commanders trying out some different ideas to help sure up the edges, including using Daron Payne as a defensive end in those four-man fronts.

Against good rushing teams, the Commanders employed this tactic more frequently down the stretch, often using Jalyn Holmes at the other end spot too. Holmes is a bigger defensive end, listed at 6-foot-5, 283 pounds. That’s getting closer to undersized defensive tackle than defensive end type of size.

Here’s an example of Payne and Holmes playing the end spots against the Falcons, with Newton and Allen inside. Again, this is a four-man front but with three defensive tackles on the field, and the fourth defensive lineman is almost an undersized defensive tackle rather than a typical defensive end. Payne plays on the strong side of the offense, meaning he has to contend with both the left tackle and the tight end. But being a defensive tackle that is used to double teams from guards and centers, a double team from a tackle and tight end is light work for him.

At the snap of the ball, Payne is super aggressive with the tight end, driving him backwards to try and establish an edge. He successfully creates that edge, forcing Robinson to cut his run back inside. Bobby Wagner fills the lane inside but Payne also does a great job working across the tight end and left tackle to fill the lane himself and assist the tackle for a one-yard gain.

That is certainly one way the Commanders can get three of their defensive tackles on the field at the same time and be a bit more stout against the run; simply playing someone like Payne at defensive end instead. However, that significantly lowers your pass rush threat on the edge. Payne isn’t an edge rusher and lacks the pass rush ability to provide much of a threat off the edge there, so if a team spots him at defensive end, they could simply have a gameplan call built in to shift into a passing play to take advantage of that matchup. So what alternatives do the Commanders have? Well, they showed another variation last year too.

On this play against the Eagles, the Commanders are in their base defense with four defensive lineman and three linebackers on the field. Like we’ve seen with the plays above, Daron Payne is playing as a defensive end here with Holmes on the other side, enabling the Commanders to get three defensive tackles on the field in Payne, Newton and Carl Davis. But to avoid having Payne on the edge in any potential passing situation, the Commanders shift their front. Holmes and Newton line up as they would in the normal 4-3 front, but Davis and Payne shift inside. Davis aligns head up on the center, like a 3-4 nose tackle would, while Payne is more of a three-technique defensive tackle playing on the outside shoulder of the right guard.

With those two shifting inside slightly, the Commanders need to replace Payne on the edge. Fortunately, they have a very versatile linebacker in Frankie Luvu, who shifts down from his linebacker spot to play on the edge. With this shift, the Commanders defense is using their 4-3 base personnel, but the formation is much more like a 3-4 defense. In fact, the only real difference between this front and a 3-4 defense is that Holmes has his hand in the dirt as a defensive end, rather than standing up on the edge like Luvu does.

Before the ball is even snapped, this just looks a lot more secure against the run. When the play unfolds, you can see the outcome for yourself. The Eagles attempt a counter scheme to the right with the left guard pulling to kick out Luvu on the edge and the tight end following him to wrap around for the first second level defender he can find. But Luvu reads the run well and blows up the pulling guard, while Daron Payne beats the downblock from right tackle Lane Johnson. Between those two winning their blocks, the back has nowhere to go and eventually he’s wrapped up in the backfield by a pile of Commanders defenders.

That front resembled a 3-4 defense but with Holmes having his hand in the dirt instead of standing up. That’s more of a personnel thing. Holmes is a bigger defensive end that is trusted against the run in obvious running situations. The Commanders can be very flexible with this type of look due to the personnel they have.

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Commanders.com​

2025 opponent breakdown | Dallas Cowboys​

• Can the offensive line return to its former glory? There was a time when the Cowboys’ offensive line was considered the best in the NFL with Zack Martin at guard and Tyron Smith at left tackle. It is still a good group, but Smith left in 2024 and Martin retired. The Cowboys are hoping the draft picks they have made in recent years — tackle Tyler Guyton, center Cooper Beebe and guard Tyler Booker — will provide stability for the foreseeable future. There’s reason to believe in all three players; Beebe is a physical blocker who knows how to move in the interior; Guyton is raw but has traits that the Cowboys can develop; and Booker was one of the best offensive line prospects in the draft with good technique. There is confidence that the group will be good at some point, but the Cowboys might need to streamline that process.
• Will Prescott have another strong season in 2025? It seems like Prescott puts up top five numbers about every other year. The trend started in 2019, when he passed for 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns. He only played five games in 2020 with an injury and went 2-3 in those starts. The next year, he hit a career-high in passing touchdowns and passed for 4,449 yards. That was followed by another disappointing performance in 2022, when he led the league in interceptions in 12 starts. The 2023 season was arguably his best, as he led the league in completions and passing touchdowns. And of course, there was last season, when he battled injuries and passed for just 1,978 yards. If we follow the trend, that means the 2025 season should be a good one for Prescott. He still has Lamb as his No. 1 receiver and a quality defense to get him the ball back. This isn’t a revolutionary take, but the Cowboys’ success hinges on Prescott. When he’s in form, the Cowboys can be a dangerous team and even a Super Bowl competitor. When he’s not, they’re a team that is simply fighting for a lower seed in the playoffs.
• Who will be the starting running back? The Cowboys’ running back position has been in flux since Elliott was first released from the roster. Dowdle played well as their primary option and even rushed for 1,079 yards, but the team clearly believes they can do more at the position. There are currently three contenders for the spot on their roster — Sanders, Javonte Williams and Jaydon Blue. Sanders has failed to repeat his Pro Bowl performance in 2022 and rushed for 205 yards last season. Williams is younger and had more production in recent years but has yet to rush for 1,000 yards. Blue, who the Cowboys drafted in the fifth round, could be a name to watch in training camp. He had nearly 1,100 scrimmage yards in his last season with Texas, including 368 receiving yards. He is a smaller player but has versatility that could help open up Dallas’ offense. All three running backs will likely get time, but it will be interesting to see how the Cowboys solve what may be their biggest offensive question.

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ESPN​

Ranking NFL WR, TE, RB groups for 2025: Best and worst teams​

13. Washington Commanders​

2024 rank: 26 | 2023 rank: 21

The arrival of quarterback Jayden Daniels and coordinator Kliff Kingsbury leveled everyone up in Washington. Terry McLaurin, finally given a quarterback worthy of his talents, soared on a per-route basis; he finished 16th in yards per route run and nearly doubled his prior career high in touchdowns, racking up 13 before adding three more during the postseason. He didn’t set a career high in receiving yards by virtue of not getting the same target totals he saw at times in previous seasons, but he was at his efficient best with improved quarterback play.

Wideouts Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown exceeded expectations before leaving this offseason, while Noah Brown should return in a lesser role. The big addition at receiver is Deebo Samuel who averaged 110 scrimmage yards per game during his All-Pro season in 2021 and 64 scrimmage yards per contest across his five other seasons. He’s a true outlier in terms of generating yards after catch year after year, and he should fit well as part of all the screens the Commanders run, but he has also had consistent issues with fumbles, drops and injuries. Projecting a Samuel turnaround like the ones we saw for reclamation projects such as Zach Ertz and Austin Ekeler last season is more difficult considering he’s leaving an offense built by Kyle Shanahan.

Ertz and Ekeler are back, and Brian Robinson Jr. has developed into a reasonable between-the-tackles runner, but I want to see whether this team’s high 2024 draft picks develop. Second-round tight end Ben Sinnott and third-round wide receiver Luke McCaffrey were along for the ride as rookies, combining for 194 receiving yards during the regular season. The Commanders didn’t need to integrate them into the lineup when things were working, but it isn’t as if they were facing historically stiff competition beyond McLaurin, either. One (or preferably both) of the young guys breaking out would be a big help for Washington, with regards to both its roster construction and standing in these rankings.

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NFL.com​

Commanders unveil ‘Super Bowl Era’ alternate uniforms, helmet​

The new Washington Commanders ownership continues to celebrate the past of a historic franchise, announcing Wednesday a “Super Bowl era” alternate throwback uniform that hails a glorious run in club’s history.

The uniforms are a blend of the new name and logo with the kits of their Super Bowl runs of the 1980s and 1990s. The team will wear the throwbacks for three standalone games in 2025: Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks on “Sunday Night Football,” Week 13 against the Denver Broncos (SNF) and Week 17 versus the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Day (Netflix).

“We are excited to celebrate Washington’s rich history with these iconic, Super Bowl Era uniforms this season,” Commanders team president Mark Clouse said via press release. “Ever since Josh Harris and our ownership group acquired the team back in 2023, they’ve placed great value in finding ways to connect the past and present and pay homage to those that made the Burgundy & Gold what it is today.”

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Washington Post (paywall)​

Commanders’ alternate uniforms take things back to the glory days​

Building a bridge to the past has been a central theme to the Washington Commanders’ turnaround under owner Josh Harris. It will be strengthened further as the team introduces an alternate uniform this season that pays tribute to the franchise’s most successful years.

The “Super Bowl Era” alternates, as they’re billed, are near replicas of the ones worn by Washington during its trio of Super Bowl victories (XVII, XXII and XXVI), in the 1980s and early ’90s.

The NFL allows teams to change uniforms only once every five years, except in certain circumstances (an ownership change is one of them), and requires any proposed alterations to be submitted to the league for approval more than a year in advance of the season in which they wish to use them.

The alternates are added to the Commanders’ closet alongside their usual home-game uniforms with the burgundy jersey and pants; their road attire with the modern white jerseys and burgundy pants; their alternate all-black uniforms that were introduced as part of the team’s rebranding in 2022; and the gold pants Washington brought back last season after a six-year hiatus.

When asked whether the team plans to make the Super Bowl Era alternates the basis of another redesign, a person with knowledge of the Commanders’ thinking said the team will “continue to evaluate” its options.

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Commanders.com​

PHOTOS | Commanders unveil ‘Super Bowl Era’ alternate uniforms​

Take a closer look at the Washington Commanders’ new alternate uniforms that honor the team’s most successful era.

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NFL Top 100 Players of 2025:@Commanders OL Laremy Tunsil is ranked No. 86! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/biLCE0CTgI

— NFL (@NFL) July 9, 2025​

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Podcasts & videos​

Beltway Football: Commanders new “Super Bowl” era uniforms are close to perfect​

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Episode 1,109 - Guest: Logan Paulsen.
- Excellent insight on the schematics of Kliff Kingsbury's offense
- Kliff in 2024 vs. Kyle Shanahan in 2012
- why David Blough is so well-regarded; could he succeed Kliff?
- how John Bates is an elite blocking TE https://t.co/QGoimxIabk

— Al Galdi (@AlGaldi) July 9, 2025​

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NFC East links​

Blogging the Boys​

Dead money evaluation, Part II: How the Cowboys rank and how it impacts their ability to win games​

We know the front offices of the Cowboys and Eagles operate quite differently. Howie Roseman is constantly dealing with heavy dead-money hits. He’s shown a strong willingness to hit the reset on any position group necessary, change up personnel, and deal with the financial consequences later. The Eagles have not been fazed by monstrous dead-money hits.

It should surprise no one that the Eagles have the largest dead money total over the last five years at a whopping $333 million. The Cowboys, on the other hand, are in the lower quadrant of NFL teams during this span, coming in just under $140 million. We can already feel your blood boiling as this information might suggest expensive dead-money charges show a willingness to take chances, while a more cautious approach, minimizing dead money, will get you nowhere. Is that true? Let’s examine.

Here are the dead money hits for all 32 teams over the last five years (figures courtesy of spotrac.com).

• Red = the 10 highest dead-money hits for that year
• Green = the 10 lowest dead-money hits for that year
• Yellow = the 12 teams in between for that year

The Eagles are marching to the beat of their own drum with nearly $60 million more dead money than the next-highest team. They are regularly among the teams with the highest dead money hit each year. They are also the defending Super Bowl Champions. Not only are the huge dead money hits not holding them back, but they’re somehow flourishing in that environment. Should more teams be taking that approach? Is there any correlation between dead money and wins?

We’re glad you asked because that’s the main purpose of this two-part article. Let’s look at that table again, only this time let’s add a column to include each team’s win total (including playoffs) since 2021. With this information, the data looks like this

If we focus on the eight teams in the top quadrant and the eight teams in the bottom quadrant, something interesting is revealed.

Suddenly, the perception changes. The Eagles are a winning team, but they are an anomaly rather than a blueprint for success. Some really bad teams are in that top quadrant, including the worst team over the last five years, the Carolina Panthers.

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Big Blue View​

NFC East notebook: Big questions as training camp approaches​

Washington Commanders​

Daniels changes everything—but the defense must hold​

Jayden Daniels didn’t just win Offensive Rookie of the Year, he flipped the identity of the franchise. Now, the Commanders are looking to build on a 12-win season with a retooled offensive line, a new weapon in Deebo Samuel, and a deeper secondary. But it’s the defense that could make or break them.

Washington’s run defense was one of the league’s worst in 2024, but after ranking 30th in yards allowed, GM Adam Peters made stopping the run a top priority this offseason. The Commanders are banking on a revamped front and a more cohesive scheme under Joe Whitt Jr. to give Daron Payne the support he lacked last year. In the secondary, Marshon Lattimore is back to full health and will be the anchor. Rookie Trey Amos could see early playing time if he impresses in camp.

Key losses: DT Jonathan Allen, WR Dyami Brown, S Jeremy Chinn, DE Dante Fowler Jr, T Cornelius Lucas, CB Benjamin St-Juste

Key additions: T Laremy Tunsil, DT Javon Kinlaw, S Will Harris, WR Deebo Samuel, CB Jonathan Jones, K Matt Gay, OLB Jake Martin, T Laremy Tunsil

Key draft picks: T Josh Conerly, CB Tre Amos, WR Jalin Lane

Position battle to watch: CB2

Tariq Castro-Fields and Amos are both getting early reps behind Lattimore.

[Bill Horgan: Tariq Castro-Fields plays for the Eagles, not the Commanders]

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Discussion topics​

Pro Football Focus​

2025 NFL secondary rankings: Ravens and Chiefs take the top spots​

8. Philadelphia Eagles​

The Eagles falling to eighth on this list might raise eyebrows, especially after the secondary’s dominant Super Bowl performance. But they lost Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency and are looking to replace them with cornerback Adoree’ Jackson and rookie safety Andrew Mukuba. While Vic Fangio is a defensive wizard, expecting Philadelphia to immediately get plug-and-play production at the level of their predecessors is a tall order. Still, a unit returning Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean — both phenomenal as rookies — will be tough to throw against.

24. New York Giants​

The Giants’ two highest-graded secondary players in 2024 were rookies: cornerback Andru Phillips and safety Tyler Nubin. To bolster a secondary that has struggled for several years, the team signed safety Jevon Holland and cornerback Paulson Adebo this offseason. If the young players continue to develop and the new additions maintain their strong play, this unit could emerge as a surprise in 2025.

28. Washington Commanders​

The Commanders’ secondary was one of the NFL’s worst in 2024, yet the team still came within one win of a Super Bowl appearance. To address the unit, they added safety Will Harris and cornerback Jonathan Jones in free agency and selected cornerback Trey Amos in the second round of the draft. Rookie play is often volatile, and both veterans are coming off down years in PFF’s advanced coverage metrics. If Marshon Lattimore can return to form and Noah Igbinoghene replicates his tight coverage skills, Washington’s secondary could be a surprise unit in 2025.

31. Dallas Cowboys​

The Cowboys’ secondary looked like a strength just two years ago, but injuries, coaching changes and key departures have depleted the unit’s depth. Cornerback DaRon Bland followed his record-setting 2023 season with a difficult 2024 campaign after returning from injury. Trevon Diggs has been unable to replicate his 11-interception season from 2021, totaling just eight picks since while missing significant time due to injuries. While there is still talent in this group, the prime years of these players may already be behind them unless an infusion of youth provides a spark.

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All aTwitter​

History doesn’t fade…it fuels the future. pic.twitter.com/MFJbsyMymH

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 9, 2025​

Throwing it back. Running it forward. pic.twitter.com/jAzT37Jfs7

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 9, 2025​

Just look at this. Josh Harris nailed this design. #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/2xvUUnxxSZ

— Wam (@wamupnxt) July 9, 2025​

.

Bringing back the old school look for the alternate uniform, connecting the past to the present. #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/vkIrNZ4MT2

— Chris Bryant (@HogfarmerChris) July 9, 2025​

Cool detail from the set of the uniform release.

The #Commanders had different jerseys from throughout team history hung up behind players. Bobby Wagner is standing in front of a throwback London Fletcher jersey here.

Sick detail #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/a1X87WrZ0k

— SleeperCommanders (@SleeperWSH) July 9, 2025​

One super impressive part of the Super Bowl uni reveal - no leaks, no mistakes. Opposite of the 2.2.22 debacle. Credit to all the folks over there in Ashburn.

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) July 9, 2025​

The name font on the back of the jersey is an 11/10 and such great attention to detail pic.twitter.com/QaEkS8pYee

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) July 9, 2025​

Rick Snider’s Washington says the Washington Commanders made a uniform change. Uh, yay? Gimme one minute. pic.twitter.com/Si89pj9PqJ

— Rick Snider's Washington (@Snide_Remarks) July 9, 2025​

Congratulations to Laremy Tunsil for being voted 86 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2025 #RaiseHail #NFLTop100

— Commanders27 (@Commanders27) July 9, 2025​

Adam Rank has the Commanders going 7-10 this year.

What do you think️ #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/z6aaWZxpnZ

— Chris Bryant (@HogfarmerChris) July 8, 2025​

2025 NFL Quarterback Tiers

based on expected performance in 2025

now, let's dive into all 38 QBs one-by-one: pic.twitter.com/nV0wKWl4CT

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 8, 2025​

Jayden Daniels:

60% of throws into the end zone scored TDs

#2 only to Lamar Jackson

#3 best of any QB in the last decade

scrambled on a league-high 13% of his dropbacks

posted 595 scramble yards (188 more than the next QB)

added LT Laremy Tunsil & WR Deebo Samuel

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 8, 2025​

pic.twitter.com/S0igl6SMqB

— Trenayvian (@TreyAmos21) July 8, 2025​

Cousins on the #Falcons drafting Penix, from Quarterback on Netflix: "Certainly, if I had the information around free agency, it certainly would've affected my decision. I had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we loved it there if both teams are going to be drafting a…

— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) July 8, 2025​

On brand https://t.co/BnJxpaKOnZ

— COMMANDERS FOOTBALL (@HogsHaven) July 8, 2025​

Jon Bernthal and Washington Redskins legend Dexter Manley! pic.twitter.com/AcziDZkuRy

— COMMANDERS FOOTBALL (@HogsHaven) July 7, 2025​

Me watching the first ep of #quarterbacknetflix knowing that @JayD__5 & my @Commanders are gonna beat each of these teams at pivotal points in their seasons #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/MmsFhntZyD

— DH (@DWillDoesItAll) July 8, 2025​

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Source: https://www.hogshaven.com/2025/7/9/...-commanders-adopt-more-3-4-principles-in-2025

 

[Washington Commanders]

Washington Commanders 2nd year UDFA Spotlight: RB Michael Wiley, DT Norell Pollard, QB Sam Hartman, SS Ben Nikkel

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

Which returning UDFAs will capitalize on their second chance?

“He needs a year on the practice squad to develop before having a chance at a roster spot.”

How many times have we read this line or one like it when discussing undrafted free agents? It is common practice to say undrafted free agents should be stashed on the practice squad to give them a chance to develop. Rightly so, as most don’t have the skill set to compete at the NFL level right away. Many times, undrafted players that don’t make the final roster toil away in camps and offseason activities without ever seeing the light of day, but occasionally some break through to carve out roles on NFL teams. Examples include currently rostered Commanders Andrew Wylie, Trent Scott, and, of course, All-Pros Frankie Luvu and Jeremy Reaves.

Eleven UDFAs were signed by Washington after the 2024 draft. Today, I will offer a brief refresher on the four who remain that are entering camp for a second chance at a roster spot.

Michael Wiley, RB (5’10”, 210 lbs.): Last year, Wiley profiled as third-down back and possible backup for Austin Ekeler. The former Arizona running back opened some eyes in preseason with 17 attempts for 67 yards and 2 touchdowns, while adding six catches for 37 yards. Some fans, and even a writer or two, had him as a possible inclusion to the final roster in August. Ultimately, he was waived and re-signed to the practice squad.

When Ekeler went out during the season, it was Chris Rodriguez, not Wiley, who was called up to the roster. At this point, he would seem to be a long shot for a roster spot, especially with the addition of Croskey-Merritt, but Bill profiles with below average third-down ability as he enters his rookie season in the NFL. Wiley could compete for McNichols’ spot as a do-it-all game day backup and special teamer.

Michael Wiley is a RB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 8.02 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 350 out of 1765 RB from 1987 to 2024.

Splits projectedhttps://t.co/wWe0HxGUKC pic.twitter.com/6I1jbmKkDb

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) March 2, 2024​

Wiley with the burst and dive for the TD pic.twitter.com/5sKGSOMgRt

— Mark Tyler (Hogs Haven) (@Tiller56) August 26, 2024​

Watch this little stutter and shimmy by Wiley pic.twitter.com/wyVQ1sGaID

— Mark Tyler (Hogs Haven) (@Tiller56) August 26, 2024​

Norell Pollard DT (6/1”, 283 lbs.): It is easy to forget Norell Pollard, as the former Hokie secured just one tackle in preseason before being placed on injured reserve. Yet another undersized, athletic, defensive lineman in the Dan Quinn/Joe Whitt mold, he played every game in college over a five year span (61), starting in 48 of them. Pollard’s claim to notoriety was a pass rush win rate that surpassed Johnny Newton’s. He has already developed an arsenal of pass rush moves, so hopefully he added strength and weight this off-season.

Virginia Tech IDL Norell Pollard might be the most player in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Was quietly one of the best interior pass rushers in the country in 2023

Rank Among in 2023
. Pass Rush Grade ( )
. Grade on True Pass… https://t.co/K9KTlByeBI pic.twitter.com/MwGtDRPi94

— Clay Fink (@clay_fink) March 28, 2024​

Highest pass rush win rate among 2024 NFL Draft defensive tackles:

• Byron Murphy II, Texas - 20% (6 sacks)

• Michael Hall Jr., OSU - 18% (2 sacks)

• Norell Pollard, VT - 16% (3 sacks)

• Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois - 15% (8 sacks)

• T’Vondre Sweat, Texas - 15% (2 sacks) pic.twitter.com/BgUWUQRaQC

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 4, 2024​

Sam Hartman, QB (6’1”, 209 lbs.): Hartman’s rookie preseason was also forgettable beyond some mop up work in the first preseason game. He missed most of camp with a shoulder injury, but was waived without an injury designation at final cuts. Re-signed to the practice squad, he made a brief appearance on the roster as the emergency third quarterback during Marcus Mariota’s four games on IR. Upon Mariota’s return, he was once again waived and re-signed to the practice squad. Average arm strength and athleticism will always limit his potential, but his processing speed and ability to create plays off schedule will keep him in the mix at QB3. The team didn’t add anybody to the room this offseason besides Josh Johnson, and I’m not sure that counts.

Sam Hartman is a QB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 3.81 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 568 out of 916 QB from 1987 to 2024.

Splits projectedhttps://t.co/XdeHiYvsI2 pic.twitter.com/9ry28S6jVx

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) March 2, 2024​

Sam Hartman has some wheels! pic.twitter.com/1kdfHT9GJn

— Mark Tyler (Hogs Haven) (@Tiller56) August 10, 2024​

Ben Nikkel, SS (6’1”, 210 lbs.): As a former college walk-on, Ben Nikkel knows about succeeding over long odds. He transferred to Iowa State after spending two years as a wide receiver at McPherson College. Nikkel spent most of his college career on special teams, but saw snaps at defensive back in his final year. Ben finished the season with 40 tackles and three pass breakups while finishing second on the team with eight special teams tackles. He tested off the charts at the Big 12’s Pro Day and caught the attention of national scouts.

Nikkel also had a forgettable preseason, suffering an undisclosed injury after the second game, before being waived with an injury settlement. He re-signed to the Commanders’ practice squad in October. Mark Tyler was recently spotted in the comments section reporting Nikkel has an outside shot at a roster spot this year. Here’s an excerpt from his NFL Draft Profile:

Nikkel might not be talented enough to handle backup safety duties without more coaching and experience, but he deserves a look for his special teams work. He has good size and races down the field like his hair is on fire, both on kickoffs and as a gunner. Nikkel played on all five phases of special teams at Iowa State, but he’s nowhere near ready to take NFL snaps at safety.

Ben Nikkel is a SS prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.66 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 38 out of 1079 SS from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/iGvmVy8xlr pic.twitter.com/YAxmBZVewU

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 24, 2024​

It’s sometimes said that everyone deserves a second chance, but that’s not always true in the NFL, and for these four players, this season could be their last — or the next step in building a good career. What are the most likely outcomes for these four players? Answer in the comments below.

Source: https://www.hogshaven.com/2025/7/10/24465024/washington-commanders-2nd-year-udfa-spotlight-updated

 

[Washington Commanders]

Is Luke McCaffrey ready to step into a bigger role for the Commanders’ offense?

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

It was a tough rookie year for Christian’s little brother. Despite seeing the field in all 17 regular season games and Washington’s three playoff contests, Luke McCaffrey became the forgotten man in the Commanders’ receiving corps.

All-22 film will show he did a nice job creating separation and getting open; however, he was not a go-to option for rookie phenom Jayden Daniels - who trusted getting the ball to his veteran guys like Terry Mclaurin, Zach Ertz and Noah Brown.

Despite not having a huge role in the offense, Luke showed he was a very willing blocker and did a nice job returning kicks.

Now, with a year under his belt and things hopefully beginning to slow down for him a bit on the field, what is in store for McCaffrey in year two under Kliff Kingsbury?

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My friend Kyle Odegard, who is an Arizona Cardinals insider and US/PR Outreach Lead for Press Insights, was kind enough to share this Q and A he did with Ed McCaffrey via The Escapist.

Ed McCaffrey said his son, Luke, is “hungry” to carve out a bigger role with the Commanders in Year 2.

“I can already physically see the difference in him from last year to this year. And he’s very confident. … Now he’s got to go out and compete.”https://t.co/rIJnFGsyI6 pic.twitter.com/RcxVE45XJy

— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) July 7, 2025

Below is a portion of the Q and A with Ed McCaffrey about his son Luke’s development from year one to year two with the Commanders. Kyle was kind enough to send me the paraphrased question version. You can read the entire Q and A here: https://www.escapistmagazine.com/ed-mccaffrey-interview/

Ed McCaffrey on Luke’s mental and physical state as training camp nears

“He’s hungry, man. He’s hungry to get on the field, hungry to compete. This is his first NFL offseason. When you’re a senior in college, you go right from being in college to playing in a bowl game, to getting ready for an All-Star game – he played in the Senior Bowl – to getting ready for the Combine and then your Pro Day.

“You never really have a full offseason of training, and in my experience, it took me a year or two to get an NFL frame, an NFL body. I thought he did great last year. He was chomping at the bit to get on the field more and more. He’s going to do the same this year. But man, I can already physically see the difference in him from last year to this year.”

Ed McCaffrey on Luke’s comfort level in the Washington offense

“He’s very confident. They had him play all five receiver positions last year, so he knows every position on the field. They’ve got Deebo now, which is cool, so we’ll see whether they play him outside or in the slot. Physically, he’s ready to go. Mentally, he’s ready to go. Now he’s got to go out and compete.”

Ed McCaffrey on the pairing of Kliff Kingsbury and Jayden Daniels

“Coach Kingsbury did a great job (last season). It’s so important to have the right play-caller with the right quarterback. He’s the perfect play-caller for Jayden Daniels. You couldn’t have picked a better play-caller for Jayden Daniels.”

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Where is Luke’s best fit?​

I think Luke McCaffrey’s best fit is in the slot, where he can use his quickness (6.7 3-cone and Combine best for wide receivers 4.02 short shuttle) and size to create mismatches for opposing defenses. That being said, there is some competition there, as rookie Jaylin Lane is a very accomplished college slot receiver with even better speed than McCaffrey.

Washington could use some size on the outside and Luke has shown to be pretty good at tracking the deep ball, so he could push Noah Brown for reps opposite Terry Mclaurin. At 6’2” and now weighing over 205 pounds, McCaffrey, who boasts 4.47 speed, could be a nice outside target in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense.

Ultimately, his training camp progress this summer should give us more insight into just how he will fit into this offense. Best case scenario is he becomes a chess piece Kliff can move around the offense to help create favorable matchups. Him learning all of the wide receiver positions as a rookie should really help in year two.

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2025 predictions​

As a rookie, McCaffrey caught 18 passes for 168 yards. He also chipped in 10 kickoff returns for 299 yards (with a long of 47). We know McLaurin and Deebo Samuel will receive their share of targets. Zach Ertz and Austin Ekeler should also get plenty of looks as safe options. Where will that leave player like McCaffrey and Lane?

Here are my predictions for him in 2025:

-16 games

-6 starts

-38 receptions

-425 yards

-3 TD’s

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Source: https://www.hogshaven.com/2025/7/10...er-role-for-the-washington-commanders-offense

 

[Washington Commanders]

Daily Slop - 12 Jul 25 - Everybody’s talking about the Commanders defensive line this week!

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, and a sprinkling of other stuff

Commanders links​

Articles​

Commanders.com​

Commanders 2025 training camp preview | Defensive line​

• Can the Commanders maximize Kinlaw? There were plenty of questions when the Commanders signed Kinlaw to a multi-year deal, but they believe they have the tools to get the most out of his skill set. For one, Peters was part of the front office that drafted him, so he has a strong idea of his strengths and potential. Washington’s defensive line coach, Darryl Tapp, worked with Kinlaw with the San Francisco 49ers and helped improve his skill set after dealing with multiple injuries early in his career. Quinn, who played defensive line in college, also has a strong working knowledge of the position and can offer assistance throughout the year. Plus, the Commanders believe Kinlaw is an ascending player, and they hit on signing players at the right time last year when they brought in Frankie Luvu and Tyler Biadasz. Kinlaw has a 6-foot-5, 319-pound frame and used it well at times to stop the run for the 49ers. He also has some skills as a pass-rusher, which the Commanders will need after releasing Jonathan Allen. Although it’s a gamble, like all free agent signings, the Commanders believe Kinlaw has more to give, and they’re going to help him maximize those traits.
• Will Newton take the next step? The Commanders were surprised when Newton fell to them in the second round, and they took him believing he could provide a boost to their interior pass rush. Newton took more time to develop last season because of injuries, but he made a good impression on his coaches during OTAs and minicamp. Newton believes he is ready for a bigger role, and Quinn said he saw an “uptick” in his play strength. The key will be for him to remain healthy, but assuming he can do that, he looks primed to compete for a starting job opposite Payne.
• Can they stop the run? This is the biggest question the Commanders had to answer during the offseason. Saquon Barkley is going to remain in the NFC East for a while longer, and if they hope to get past him and the Eagles, both in terms of the division standings and the playoffs, they must find ways to contain him. Although they didn’t make any flashy signings at defensive line, they did raise the talent level up front by bringing in bigger, more physical players who have a history of being solid run-stoppers. Martin and Wise both know how to set edges in the run game — a problem for the team last season, and players like Goldman have the size profile to stop up the middle of Washington’s defense. In theory, the Commanders have the pieces to at least be better at containing running backs, but those new pieces must mesh with the veterans to create a more cohesive position group. It’s often unwise to make aggrandizing proclamations in the summer, but much of Washington’s success in 2025 will hinge on whether they can be better on the ground.

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Hogs Haven​

What did the 49ers see in Javon Kinlaw?​

Washington defensive end Javon Kinlaw was originally taken with the 14th pick in the 2020 draft by the San Francisco 49ers. As anyone paying attention knows, Adam Peters was a key component of the front office that selected him. This piece is a look back at the circumstances surrounding the drafting of Kinlaw, to see if we can glean what the 49ers front office, and perhaps even Peters, saw in Kinlaw when they took him out of South Carolina during the “COVID draft.”

In May 2020, Kinlaw’s former coach heaped a ton of praise on the recently drafted player, but he was also frank about what he saw as a weakness: A lack of range in his pass rush moves.

In a recent review of Kinlaw, Mark Bullock picked up on the fact that, 5 years later, this issues still remains: “The quickness and movement skills at his size are rare. The power and length will give almost all interior lineman issues if used properly. But he’s just a bit erratic with it all right now and that allows more savvy blockers to get the better of him.”

Kinlaw’s bull rush is dominant, and according to Bullock, he “sees plenty of potential for him as a run defender as well,” but it’s about creating a consistency in both phases of the game that has not existed for Kinlaw to date. We’ll see if Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. have the ability to coach Kinlaw up to a level where he can finally realize the potential people have been talking about since before he entered the league.

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Commanders.com​

2025 opponent breakdown | Seattle Seahawks​

• Can Darnold recapture the magic he had in Minnesota? Darnold was one of the best stories in the NFL last season, as he led the Vikings to a 14-3 record on his way to passing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns. The Vikings chose to put their faith in JJ McCarthy, their first-round pick from last season, and let Darnold sign with the Seahawks. It’s possible Darnold has breathed new life into his career, and the Seahawks struck big on a similar situation with Geno Smith. However, there are questions about whether his success is partly due to the Vikings’ roster as well as Kevin O’Connell’s play-calling. Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak doesn’t have O’Connell’s reputation, but there are some interesting pieces on Seattle’s offense that could help Darnold capture the success he had in 2024.
• Can Kupp revitalize his career? When healthy, Kupp has proven that he is one of the best wide receivers in the league today. The problem is that he hasn’t been as available since his career season in 2021, when he led the league in catches, yards and receiving touchdowns. He has still managed to put up at least 700 yards in each of the last three seasons, but Kupp is now 32 years old. Kupp likes the “new, but exciting” vibes in Seattle, and assuming he stays healthy, him and Darnold could make for a good pair. However, seeing as Kupp has only played a full season twice in his career, he will need to prove he can stay healthy.
• Does Lawrence still have pass rush juice? Although Lawrence’s prime is behind him, he has proven he can be a solid pass-rusher throughout his career. He started in 34 consecutive games from 2022-23 and earned two Pro Bowls in the process. But, like Kupp, Lawrence is now in his early 30s and coming off a season where he only played in four games. The Seahawks clearly have confidence in his availability, which is why they gave him a three-year deal in his first NFL stint away from the Dallas Cowboys, who drafted him in 2014. It’s unknown at this point where Lawrence will fall in the roster. He could become a starter, as he has been for most of his career, or he may end up being more of a rotational piece. Lawrence’s resume has earned him the benefit of the doubt, but he will have to show his recent injury is behind him.

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Heavy.com​

Commanders Have Reason to Worry About $45 Million Man, Javon Kinlaw​

There are ample reasons why the Commanders have been slammed for signing Kinlaw. Reasons beyond the bloated contract.

Those reasons include the player surprisingly pledging to shed weight, despite bulk being his main selling point for this defense. A slimmed down Kinlaw will be a worry when the bigger version still struggled mightily against the run at times in 2024.

Like when six-time Super Bowl-winning former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick took Kinlaw to task. Belichick was appearing on the ManningCast for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, covering a matchup between the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills in Week 6.

He told the Mannings (h/t Awful Announcing) “I think we need to have a little talk with that Jets’ front over there on the sideline… The first thing I’d do is tell (Javon) Kinlaw to play lower and not stand up. I mean, they walked him off the ball on that cutback run… I think I’d start with that.”

Poor technique had made Kinlaw vulnerable, but he also faced other challenges. Notably, a difficulty impacting plays run to the outside.

Those plays included outside-zone runs, something highlighted by Taylor Kyles of Patriots on CLNS Media. Kinlaw (54) lacked lateral agility and was taken out of plays too often.

The Jets have been one of the NFL's more porous run defenses, with most of their big gains allowed coming on outside zone

The #Patriots called OZ once for a 1-yard gain in Week 3, but could have success if they target behind Javon Kinlaw and pick up NYJ's blitzes pic.twitter.com/luvFq2WLkG

— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) October 23, 2024​

Plays like these signpost potential trouble for the Commanders regarding Kinlaw. He has the faith of general manager Adam Peters, who was part of the front office for the San Francisco 49ers when the NFC West outfit selected Kinlaw 14th overall in the 2020 NFL draft.

Peters is doubling down on his belief in Kinlaw. It’s a risk along a defensive front short on talent. If Kinlaw justifies Peters’ faith, the deal front-loaded with $30 million guaranteed, per Spotrac.com, will look like a bargain.

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Commanders Wire​

Is Commanders’ Daron Payne one of the NFL’s top 10 defensive tackles?​

ESPN recently ranked its top 10 defensive tackles in the NFL. Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants was No. 1, while Philadelphia’s Jalen Carter was ranked No. 3. Payne missed out on the top 10, but did land in the “also receiving votes” category.

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Last Word on Sports​

“Number 1 On the List:” Justin Simmons Speaks On Preferred Team​

Training camp is just days away, and safety Justin Simmons is still looking for a new team. After establishing himself as one of the league’s premier options at the position, Simmons joined the Atlanta Falcons for the 2024 season. While he didn’t play up to his previous form, he still had a solid season with two interceptions, seven passes defended, 62 tackles, and two tackles-for-loss. In a recent interview, Simmons explained why he’s still looking for a team.

“I think Atlanta I would still pick 10 out of 10 times if I was in the spot last year,” Simmons said. “But in terms of where I’m at now, being a little bit more picky where we want to go and where we want to call home next…the next two years, a year, whatever it is…but a contender is No. 1 on the list right now.”

Now entering his age-32 season, it makes sense for Justin Simmons to prioritize a winning environment over the largest paycheck. Fortunately for the defensive back, several teams with realistic postseason aspirations could use his services.

Possible Fits​

Washington Commanders​

The Washington Commanders made it to the NFC Championship Game with a rookie Jayden Daniels and a first-year head coach in Dan Quinn. Now, the team has its eyes set on the Super Bowl, and Justin Simmons could add a much-needed boost to this secondary. Daniels can go blow-for-blow with any offense in the league, but it wouldn’t hurt to add a ballhawk like Simmons that can take away the deep ball.

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Podcasts & videos​

Sophomore Slump or MVP? | 2025 Washington Commanders Season Preview​

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Where does this Terry & Deebo Duo rank in the league??

Latest BLEAV in Commanders with @JacksonSports on @BleavNetwork

#RaiseHailhttps://t.co/kwVQ6puzwm

— Anthony Armstrong (@ratedarmstrong) July 12, 2025​

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He was supposed to be retired, his legacy already cemented.

In 1969, a hire by Washington shocked the NFL and delivered extraordinary excitement to the nation’s capital

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 10, 2025​

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NFC East links​

Bleeding Green Nation​

The Evolution of Jalen Hurts: Part 1 - Learning When Not to Be a Hero​

I’ve wanted to write this series for a while, so I’m excited! Everyone knows that Jalen Hurts has improved as a pro. I don’t think enough people realize that Hurts improvement is simply remarkable. Sadly, I think it’s not covered enough around the league because too many people in the media are afraid to admit that they were wrong about Hurts. I am not one of those analysts who doesn’t change their opinion when faced with new information.

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NFL.com​

2025 NFL All-Breakout Team, Offense​

RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. - New York Giants · Age 25​

After rushing for 839 yards as a rookie, the fifth-round running back has an opportunity to surpass the 1,200-yard mark in an offense that features more efficient quarterback play with veteran leader Russell Wilson set to take over from Daniel Jones. The improved passing game will lead to more light boxes (six or fewer defenders) and wider lanes for the former college wide receiver to scoot through on off-tackle runs and designed cut-back plays. With Wilson also expected to target Tracy frequently on swing, screen and option routes in the pass game, the Giants’ unheralded RB1 could put up massive scrimmage yard totals as a multi-purpose threat from the backfield.

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NFL league links​

Articles​

Front Office Sports​

30 NFL Second-Rounders Still Unsigned With Camps Set to Open​

All but two of the NFL’s second-round draft picks remain unsigned after the first pair taken received fully guaranteed contracts in May.

The unusual unsigned mass of second-rounders follows two unprecedented contracts. In May, the second pick of the second round, Jayden Higgins, signed a fully guaranteed deal with the Texans in an NFL first. The first pick of the second round, Carson Schwesinger, signed a fully guaranteed contract with the Browns the next day. Since then, none of the remaining second-round picks have signed, even with rookie report dates fastly approaching.

The second-rounders are vying for fully guaranteed deals, meaning teams will still owe them the entire contract even if they are released for talent, cap space, or injury. These types of deals are rare in the NFL and historically reserved for veterans and first-round draft picks.

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Front Office Sports​

NFL Likely to Stay With CBS, Targeting Mass Renegotiation in 2029​

The NFL holds a change-of-ownership option that could be triggered with the pending Skydance-Paramount merger. The league, however, appears more focused on other goals.

The NFL is not likely to exercise a change-of-ownership option to renegotiate or exit its media-rights deal with CBS Sports parent Paramount Global, league commissioner Roger Goodell said.

Speaking on CNBC at the Sun Valley Conference in Idaho, Goodell instead said the more probable option is to stick with CBS Sports as Paramount seeks to close its proposed $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. The deal is now in front of the Federal Communications Commission for approval.

“We’ve had a long relationship with CBS, for decades. We also have a relationship outside of that with Skydance. So I don’t anticipate that [an opt-out is] something that we’ll see. We have a two-year period to make that decision. I don’t see that happening, but we have that option.”

After another 90-day extension was implemented earlier this week, the Paramount-Skydance deal is now targeted for closing by Oct. 6.

The NFL’s likeliest path remains exercising a broader set of contract opt-outs in its domestic media rights, arriving in 2029 for all of its existing partners, and in 2030 for ESPN. Front Office Sports sources say the league opting out then is a virtual lock, particularly given that the NFL continues to extend its position as by far the most popular programming in U.S. television, regardless of genre.

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All aTwitter​

New Washington Commanders alternate helmets are available now from @Fanatics. Jerseys will be available to order in early September, and you can sign up for notifications now!https://t.co/eFo2IE5tVk pic.twitter.com/J1vLVvPHr0

— COMMANDERS FOOTBALL (@HogsHaven) July 11, 2025​

Still can’t wipe the smile off William’s face! Today, he met Lanier alum & now @Commanders @JacoryMerritt15 at Shock Performance Training! Jacory was so inspiring, kind, gave great advice, & made William feel like a champ. What a moment!! #WashingtonCommanders#Commanders pic.twitter.com/jAUCSlBMzj

— Couch Juror (@CouchJuror13) July 11, 2025​

Good morning everyone! We are Wilbur Marshall days away Week 1! #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/FIFB6Clxvt

— Barnaby McShadyside (@commanders_365) July 11, 2025​

URGENCY

OFFSZN WORK WITH @Commanders linebacker @Magee11Jordan #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/5iqNh2uvgS

— Martino DeSalvaje (@TheCoachSavage) July 12, 2025​

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Source: https://www.hogshaven.com/2025/7/12...about-the-commanders-defensive-line-this-week

 

[Washington Commanders]

How many Commanders would start for the Eagles?

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

They say to be the best you have to beat the best. The Eagles are the reigning Super Bowl champions, so as of now, all roads to the top go through Philly.

In what I hope will be a fun exercise, I wanted to take a look and see how many Commanders would start for the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles.

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Offense:​

QB: Jayden Daniels over Jalen Hurts - Daniels’ upside is far greater than Hurts.

RB: Eagles

WR1: Eagles

WR2: Samuel over Smith - I’m going with Deebo here because of the versatility and YAC.

Slot WR: McCaffrey/Lane over Dotson - Yes, I’m taking either of these players over the bust Dotson.

TE: Eagles

LT: Tunsil over Mailata - Tunsil is the better pass protector. Mailata is the better run blocker. Because the NFL is 60/40 Pass/Run, I’m taking Tunsil.

LG: Eagles

C: Toss-up - Biadasz vs. Jurgens

RG: Cosmi over Steen - A heathy Cosmi is a top 10 right guard in the NFL.

RT: Eagles

Defense:​

EDGE: Eagles

DT(3-tech): Eagles

DT(1-tech): Payne over Davis - Payne will have another breakout season opposite Kinlaw/Newton.

EDGE: Eagles

LB MIKE): Wagner over Dean - Dean may be younger and more athletic, but Wagner is better.

LB (WILL): Toss-up - Luvu vs. Baun

CB1: Lattimore over Mitchell - Mitchell is a good young corner, but a healthy Lattimore is still a tier above (health being the key word here). This could change after another good year by Mitchell.

CB2: Jones/Amos over Ringo/Jackson - Ringo and Jackson are about as average as they come.

Slot CB: Toss-up - Sainristil vs. DeJean

FS: Martin over Blankenship - This may be a bit of an unpopular opinion now, but I start Quan over Reed.

SS: Eagles

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Overall, I have picked 10 Commanders who I believe would start for the Eagles. I have three positions I view as toss-ups (center, WILL linebacker and slot CB). That leave the Eagles with nine.

Breaking down the Big-5:

QB - Commanders (not much to debate here. Despite the SB ring, Jayden is just better).

WR1 - Eagles (Brown takes this one over McLaurin).

OT - Eagles (even though I gave the slight edge at LT to Washington, the combo of Johnson and Mailata is better than Tunsil and Conerly)

EDGE - Eagles

CB1 - Commanders

*I have both tackle spots here in my Big 5, as the importance of a RT has grown significantly. Because of this, the Eagles take the Big 5.

Breaking down each roster by groups:

QB Room - Commanders

RB Group - Eagles

WR Group - Commanders

TE Group - Eagles

OL Group - Eagles

DL Group - Eagles

EDGE Group - Eagles

LB Group - Commanders

CB Group - Commanders

S Group - Eagles

*The Eagles claim the better overall roster, as they pull out big victories in both trenches. Although they lost some key pieces here, they still edge out the Commanders in this ever-so-important area.

The Eagles can also claim both the better offense and defense as they edge the Commanders by one in each.

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Creating the Super-Team​

Offense:

QB: Jayden Daniels

RB: Saquon Barkley

WR: A.J. Brown

WR: Terry McLaurin

WR: Deebo Samuel

TE: Dallas Goedert

LT: Laremy Tunsil

LG: Landon Dickerson

C: Cam Jurgens

RG: Sam Cosmi

RT: Lane Johnson

Defense:

EDGE: Nolan Smith

DT: Jalen Carter

DT: Daron Payne

EDGE: Jihaad Campbell

LB: Bobby Wagner

LB: Frankie Luvu

CB: Marshon Lattimore

CB: Quinyon Mitchell

Slot CB: Mike Sainristil

S: Cooper DeJean

S: Quan Martin

*The super team above is split evenly with 11 Commanders and 11 Eagles.

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This exercise is obviously very subjective, and I imagine if it was done by an Eagles “fan”, it would be incredibly lopsided towards the Birds. However, I did this to show that even though the Eagles are still the better team on paper, I believe Washington has closed the gap.

To be the best you have to beat the best. Washington is well on their way to putting together a team designed to do just that!

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Source: https://www.hogshaven.com/2025/7/13/24463696/how-many-commanders-would-start-for-the-eagles

 

[Washington Commanders]

Daily Slop - 14 Jul 25 - Rookies report to Commanders training camp on Friday

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, and a sprinkling of other stuff

Commanders links​

Zach Ertz describing how he's able to demolish defenses in the red zone for touchdowns by getting under the coverage, working within the route concepts, and trusting his timing with his quarterback. Ace-level stuff. pic.twitter.com/1y8IAVh3Cy

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) July 11, 2025​

Articles​

Washington Times​

LOVERRO: Forget the spies — Commanders should open more training camp practices to fans​

A surprising 12-5 season left Washington fans salivating for more. The preliminaries begin next week when training camp opens for rookies on July 18, followed by the veterans reporting four days later.

For a team trying to win as much public support as it can for the $3.8 billion stadium, the more exposure to the savior, Daniels, the better. And despite all the good feelings surrounding the release of the Commanders’ “Super Bowl Era” alternate uniforms, this is still a team that finished 30th in attendance last year, worse than the previous 4-13 season, and in some ways is being treated like an expansion team by customers. Being selective about your exposure when you’re trying to sell not just a stadium, but also a product, seems foolish.

When I posed the question to Commanders officials about why there aren’t more open training camp dates, a spokesperson responded only, “We’re excited to host training camp at the OrthoVirginia Training Center in Ashburn again this summer as we prepare for the 2025 season. We’re pleased to once again offer our fans, including season ticket holders, the opportunity to see the team practice this summer along with hosting a day for our military. We also look forward to welcoming those attending training camp and our joint practice with New England this summer.”

Commanders coach Dan Quinn is also worried about spies – but in this case, unwitting spies, perhaps among their own supporters.

They don’t want your iPhone videos showing up in the offices of the Cowboys or another 2025 opponent.

I’ve been told that the technology of hand-held videos has become so good that NFL scouts often go through fan websites looking for video nuggets that would give their team a competitive advantage, and that the Commanders do this as well.

While the team loves the energy of open practices, it must balance them with the need to install systems and plays coaches will use for the coming season, and these generally are not done in a public setting, a team source said.

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Riggo’s Rag​

Adam Peters is rebuilding the wall in Washington (and fans should be hyped)​

The centerpiece was trading for five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Then he used his first-round draft pick to select Josh Conerly Jr. It was the first time Washington had used its Round 1 pick on an offensive lineman since Brandon Scherff in 2015, the last OL to make the Pro Bowl in Washington.

Even with the loss of Cosmi, the Commanders appear to be well-positioned to improve their offensive line play in front of Jayden Daniels. When the stud right guard eventually returns, either this season or next, the line should be among the league’s best.

At this stage, only two of the positions are locked in place. Tunsil will be at left tackle, where he has excelled for six seasons. Biadasz locked down the center spot last year, providing Washington with stability it has not enjoyed since Chase Roullier’s early retirement.

After those two, Conerly appears on track to take over at right tackle. But if he needs more time, last year’s starter, Andrew Wylie, is still around.

Wylie is not a dominant player, but he is not a gaping hole either. His pattern has been to start slowly but get better as the season goes on. Conerly eventually should constitute an upgrade, but this is a pretty solid backup plan.

---

Riggo’s Rag​

Commanders urged to monitor injury-plagued former top prospect facing camp cut​

Good players will be cut around the league this summer.

Reports suggest that David Ojabo could be on the chopping block unless significant improvements arrive this summer. The Baltimore Ravens’ edge threat finally put a consistent run of games together last season, but he remains firmly on the fringes with the AFC championship hopeful until further notice.

Anthony Palacios from Last Word on Sports believes the Commanders would be a good landing spot for Ojabo if he’s made surplus to requirements by Baltimore. This would be nothing more than a versatile rotational piece, but it’s something to contemplate.

“The Washington Commanders have rebuilt a culture that looks like they’re a team with a winning record for the next decade. However, just because Jayden Daniels is on fire, it doesn’t mean they should ignore improving the defense. They haven’t done much, but sign Deatrich Wise Jr., and while they’re bringing Bobby Wagner back, they could use someone like Ojabo to share the snaps with Dominique Hampton. He won’t make an impact on every snap, but it keeps the Commanders in the right scenery to upgrade even though they’re not looking to improve the defensive line anymore this offseason at least.”

Anthony Palacios

Ojabo was tabbed as a first-round lock before a torn Achilles in 2022. Knee and ankle complications also came up, restricting the player to five games over his first two campaigns. Turning out 13 times last season was a positive, but some of the dynamism and explosiveness that saw the pass-rusher take college football by storm have deserted him.

---

Podcasts & videos​

Bram Weinstein: The Terry McLaurin extension duration​

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Ownership is everything in DC Sports. @AlGaldi and I compare Commanders, Nats. We also discuss Terry McLaurin, my theory on this season's QB3 and the Wizards' competence.https://t.co/GoZRK7bIzk

— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) July 14, 2025​

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NFC East links​

Blogging the Boys​

Cowboys look to restore home-field success in 2025​

The Dallas Cowboys won 16 consecutive regular-season home games from 2022 to 2023. That streak ended quickly last season; the start of a brutal 2-7 performance in 2024 at AT&T Stadium. If Dallas is going to get back to the playoffs this year, getting back to handling their business at home would be a very positive step.

Of course, overall records are ultimately more important than home versus away. In fact, before 2022, the Cowboys tended to either finish with a fairly even split or do better on the road. In 2021, they won seven away games to only five at home. In 2014, Dallas went a perfect 8-0 in away games and only won four at home. It’s why, for several years prior to 2022, there were ample jokes and outright criticism of the Cowboys’ lack of home-field advantage.

Unfortunately, Dallas’ first home game in 2024 was that ugly 44-19 loss to the Saints. In fact, they lost their first five home games, with four of them being total blowouts. Only the lowly Giants coming to visit on Thanksgiving paused the bleeding, but that and a win over Tampa Bay were the only two victories at AT&T Stadium last season.

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NFL league links​

Articles​

NFL.com​

Chargers WR Tre Harris holding out as one of 30 unsigned second-round picks​

Harris did not report on Saturday — the deadline for Bolts rookies — NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.

The Chargers are the first team to open training camp, with veterans set for a Wednesday reporting date. However, L.A. is hardly the only team dealing with a second-round conundrum.

Thirty of 32 second-round picks have yet to sign their rookie contracts because of a disagreement over guaranteed money, Rapoport reported.

No. 33 overall pick Carson Schwesinger of the Cleveland Browns — the top pick of the second round — has signed and so too has No. 34 pick Jayden Higgins of the Houston Texans.

Both Schwesinger and Higgins signed fully guaranteed deals, which NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero noted on May 9 — when Schwesinger’s contract was announced by Cleveland — could have a ripple effect. More than two months later, no other second-round selection has agreed to terms, so it’s had a massive effect.

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All aTwitter​

hi.. i need football szn.. #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/cJiXHVnPbZ

— johnwicc (@wicccsterr) July 13, 2025​

The #Commanders are the oldest team in the NFL by average age

Via @NFL #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/gUfwTH8KXm

— SleeperCommanders (@SleeperWSH) July 13, 2025​

56 days (8 weeks!) until the @Commanders kick off week 1 of the 2025 season! #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/2Wmj0CsoxS

— MurphCommanders (@CommanderMurph) July 14, 2025​

SHOCKER OF A PICK EARLY

The Nationals without a GM or manager opt to go with the high school shortstop Eli Willits

The mlb network desk & their reactions say everything… pic.twitter.com/EzMUXoFtM4

— Jack DeLongchamps (@JDelongchamps) July 13, 2025​

For months it’s Anderson or Holliday then they take a 17 yr old and everyone thinks it’s the best pick ever. Hope he’s great.

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) July 13, 2025​

Year 5 of a failing rebuild and the Nationals drafted a 17 year old SS instead of a proven (and likely more expensive) college arm in Anderson

Hopefully it works out...

IMO, it's not a great look for the fanbase. Basically telling the fans to buckle up for a continued rebuild.

— Tim Murray (@1TimMurray) July 13, 2025​

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Source: https://www.hogshaven.com/2025/7/14...-report-to-commanders-training-camp-on-friday

 

[Washington Commanders]

Laremy Tunsil has reset the left tackle market twice in his career; should Washington make it happen a 3rd time?

Laremy Tunsil should be a cornerstone of the Commanders team for at least the next 5 years. To make that happen, he will need to be paid a lot of money.

I was listening to the most recent Bram Weinstein podcast today, and Bram’s podcast/broadcast partner, Callow, said something so quickly that it almost slipped by me unnoticed. Almost, but not quite. He said that he didn’t expect Commanders left tackle Laremy Tunsil to be on the Commanders roster beyond his current contract, which will expire at the end of the ‘26 season.

Personally, I think this is a gross misreading of the team’s intent. In my view, when Adam Peters traded for Tunsil, who will turn 31 in thee more weeks, the Commanders GM did so with the intent of locking down the left tackle position for the long-term.

Elite offensive tackles can have very long NFL careers​

For comparison and context, let’s take a quick look at Trent Williams, who was traded by the Redskins to the 49ers in 2020, Williams’ age 32 season. While the career experience of one player may not be predictive of that of another, there are enough similarities between Williams and Tunsil that I think Trent’s experience can inform our opinion (to some extent, at least) of what’s possible for Tunsil.

At the time of his trade to the Niners, Trent Williams was a year older than Tunsil is now. In the subsequent five seasons, Trent has been named to 4 Pro Bowls and has been a 3-time 1st-team All Pro. Heading into his age 37 season, Williams was, this week, named the 4th best offensive tackle in the NFL by ESPN. Tunsil was ranked 7th.

It is, in fact, not particularly unusual for elite offensive tackles to play at a high level well past their age 35 season. Jason Peters played for 21 seasons, retiring at age 41, and while he played a lesser role in his final couple of seasons, he was a full time starter through his age 39 season. Andrew Whitworth earned 1st team All Pro honors in his age 34 and age 36 seasons, and was a full time starter until he retired at the end of the 2021 season at 40 years of age. His team, the Rams, won Super Bowl LVI in the final game of his career.

All of this is to say that Trent Williams, who remains elite at the position 15 years after being drafted #4 overall by the Redskins in 2010, is not some one-of-a-kind unicorn who discovered the fountain of youth. Elite offensive tackles can play long past the age when most running backs, receivers and defensive backs have lost the elite athletic ability that allowed them to thrive in the NFL.

Laremy Tunsil, of course, was drafted 13th overall by the Dolphins in the 2016 draft when he fell due to the appearance on the internet — just 10 minutes prior to the start of the draft — of a video that showed him smoking out of a gas mask bong. Most draft pundits had Tunsil ranked as the best player available in the leadup to that draft, making his fall to #13 a massive slide.

His fortunes were not permanently damaged by the draft day drama. He has been named to the Pro Bowl five times in the past six years, missing Pro Bowl honors only in 2021 when he missed 11 games due to having surgery on his thumb. Similarly, Trent Williams had been named to 7 consecutive Pro Bowls prior to missing the 2018 and 2019 seasons with the combination of a knee injury and skin cancer.

At 31 years of age, Laremy Tunsil, who has been among the best OTs in the NFL for years, should have another 5 to 9 as a high-end starter, and could actually have the best years of his career ahead of him, based on the evidence of Whitworth and Williams each earning 1st team All Pro honors for the first time at age 33 or later.

Tunsil should be seen as a cornerstone player by the Commanders​

Laremy Tunsil is a very good player. One indication of how good is that he was unveiled at #86 in the NFL’s Top-100 players this week — his 5th appearance on that list.

Tunsil has started all 125 games in which he has appeared and is a five-time Pro Bowler. In 2016, he earned PFWA All-Rookie Team honors.

From 2019-2024, Tunsil played for the Houston Texans where he started in 81 games and earned Pro Bowl honors in each season. In 2024, Tunsil registered an 89.1 pass block grade from PFF among all offensive tackles. He also had a pass block win rate of 93 percent on 411 total snaps, tied for the seventh best among all offensive tackles, per ESPN analytics.

Since 2022, Tunsil has earned a 91.7 pass blocking grade (second among all offensive tackles) and allowed a presser rate of 3.1 percent, the third best among all offensive tackles.

Tunsil is easily the most accomplished player on the Commanders offensvie line and instantly becomes one of Washington’s headliners on offense.

A lot has been made of the fact that Tunsil led all NFL linemen in penalties in 2024. Last season, he was penalized 19 times. According to NBC Sports, he had 12 false starts, 3 illegal formation penalties, 2 holding calls, an ineligible man downfield penalty, and an unnecessary roughness penalty.

Twelve of those penalties occurred in the first four weeks of the season, with 6 flags being thrown in Week 3 (all 3 of the season’s illegal formation penalties and 3 false starts) vs the Vikings. That points to: (1) a crew of officials out to prove a point in Wk 3 when he was hit with 32% of his season-long penalties, and (2) a player who adjusted pretty successfully from October onward, getting flagged a total of 7 times in the final 13 games.

Despite these mitigating factors, Tunsil made no excuses and took responsibility for doing better in 2025. In a video interview, Tunsil characterized the penalties he racked up last year “unacceptable” and committed to improvement in 2025.

Even with the early season penalty issues, last year, the Ole Miss product earned an 88.6 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, fourth-best among 140 tackles. He also played the 10th-most snaps among left tackles, allowed two sacks, and graded as an above-average run blocker.

Washington should expect the 6-foot-5, 313-pounder to keep up this level of play next year. Tunsil has received at least an 85.0 pass-blocking grade in five of the last six seasons, according to PFF.

A year ago, the Commanders’ left tackles struggled, collectively allowing 10 sacks and 57 pressures while Tunsil pass blocking stats are similar for the past three seasons combined.

It will require a significant contract extension to keep Tunsil beyond his current contract expiration at the end of 2026​

Under his existing contract, Tunsil is currently set to be paid $42.7m by the Commanders, split exactly evenly over the next two seasons.

This is what the Commanders inherited — the two years that remain of Tunsil’s latest contract with the Texans that paid him $25m per year on a 3-yr, $75m contract signed a year ago. He’s actually on track to get all of that money. A lot of it is already in his bank account as part of his signing bonus. The reason you don’t see all of that money listed above is that the Texans had to absorb 100% of the signing bonus into their cap charges while the Commanders take on only the $42.7m in cash that hasn’t yet been paid yet.

This $21.3m APY is a pretty team-friendly price for a left tackle of Tunsil’s skill level, and the contract doesn’t have any guaranteed money in 2026 — which provides maximum flexibility for the Commanders, but minimal security for Tunsil.

For all these reasons, Tunsil will be looking for a contract extension — possibly before the start of the ‘25 season, but certainly before the ‘26 season. Given the nature of the NFL salary cap and its effect on player contract values, the Commanders would probably save money by extending Tunsil immediately, but the front office may want to see him play the ‘25 season before giving him the kind of money he will command if he plays well.

The expected structure of Tunsil’s extension​

One of the tricky things in negotiating with Tunsil is that he does not use an agent; he represents himself. I imagine that this can make ‘tough’ negotiating a bit tricky for Adam Peters. After all, the GM will want to project positivity and a welcoming attitude at the same time he is trying to negotiate a deal that is favorable for the team, not unlike the tightrope AP walks in trying to get the best deal possible on a Terry McLaurin extension while at the same time acknowledging the massive contributions No. 17 has made to the franchise and the community since being drafted by the ‘Skins in 2019.

For his part, I think Tunsil is going to want to use this opportunity to try to become — for the third time in his career — the highest paid left tackle in the NFL. Currently, the two highest paid players at the position are Christian Darrisaw ($26m APY) and Trent Williams ($27.5m APY). Both of those contracts were signed last year.

This is how you do it players. Sign 3 year deals and don’t push for fully guaranteed contracts. Drive up the AAV, keep the contract short, and cash in 2-3 years later as the market keeps jumping. He’ll be ready for another deal when he’s 30-31. His 4th deal, not his 3rd. Awesome. https://t.co/3o0u6mwznD

— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) March 19, 2023​

At his introductory media session with the Washington sports media, Tunsil was asked about his contract after the trade, and if he was pushing for a new deal with his new team. He passed on the question, saying only that Adam Peters and the front office know where he stands on the question of an extension.

Personally, I think Tunsil will be shooting to be the first left tackle to get at least $28m per year, assuming no one else like Rashawn Slater (who is currently playing on the 5th-year option with the Chargers) beats him there.

If the Commanders wait until next year to extend Tunsil, I think he’ll want to top Slater, or any other OT that resets the market. If his extension doesn’t kick in until 2027, after his current deal expires, then the price will be even higher.

For the purposes of this article, instead of adding in unknown factors like the value of other players deals next year or the growth in salary cap two years hence, let’s focus on what a contract extension for Laremy Tunsil would look like if it were signed before the 2025 season begins.

Assuming the Commanders agreed to a 5-year deal (through 2029), the finalized contract would need to be for $140m, which means adding 3 years and $97.3m to the current deal.

Here’s a simplified example of what such a contract extension without void years could look like:

In this structure, I have converted about $18m of Tunsil’s 2025 salary into signing bonus and increasing guaranteed money to $53m. This would increase his 2-year cash flow by about $11m, bring a huge chunk of the cash forward in time as an upfront bonus payment, and enhance his guaranteed money by $43m. The team would benefit in the latter years because the relatively mild salary cap escalation in the final 3 years of this structure should make his contract affordable under an increasing league-wide salary cap, and should also make the contract easy to restructure or extend in ‘28 or ‘29.

For his part, if Tunsil were to object to anything in this structure, it would likely be the lack of guarantees in 2027 and beyond. The team might be willing go agree to, the kind of guarantee triggers I discussed in last week’s article on McLaurin’s contract extension, but, adding those types of triggers here seems needlessly complicated for this article, which is more focused on contract value. Feel free to peruse the McLaurin article for a basic discussion of how triggered guarantees can be integrated into an NFL contract.

Of course, if the Commanders wanted to defer cap space more aggressively, they could add void years extending into 2030 and beyond with options and triggers like we’ve seen the Eagles and others use recently, but, again, I don’t think it’s necessary to illustrate what that would look like for the purposes of this article. You can refer to either of the related articles below for discussion/explanation of void years and their use in NFL contracts.

In my mind, what I’ve presented above is the basic framework of a contract that I think Laremy Tunsil would be trying to get signed prior to the season to make him a Washington Commander for the next five years — a deal that would make him the highest-paid left tackle in the NFL in 2025.

The Commanders may prefer to see what they’ve got before agreeing to an extension with Tunsil. Based on his history of successful negotiation, I suspect he’s perfectly happy to wait a year and bet on himself. After all, if he plays well, his price tag will only go up.

Source: https://www.hogshaven.com/2025/7/15...e-should-washington-make-it-happen-a-3rd-time

 

[Washington Commanders]

Terry McLaurin: I want to be here, I want to be appreciated and valued

Photo by Kara Durrette/Getty Images

Terry McLaurin talks to reporters at an Eastern Motors event

Terry McLaurin is still holding out, and he says he hasn't talked to the Washington Commanders in a month. He is looking for a new contract that shows he is appreciated as a top wide receiver on the team and league wide. He is going into the final year of his deal and is likely looking for a deal that adds another 3+ years, and is worth at least $30m/year.

McLaurin says he wants to be here, and he loves the team, the city, and the fanbase, but he wants to be appreciated for the level of player he is, and the level of teammate he is. He is frustrated by the lack of progress, and the perceived lack of value that Washington is currently putting on him.

He doesn't plan on sitting out of training camp, but he is taking it day by day and talking to his agent as it gets closer to the time when he would start getting fined if he held out. McLaurin hasn't discussed any trade scenarios, and is hoping to get a deal done to return to his teammates and to build upon last year's success.

Terry McLaurin AUDIO.

He did not mince words. He is mad about how the Commanders have chosen to negotiate this offseason.

As heard on @1067theFan’s @BMitchandFinlay from the McLaurin presser. pic.twitter.com/oo6lywUnZE

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) July 15, 2025​

I want to be here:​

Terry McLaurin, talking to reporters after shooting an Eastern Automotive commercial, expressed frustration and disappointment over negotiations.
He also said, "I want to be here. I want to make that abundantly clear.”

— John Keim (@john_keim) July 15, 2025​

Frustration:

Terry McLaurin on extension talks: "I've been frustrated. I'm not gonna lie." pic.twitter.com/FmCWu0Hst6

— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) July 15, 2025​

Terry McLaurin to reporters:

“I’ve been pretty frustrated. I’m not going to lie. Everything that has happened to this point has been pretty frustrating and disappointing.”

Wow. Not towing the company line.

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) July 15, 2025​

"I've been pretty frustrated, not gonna lie. Everything that has transpired has been pretty disappointing. I want to continue my career here, I've created my life here, so I want to be here. Just to see how things have played out has been disappointing." -Terry McLaurin

— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) July 15, 2025​

Terry McaLaurin notes. Newsy presser with reporters:

- Has not heard from Commanders on his contract in over a month.

- Frustrated/ disappointed with where talks were when they broke off

- Does not feel valued or appreciated

- Has been in touch with many teammates; has their…

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) July 15, 2025​

Reporting to training camp:​

Terry McLaurin hasn’t decided if he will report to training camp next week. He’s taking things day by day pic.twitter.com/T7cV3zdJiL

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) July 15, 2025​

Lack of negotiations:​

"I'm trying to take things day by day. I thought things would be more progressive than they have, and I know those discussions were there at the beginning, but since OTAs, we haven't had any discussions. At this point, it's up in the air." -Terry McLaurin

— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) July 15, 2025​

"There has to be some active discussions - we haven't talked in a month, and it's becoming crunch time. You want to be in a position to be building towards what we did last year on the field, so this is definitely disappointing. I don't know what happens next." -Terry McLaurin

— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) July 15, 2025​

"If they don't feel I'm part of their future, that's fine, just tell me that. I'm an adult and can handle hard truths." -Terry McLaurin

— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) July 15, 2025​

Garrett Wilson's new contract:

"Garrett Wilson deserves what he was paid - I know I'm biased being a Buckeye, but he brings a lot to his team, and they compensated as such. I can't speculate on how that affects me, but the top WR are compensated in today's NFL, and I feel I'm a WR1." -Terry McLaurin

— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) July 15, 2025​

Value:​

Terry McLaurin- At some point there is a point of no return but I don’t think we’re there yet. Time is ticking though pic.twitter.com/5Um091pRKg

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) July 15, 2025​

Jayden Daniels:​

McLaurin has talked with Jayden Daniels and says “it’s important to have his support….I know what I bring to the table and he does too”

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) July 15, 2025​

Character:​

More Terry McLaurin pic.twitter.com/qJpLvjbzZE

— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) July 15, 2025​

Offseason workouts:​

McLaurin on wanting clarity as camp approaches @JPFinlayNBCS#RaiseHail#Commanders pic.twitter.com/1AgFoInlfv

— NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) July 15, 2025​

Terry McLaurin on his offseason workout program as an expression of his commitment to excel. pic.twitter.com/2YDOcjYhIT

— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) July 15, 2025​

Source: https://www.hogshaven.com/2025/7/15...o-be-here-i-want-to-be-appreciated-and-valued

 

[Washington Commanders]

Washington Commanders keys for 2025: Coaching staff

Photo by John McDonnell/ for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Which coach will be most instrumental in ensuring that the Commanders get beyond the NFC Championship game this season?

Washington Commanders keys for 2025 is a short series of three articles — this is the last — in which John Portis and Bill-in-Bangkok, together, explore newcomers to Washington’s roster that need to punch above their weight for the Commanders to progress to the next level of competition.

Since last year’s roster went to the NFC Championship, in essence we are discussing which offseason additions could propel the franchise to the Super Bowl in 2025.

The qualifications for the first two player-oriented articles were simple: any Commander that was not with the franchise at the start of last season was eligible for consideration. This included players acquired from in-season trades, free agent additions, and the draft.

In this 3rd article, we have, for practical reasons, waived the requirement that the coach be new in 2025; instead, each of us was able to pick a candidate from among the entire coaching staff.

Obviously, this is opinion — not an exact measurement or evaluation. Rather, the intent is to “prime the pump” a little bit and encourage discussion about which player(s) might make the biggest impact in the coming season.

To make this a little different, and hopefully more fun, newcomer John Portis and long-time veteran Bill-in-Bangkok have agreed to provide their thoughts on one candidate in each article.

We encourage you to not only comment on the players we have chosen to highlight, but to add your own thoughts or candidates for consideration. To keep things tidy, we ask you to focus your thoughts on the group under discussion for the day.

We are finishing with the coaching staff this morning, and look forward to the start of training camp, which is right around the corner.

Part 1 - Washington Commanders key additions for 2025: Defense

Part 2 - Washington Commanders key additions for 2025: Offense

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For the final installment of Key Additions 2025 we are going to bend the “newcomer" requirement. Okay, we are going to remove it completely. If we didn’t, it would be a short article because Brian Schneider, the assistant special teams coach who took John Glenn’s place this off-season, is the only new hire. Despite interviews or interview requests from other teams for current staff members Joe Whitt Jr, Brian Johnson, Tavita Pritchard, and David Blough, all the remaining coaches were retained for the upcoming season.

Head coach Dan Quinn​

Considered a “retread” hire, Dan Quinn was initially met with some trepidation, as some in the media painted the former head coach as the fallback option to former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike McDonald and Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who notoriously canceled an in-person interview with Adam Peters while Washington’s decision-makers were in mid-flight. Meanwhile, the Commanders front office and beat reporter John Keim maintained Quinn was always one of the top choices for the job.

Hogs Haven writer Bill-in-Bangkok discussed fan reaction to Dan Quinn in an article shortly after the hire:

As the days have passed and a bit of the shock has worn off, I get the sense that fans are warming up to the hire [of Dan Quinn], and that this process is being helped along with every component that gets added to the 2024 coaching staff.

While fans are certainly not dancing in the streets, I think that a level of positive acceptance is already taking root, and some quiet optimism is beginning to develop. We may not have gotten what we were told to expect, but the coaching staff appears to be shaping up nicely.

With veteran free agency starting in just over 4 weeks, it’s time for attention to turn to the roster as we begin the next promising era of Washington football.

Quinn’s coaching staff​

Soon after the head coaching hire was made, as priority free agents and coaches signed on for Washington’s recalibration on the strength of Dan Quinn’s reputation, some of the concern started to fade away. Joe Whitt Jr. readily followed Quinn from Dallas to become the defensive coordinator, while unconfirmed reports indicated part-owner Earvin Johnson Jr. worked some magic on Kliff Kingsbury, swaying him to sign with the Commanders over the Raiders.

Continuity​

The 2024 season certainly delivered on the promise of a new era for Washington fans. Let’s review the coaching staff Dan Quinn was able to retain for the upcoming season.

Offense​

Despite several interview requests, former head coach and offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury opted to remain with Jayden Daniels and Washington for another season. The offensive continuity is welcomed by fans, who have seen too many young quarterback prospects struggle with system changes. Offensive Pass Game Coordinator Brian Johnson brings previous offensive coordinator experience, while Run Game Coordinator Anthony Lynn is another former head coach well respected in his own right. The offensive coaching staff is rounded out by up-and-coming quarterback coaches Tavita Pritchard and David Blough, offensive line coach Bobby Johnson, wide receiver coach Bobby Engram, and tight ends coach David Raih. David Blough is particularly well thought of in the building and has been earmarked as a possible successor to Kingsbury.

Defense​

Joe Whitt Jr. promised a “run and hit defense” in his introductory presser with the media,

While Whitt was not able to fully deliver as promised last season, the sophomore defensive coordinator will have more players suited to the scheme this year. While Whitt is relatively inexperienced as a defensive coordinator, his Senior Defensive Assistant, John Pagano, is not. Also, Jason Simmons was an underrated hire as the Defensive Pass Game Coordinator, having previously helped turn around secondary units for both the Packers and the Carolina Panthers. Defensive line coach Darryl Tapp not only played for Dan Quinn, but previously worked with Adam Peters as well. Linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr also has previous ties to Quinn. Former Redskins player Ryan Kerrigan has none, but the freshly minted Assistant Linebackers Coach/Pass Rush Specialist is one of only three coaches retained from Ron Rivera’s staff. Defensive Backs Coach Tommy Donatell rounds out our look at the defensive staff.

Larry Izzo joined Dan Quinn’s staff as the Special Teams Coordinator following Mike McDonald’s arrival in Seattle where Izzo had been coaching prior to 2024.

The value of coaching​

I saw an interesting comment in an article last week inquiring about which issues could be corrected by good coaching and which ones cannot. Clearly, the answer is complicated and depends on many things, but include the fact that good coaches influence technique, assignment discipline, motivation, scheme, and in-game adjustments. It should be noted that adjective “good” modifies the term “coach”, so, what makes a good coach?

NFL.Com writer Jim Trotter did a piece on the most valuable traits of an NFL head coach in which NFL players weighed in on the topic. The traits most often mentioned by players were honesty and trust. Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald put it simply, “If a player knows you care for him and his well-being, he will run through a wall for you.” This is a philosophy to which Dan Quinn is already subscribed and which he has indoctrinated in his staff. Bill-in-Bangkok once referenced an article from Tyler Dunne that detailed Dan Quinn’s transformation of the Washington Commanders, and I will do so again here:

Playbooks could collect dust. Quinn informed his staff that football would take care of itself because they’re all athletic, all smart, all gifted. Players needed to know coaches cared about them — first.

Dan Quinn and his staff have already completed the most important part of improving their players’ performance and with the foundation in place, the coaching staff will look to build on last year’s success.

Which Commanders Coach will be the key to unlocking Washington’s play in 2025?​

The John Portis Take: ​

While we did remove the newcomer tag for the coaching article, when I started to think about which coach to select for this article, I began by considering which position group had changed the most. Initially, I considered Jason Simmons or Darryl Tapp, but the process of elimination left me with the coach with only one clear starter in his group, Bobby Johnson.

Those who have read the first two installments of the Key Additions series will remember that last week I opted out of selecting Laremy Tunsil with the statement that protecting Jayden Daniels will be a group affair involving multiple personnel. That puts Bobby Johnson at center stage this week. The team has publicly stated that all four positions outside of left tackle are open to competition, but I’m going to skip to the end with Tyler Biadasz and just name him the starting center. That still leaves the Johnson with the task of developing three new starters in one off-season — all of this for the coach that was probably the most maligned hire of last off-season.

In 2023 with the New York Giants, Bobby Johnson was known as the coach whose unit gave up the most sacks in the league. Additionally, Johnson was indicted for not developing 7th overall pick Evan Neal or integrating several free agent additions that the Giants secured to protect Daniel Jones.

The hire by the Commanders in 2024 was considered perplexing at best and very concerning at worst:

This Bobby Johnson hire is odd. Dan Quinn’s defense totalled 20 sacks over the 4 games he coached against Johnson’s Giants OL in the last 2 years. Now as Sam Howell proved this year, sacks aren’t necessarily reflective of OL performance, but still concerning

— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) February 12, 2024​

So why hire Johnson to be the Commanders’ new offensive line coach? Once fans started delving into the hire more, they discovered that Johnson’s squads were fairly effective at run blocking. Three of his units in the previous five years had ranked in the top 25% in rushing yards before arriving in Washington.

It was also relevant that Coach Johnson had experience working with both zone and gap schemes. Kliff Kingsbury confirmed, in an interview with Zach Selby, that he saw Johnson's previous work in the run game as a fit for what he wanted to do in Washington:

“He has been at a lot of great places,” Kingsbury said. “[He] Worked with some great of offenses there in Buffalo with Josh Allen and some of the creativity and the run game stuff they were doing and tempo and some different things that I really liked. And so, from afar I liked how he handled himself, some of the stuff he did in the run game and then had got rave reviews from people I really trust in the profession and so did Dan. So, it worked out.”

Once Bobby Johnson was here it was time to get to work. He was handed a perennial backup and third round rookie at LT, a free agent backup left guard, a priority free agent center, a potential Pro Bowl right guard, and a RT with a spotty track record. As discussed in the offense article, the results were far from dominant, but not as bad as many fans feared at the start of the year.

This season, Johnson is the recipient of a Top-5 left tackle that — as fans are fond of saying — upgrades multiple positions on the offensive line in one move. But is it really that simple? Coleman profiled as a better guard than tackle prospect in the draft, and is still a third rounder with technique issues. Conerly oozes potential, but will need to develop quickly in order to claim the RT job. If he does, Wylie will likely move back to RG for the first time in 4 years; if not, journeyman Trent Scott may man the spot. Working within a hybrid scheme will increase the communication and coordination burden required to mold the group into a cohesive unit; completing it in a short time frame will be key for Washington’s Super Bowl aspirations.

Is Bobby Johnson up to the task? We will find out in 2025, but so far he likes what he has seen from his first rounder and is already utilizing his veterans to speed the process.

The #Commanders offensive line is going to be fun to watch this season.

Asst. Bobby Johnson loves what he sees from Josh Conerly Jr. He has a desire to work hard and learn from the guys around him.

Johnson says Laremy has the ability to provide Josh with answers to the test. pic.twitter.com/jR6iuOAiPH

— Natalie Spala (@_nataliespala) June 6, 2025​

The Bill-in-Bangkok Take: ​

I think John has made a great case for his choice of Bobby Johnson as the coach most integral to Washington’s chances of putting a 4th Lombardi trophy on the shelf in February, and his selection goes hand-in-hand with my choice of Laremy Tunsil as the key offensive player addition in chasing a super bowl championship.

But when it comes to reversing Washington’s fortunes from the 55-23 drubbing that the Commanders were handed in the NFC Championship game this past January, I look at the Eagles offensive box score and see all I need to know:

• Saquon Barkley had 3 rushing TDs and averaged 7.9 yards per carry while Philly amassed a team total of 228 rushing yards!
• AJ Brown scored a touchdown and averaged 16 yards per reception while Washington aided the Eagles passing game with multiple defensive penalties.
• Jalen Hurts had a 110.1 passer rating.
• The Commanders defense forced zero turnovers.

While offensive turnovers were extremely damaging to the Commanders in the NFC Championship loss, the inability of the defense to stop the Eagles offense was devastating. And, unlike the rash of offensive turnovers that plagued the Commanders offense vs the Eagles, Washington’s defensive woes persisted throughout the regular season and postseason.

In that NFC Championship game, on Philly’s 13 offensive drives, the Eagles punted twice and took a knee to end each half securely in the lead; the closest the Washington defense came to a stop in the other nine drives was when Jake Elliott missed a field goal at the end of a 12-play Eagles drive in the 2nd quarter.

In my heart, I believe that the Commanders 2025 offense will be better than the 2024 iteration that was 5th in the NFL in points scored. To win Super Bowl LX at the end of the 2025 season, Washington’s defense — ranked 19th in points allowed and 30th in rushing yards allowed in ‘24 — has to play at a very different level.

In other words, the defense needs to be able to control opposing running backs, force turnovers, and maintain defensive pressure in the 4th quarter of games. From a coaching standpoint, this will require innovative schemes, the teaching of proven techniques for taking the ball away, and a strategic change in game management.

The coach who fills the critical role — the one who has to find a way to dramatically enhance is squad’s performance compared to 2024 — is defensive coordinator Joe Whitt.

I get the sense that Whitt, Quinn and Peters are working to a plan defensively that isn’t well-understood outside of the Commanders executives and coaching staff. I’ve already speculated a bit in other articles on how that might play out, but a lot of things need to go right for the plan to work.

Javon Kinlaw​

Clearly, the group sees potential in Javon Kinlaw, who was the team’s premier offseason free agent signing, getting a 3-year, $45m contract. Whitt clearly has a plan for Kinlaw in Washington’s re-worked ‘25 defense.

He’s a uniquely big man that can bend and play with some power and speed. We will have the ability to move him up and down the line of scrimmage. So, we can put him wherever we want to because he has that type of skill set. He’ll be difficult for tight ends to block if we put him in the six technique, or, if we kick him inside, he has the length that’s going to be difficult for guards to deal with as well. So, he’s an intriguing young man to work with.

This seems to confirm that Kinlaw will be used the way the Jets used him in 2024 – at times playing the DT spot in a 4-3 defense, but at other times, lined up on the outside shoulder of the tackle on the strong side (where the tight end is aligned).

With the Jets in 2024, per PFF, Kinlaw played 316 snaps at left tackle and 299 snaps at left end. This contrasts with his alignment pattern with the 49ers. With SF in 2023, Kinlaw lined up as a DT on 418 snaps, but played DE on only 116 snaps.

In 17 games with the Niners in ’23, Kinlaw produced 25 tackles and 3.5 sacks. In 17 games with the Jets in ’24, his production jumped to 40 tackles and 4.5 sacks. On a per-snap basis, he produced 9.3% more tackles in 2024 than he had in 2023 and his run defense grade from PFF jumped from 35.6 in ’23 to 50.8 in ’24. He earned healthy pass rush grades from PFF in both years (71.9 and 68.2).

The addition of Kinlaw to the roster seems to be part of a deliberate plan to use him as an inside/outside defensive lineman who can operate in diverse schematic alignments without the need for constant substitutions.

2024 shortcomings​

Washington’s defense will need a lot more than a breakout year from Javon Kinlaw to have a successful season in 2025. I don’t think I can put it any better than Joe Whitt did himself:

Last season:

· We didn’t produce the ball like I wanted to — the reason being we dropped 16 of them, literally just balls that touched our hands that we felt that should have been caught. If we catch half of those, that puts us in a different ring.

· We didn’t play the run well enough, and I thought that we would have.

· Third, [we didn’t] close games out… the way that I was anticipating.

And so, when we get into the offseason, we look at it in three different things:

1. Was it schematics?

2. Was it the player? or

3. Sometimes, did we just get beat?

And so, the turnovers we’re going to emphasize because we just have to catch the ball. Some of the things we’re doing with the front for the run game we have changed and some we have adjusted. And then winning time moments in two-minute — we’re going [to compete] every day to get those things better.

But the defensive coordinator also faces a number of more granular challenges this season.

Whitt is going to need to find way to insure that Will Harris (or somebody) is as good or better than Jeremy Chinn was last year.

He also needs to get dramatically better play out of Marshon Lattimore while integrating veteran Jonathan Jones and rookie Trey Amos into a cornerback group that underperformed last season.

Stopping the run​

However, the biggest puzzle appears to be the plan for the front-seven; Whitt will need to have creative schemes to turn what looks like a bit of a motley crew of d-linemen into a high performing unit. Clearly, Whitt feels that the Commanders took steps in the right direction with the DL this offseason:

With [Detrich] Wise, [Javon] Kinlaw, [and] Eddie [Goldman], we’ll be bigger on first and second down and we’ll be bigger versus 12 personnel [or] 13. When people want to get big, we’ll be able to get real big with them and be able to shore up some of the gaps on the front end. So, now the backers can play more free and the guys behind them can overlap.

Creating turnovers & closing out games​

Whitt has the advantage of being an organized thinker and a pretty clear communicator, but he came to Washington proclaiming that his defense would ‘produce the ball’ (force a lot of turnovers) as the Dallas D had under Quinn. That didn’t really come to fruition. In his first season as DC, 23 NFL defenses forced more turnovers than Whitt’s group, and only 5 teams recovered fewer fumbles. That’s not good enough given what Joe Whitt told Washington fans to expect.

Whitt: "We're known for turning the ball over and that's what we're going to do here."

— John Keim (@john_keim) February 15, 2024​

Joe Whitt, on his philosophy of creating turnovers on defense: "The ball is life. It's like air. We gotta have it, we gotta get it."

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) February 15, 2024​

The comments in those two tweets above came from Joe Whitt’s introductory press conference at Ashburn.

Here’s part of what he had to say at his most recent press conference:

We didn’t produce the ball like I wanted to, [how] I envision us to now. The reason [is] we dropped 16 [potential interceptions] — literally, just balls that touched our hands that we felt that should have been caught. If we catch half of those, that puts us in a different ring.

[With respect to] closing games out, it wasn’t the way that I was anticipating.

We’re going to emphasize [forcing interceptions] because we just have to catch the ball. And then winning time moments in two minute, we’re having competition every day to get those things better.

Turnovers
In short, Whitt seems to feel as if the lack of turnovers was simply poor execution. He feels as if the scheme was putting players into positions to succeed, but they didn’t get the job done.

We certainly have a dramatically different secondary. Jeremy Chinn, Emmanuel Forbes, Benjamin St-Juste, and Michael Davis are gone. Will Harris, Jonathan Jones, and rookie Trey Amos have been added. Last year, Marshon Lattimore was a mid-season addition by trade, but due to injury, he played very little and not very well. A healthy and full-time Lattimore can be seen as another addition to the pass defense. It’s possible that 6th round pick Kain Medrano could also have a role in the upgrading of the pass defense.

I do hope that the plan is more sophisticated than simply hoping that the players catch half the potential interceptions that they dropped last year, and I’m sure that it is.

Closing out games
In my mind, this is the bogeyman that Joe Whitt has to figure out. The Commanders won 14 of 20 regular season and postseason games last year, but too often they won them in the first three quarters, giving up ground in the 4th.

This chart only shows the first 14 weeks of the regular season, but it helps highlight a troubling trend:

Washington was very much a ‘first half team’ through 14 weeks, and specifically struggled in the 4th quarter.

This wasn’t because the offense failed to put up points in the final stanza. Washington’s offense was ranked 4th in the league in 4th quarter scoring for the full regular season; through 14 weeks, they ranked 8th in the NFL.

The issue was with the defense. For the full regular season, the Commanders were the third-worst in 4th-quarter points allowed, which was a slight improvement over the first 14 weeks accounted for in the chart above when Washington was dead last in the league.

Joe Whitt’s “run and hit” defense seemed to run out of gas too often in the the final quarter of regular season games — particularly against good teams with strong running attacks. His biggest challenge as a defensive coordinator in 2025 may be figuring out how to get his defense to play a full 60 minutes rather than fading in the final 15. If he can do that, then the Commanders, with their elite offense, will have more than a puncher’s chance of holding up a shiny Lombardi trophy at the end of the ‘25 postseason. That’s what makes him my choice for the member of the coaching staff that will be most critical to the team’s successful pursuit of a super bowl win in the coming season.

Source: https://www.hogshaven.com/2025/7/16/24457780/washington-commanders-keys-for-2025-coaching-staff

 

[Washington Commanders]

Daily Slop - 16 Jul 25 - Monk’s jersey, McLaurin’s contract, Luvu named top-5 LB by ESPN

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, and a sprinkling of other stuff

Commanders links​

Articles​

Commanders.com​

Commanders to retire Art Monk’s No. 81 jersey in Week 9 vs. Seahawks​

Monk was not expecting visitors, never mind some of his former teammates like Gary Clark, Ricky Sanders and Doug Williams standing on his patio. They were joined by Washington Commanders Managing Partner Josh Harris, Team President Mark Clouse and several family members, all wearing t-shirts with his old jersey number and ear-to-ear smiles on their faces. They were there to tell him that no Washington player would wear No. 81 ever again.

All Monk could muster was, “What the...?”

One number. Forever legendary.

Art Monk's number 81 will officially be retired this season pic.twitter.com/T1bLURR2Yg

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 15, 2025​

Now, Monk is among the select few players to have their jerseys retired by the franchise, with the honor coming on Nov. 2 during the team’s Week 9 game vs. Seattle on Sunday Night Football.

“I’ve been sitting here these last few days just trying to digest it all,” Monk said.

some Art for your lock screen pic.twitter.com/BOAwxX8csp

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 15, 2025​

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Washington Post (paywall)​

Commanders to retire Hall of Fame receiver Art Monk’s No. 81​

Monk, the franchise’s all-time leading receiver (888 catches for 12,026 yards) who spent 14 seasons with Washington (1980 to 1993), will be honored during the Commanders’ Week 9 game against the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 2, when the franchise will debut its “Super Bowl Era” alternate uniforms. The look is designed to mimic the uniforms Washington wore during its three Super Bowl victories (XVII, XXII, XXVI) in the 1980s and early ’90s.

Monk spent his final two seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets (1994) and Philadelphia Eagles (1995). While still with Washington in 1992, he surpassed Steve Largent for the most receptions in NFL history. Monk ended his career ranked second in catches (940) and fourth in receiving yards (12,721); he now stands 24th and 23rd, respectively.

Last week, the team unveiled its Super Bowl Era alternate uniforms, which it will wear for three games this season.

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The Athletic (paywall)​

Commanders must walk the walk and pay WR Terry McLaurin what he deserves​

Terry McLaurin, on his recent trip to Italy with his wife, Caitlin, learned a little Italian.

“I think ‘bene,’ it means ‘good,’” McLaurin said Tuesday after filming a new commercial for the wonderfully kitschy Eastern Motors folks in Laurel, Md.

By contrast, most of the preceding half hour in which McLaurin addressed his current negotiations with the Washington Commanders was non va bene.

McLaurin’s frustration with the slow pace of talks is certainly genuine. But going public with it was also designed to put maximum pressure on the Commanders’ front office to take care of one of the two or three legit faces of the franchise, someone who’s done nothing but play at a high level since the team took him in the third round of the 2019 draft.

McLaurin acknowledged the buzz about his unhappiness with negotiations, which has gained steam in recent days, wasn’t just media spin. “It’s not just what people are hearing, it’s coming from me,” he said.

You can’t talk about being a family and having a brotherhood and then not pay the guy who best personifies that on your team.

It is left to me, the curmudgeon, to note how Monk’s time in Washington ended — in a salary dispute that led to his finishing his career with the New York Jets and Eagles, rather than in Washington. I know this because I wrote the story announcing his departure from D.C. on that April night in 1994. At the time, no then-Washington player was as beloved, or as respected, as James Arthur Monk. No one was classier or as revered in the community.

Similarly, all these years later, we know who McLaurin is and what he’s about.

We think we know, after almost two years at the helm, who Josh Harris is and what he’s about, and who Peters is and what he’s about. They’ve been very good in their roles. You can’t say “let AP cook,” and then squawk when the heat gets turned up a little.

If the dispute centers on a third year, or how much money should be guaranteed in that third year, when McLaurin’s 33, I get it. That’s tricky. You have a week to hash that out.

But, McLaurin has earned a deal near the top of the wide receivers chart. He signed a three-year extension in 2022, not knowing who’d be in Washington to shepherd him through the rest of his prime, or whether he’d be in Washington afterward. He bet on himself. The gamble paid off.

Very strong sound from Terry McLaurin on separating the business from the emotion on lack of movement with contract extension

Calls it “disappointing” and “disrespectful”@JPFinlayNBCS #RaiseHail#Commanders pic.twitter.com/qQ27HRMive

— NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) July 15, 2025​

Terry’s most recent Instagram post from Italy with the caption “Life is beautiful.”

He has also changed his pfp to a childhood picture. It was previously a photo of him in a #Commanders uniform.#RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/odUrUt2orR

— SleeperCommanders (@SleeperWSH) July 15, 2025​

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ESPN​

Commanders’ Terry McLaurin frustrated by lack of contract talks​

McLaurin, talking to reporters after shooting a commercial Tuesday, said “without any progress in discussions it’s kind of hard to see how I step on the field.”

However, McLaurin also said he wasn’t pushing for a trade and that, “I want to be here. I want to make that abundantly clear.”

But, he said, “it takes two to tango.”

McLaurin is in the final year of a three-year, $68 million extension he signed in 2022. He has been Washington’s top receiver since entering the NFL as a third-round pick in 2019 and has topped 1,000 yards for five consecutive seasons.

McLaurin turns 30 in September, an age when receivers’ production often starts to diminish, which can make teams reluctant to sign them to lucrative long-term contracts. However, McLaurin is entering only his seventh season and coming off arguably his most productive year with a career-best 13 touchdowns, second most in the NFL. He caught 82 passes for 1,096 yards.

“I’m not dismissing [age] completely,” he said. “There are data points to support that, but how come it’s not OK to say this may be a different case and based on what he’s proven, showing no signs of deterioration, I feel that should be acknowledged as well.”

“When things were adverse when there was a lot of chaos going on, I held firm, I held strong,” McLaurin said. “I held my head high and I was a leader. I’m going to continue to do that.”

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Riggo’s Rag​

Adam Peters risks Commanders mutiny if he keeps ignoring Terry McLaurin​

McLaurin’s public outburst regarding his unhappiness in front of the media this week didn’t sit well with the fan base. The fact that such an important player feels undervalued and disrespected reeks of the old regime’s ways. It hasn’t gone down well with some teammates, either.

Peters is not running a charity. He’s running the football operation with professionalism and is always looking at the bigger picture. McLaurin is an indispensable member of the squad, a fan favorite, and an established figure on and off the field. Even so, the Commanders are aware that the wideout will be 30 years old in September and want an agreement that reflects this.

The situation has taken its toll on McLaurin. He was resolute yet despondent. Things haven’t gone as he’d hoped, and the former third-round selection simply doesn’t know where things go from here.

Peters has done almost everything right over the last 18 months. But if he continues to ignore McLaurin and stalls on this extension, things will turn sour quickly.

The respected executive might even have a mutiny on his hands. That’s how much McLaurin is revered by everyone associated with the franchise.

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ESPN​

Execs, coaches, scouts rank NFL’s top 10 off-ball linebackers for 2025​

5. Frankie Luvu, Washington Commanders​

Highest ranking: 5 | Lowest ranking: Unranked

Age: 28 | Last year’s ranking: N/A

Luvu’s first year as a Commander vaulted him into the top-10 conversation. He received a few votes last year but was largely a nonfactor in the voting. But this year he appeared in the top five of many ballots.

While some evaluators believe No. 5 is rich for Luvu, he earned the votes and this is a composite ranking.

“I have so much respect for him — he’s been one of the best tone-setters in the NFL,” a veteran NFL defensive coach said. “His production over the last three years is as good as anyone.”

Head coach Dan Quinn deploys Luvu somewhat similarly to Micah Parsons in Dallas, a hybrid linebacker with pass rush ability off the edge. Luvu capitalized in a big way with 8.0 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 7 pass deflections on his way to second-team All-Pro honors.

“Versatile, playmaking in the run game, the pass game and with pass rush,” an NFL coordinator said. “His play style is all over the tape.”

One knock on Luvu: He’s a bit of a scheme fit. “Can’t play in every scheme. Can’t ask him to play in man coverage consistently,” an NFC executive said.

Honorable mention​

Bobby Wagner, Washington Commanders: “The physical skills have declined, but he can compensate with all-world instincts.” — AFC exec “Still great at getting jump on a play, doing everything you want out of a LB, smart, instincts, knows what everybody is doing. Pass coverage is where you see a little bit of a dip, which is to be expected at this stage.” — NFL personnel evaluator

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Podcasts & videos​

Art Monk Reflects on Jersey Retirement, Super Bowls & Greatest Moments | Next Man Up | Commanders​

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Hear from a candid Terry McLaurin about his frustration over stalled contract extension talks. There's still time for a deal before camp opens next week, but it’s clear that plenty of work remains.https://t.co/25qL0k9VNF

— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) July 16, 2025​

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Photos​

Commanders.com​

Throwback Thursday: Art Monk​

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NFC East links​

Sports Illustrated​

Dallas Cowboys price to re-sign DaRon Bland just went up​

The cornerback market has now been reset after the extension for Sauce Gardner by the New York Jets.

Among the top priorities on [the Cowboys] list, is star cornerback DaRon Bland, who has emerged as the Cowboys top defensive back over the last two seasons.

But now, the price to retain Bland, may have just gotten significantly higher.

On Tuesday, the New York Jets signed their own star corner, Sauce Gardner, to a massive four-year $120.4 million deal, making him the highest-paid corner in NFL history.

And while Bland was never going to command that type of money, Gardner resetting the market with his new deal will certainly play a role in his negotiations with the Cowboys going forward.

Since 2022, Bland has been a first-team All-Pro, has one Pro Bowl, and led the NFL in interceptions in 2023. He has 164 tackles, 27 pass breakups, and 14 interceptions with five defensive touchdowns in his career.

With Gardner now the highest-paid corner, where Bland fits in with the market remains to be seen. [T]he Cowboys will have to think very hard in the coming months about whether or not it is worth bringing him back, or finding another destination for him via trade.

NFL.com​

C.J. Gardner-Johnson: Eagles traded me to Texans because they’re ‘scared of a competitor’​

During an interview with The Pivot podcast, Gardner-Johnson was asked by Ryan Clark why he was no longer in Philly following such a successful, Super Bowl-winning stint.

“Scared of a competitor,” Gardner-Johnson answered. “Simple as that.”

Asked what he meant by that, the DB responded, “You can’t program a dawg.”

Gardner-Johnson sounded as though he didn’t have the backing of the staff and felt he was always blamed when things went sideways, citing his ejection from a late-season game against the Washington Commanders. He also noted that he was blamed for a postseason practice fight.

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ESPN​

Previewing the top storylines for 2025 NFL training camps​

DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Dallas Cowboys​

One of the breakout stars of the 2024 season, Overshown started 12 games and collected 90 tackles along with five sacks, three pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble. Then, in Week 14, he tore the ACL, PCL and MCL in his right knee — less than two years after an ACL tear in his left knee robbed him of his rookie season.

Overshown should be one of two starting linebackers under new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, but when exactly he gets back on the field is something to monitor. He gave a bullish update on his health to the Cowboys team site in May: “I think it really couldn’t be any better. If it was better, I’d probably be out there playing right now. Where I’m at in my rehab, in my process, it’s where I’m supposed to be plus some.”

That sounds rosy, but expect the Cowboys to be cautious with Overshown (as one should be with a player who tore three ligaments in one knee). Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said in April the team does not expect Overshown to start the season, and local reporters have tagged November as a likely window to return. I’d be stunned if we see him do much during camp, but if he really is ahead on his rehab, we could see the rumblings in August of an early return to action.

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The Philly Voice​

Nick Sirianni calls ‘bulls***’ on idea that Jalen Hurts was ‘along for the ride’ during Eagles Super Bowl run​

Normally, when a quarterback wins a Super Bowl and brings MVP hardware home with him, he’s widely celebrated. However, in the wake of Jalen Hurts’ ultimate NFL accomplishment, praise is almost always accompanied by the caveat that he didn’t win the Super Bowl all by himself.

It’s certainly true that Hurts had as good a situation as any quarterback could ask for during the 2024 season. He played behind the best offensive line in the NFL, he handed off to the best running back in the NFL in Saquon Barkley, he threw to one of the best trios of pass catchers in A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert, and on the other side of the ball the defense consistently created takeaways, putting Hurts and the offense in favorable positions.

Interestingly, in the scope of the 2024 Eagles as a team, that caveat only applies to Hurts.

[W]e can all imagine what some other quarterbacks might do if we replaced Hurts with them on the Eagles’ roster.

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NFL league links​

Articles​

Washington Post (paywall)​

Why are so many NFL rookies still unsigned as training camps arrive?​

There’s not much to negotiate in a rookie deal, but players — specifically those selected in the second round — are trying to lock in guaranteed money.

The second-round logjam is the result of a negotiating impasse between players and teams over fully guaranteed contracts. The portion of guaranteed money in the players’ contracts is one of the few items that needs to be negotiated under the rookie pay system.

Until this year, no player chosen in the second round had ever received a fully guaranteed contract. In May, the Houston Texans signed the second selection of the second round, wide receiver Jayden Higgins, to a fully guaranteed four-year contract worth just more than $11.7 million. The Cleveland Browns followed by signing the opening pick of the second round, linebacker Carson Schwesinger, to a fully guaranteed four-year deal worth just more than $11.8 million.

The question has become how deep into the second-round draft order the cutoff for fully guaranteed contracts will extend. Next in line is safety Nick Emmanwori, the third selection of the second round by the Seattle Seahawks. He’s represented by prominent agent David Mulugheta.

“If [numbers] one and two have gotten fully guaranteed contracts,” Corry said, “David Mulugheta is going to want a fully guaranteed contract” for Emmanwori.

The player chosen fourth in the second round by the Browns, running back Quinshon Judkins, was arrested Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a battery charge in an alleged domestic violence case.

“Some of these things will get done, if not at the rookie reporting date, the veteran reporting date,” Corry said. “People don’t want to look foolish. So everyone has decided to table it until there’s more information. That’s really what it comes down to. … Let’s say Shough gets done and then [numbers] seven and eight get done and you went first at number five and you don’t have a fully guaranteed contract. That’s the fear. That’s why people are waiting.”

“At some point, the agents — some of these players aren’t going to want to miss time. … They’re not under contract, so you can’t fine them,” Corry said. “The only thing is they’ll be missing time, which can help them with a starting job. That’s why I think Tyler Shough is counting on the Saints caving, because they want him to start. So do they really want to go to war with him over this issue and have him miss reps?”

Per source, Broncos and first-round CB Jahdae Barron have agreed to terms on a four-year contract. Barron one of the last of first-rounders to sign.
Broncos open rookie minicamp tomorrow.

— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) July 16, 2025​

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WE’RE ALMOST THERE pic.twitter.com/MMff7doA2X

— NFL (@NFL) July 16, 2025​

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Discussion topics​

ESPN​

Execs, coaches, scouts rank the NFL’s top 10 WRs for 2025​

4. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys​

Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: 10

Age: 26 | Last year’s ranking: 4

Lamb has checked many boxes required by an elite receiver. He had a banner season in 2023, with 135 receptions (league-high), 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has had no true down years. He’s a perennial All-Pro first- or second-teamer. And he can produce through adversity, including multiple injuries to Dak Prescott and a bad running game.

5. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles​

Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: unranked

Age: 28 | Last year’s ranking: 6

It’s odd to see a top-five receiver here tied for 43rd in leaguewide targets last season (97). But those numbers for Brown were more a product of the run-heavy Eagles offense and didn’t affect his high-end ability.

Philly was 16-1 while averaging 31.5 points per game with Brown in the lineup last season. Without Brown, the team went 2-2 while averaging 18.0 points per game. Those numbers include Philadelphia’s playoff run.

7. Malik Nabers, New York Giants​

Highest ranking: 4 | Lowest ranking: unranked

Age: 21 | Last year’s ranking: not eligible (rookie)

Nabers has the NFL’s full attention. Surpassing 100 catches and 1,200 yards as a rookie in one of the league’s worst offenses with four different quarterbacks is rock-climbing-on-stilts difficult. The receptions total is the second most by a rookie in NFL history behind Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (112).

The Giants force-fed Nabers with 171 targets, second in the league behind Chase. Nabers proved he could handle the major workload by not breaking down and still side-stepping defenders. Nabers’ 19 forced missed tackles topped all rookie receivers.

Honorable mentions​

Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders: Washington quarterbacks produced a 133.0 passer rating when targeting McLaurin last season. “Criminally underrated.” — NFL general manager

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All aTwitter​

The ultimate honor for an ultimate player

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 15, 2025​

Frankie Luvu! Top 5 LB! #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/5bMJc1BZ8D

— Anthony Armstrong (@ratedarmstrong) July 15, 2025​

From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: #Commanders WR Terry McLaurin wants a new deal, one that eclipses $30M a year. And he's not thrilled it hasn't happened yet. pic.twitter.com/ctdW1D4cQ5

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 15, 2025​

ESPN Booger explains the importance of working out a contract extension with #Commanders All Pro WR Terry McLaurin

“….stability……continuity….darlings” #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/2Y5PHMNRnH

— Los Doos__ @redzoneinthelab podcast (@redzoneinthelab) July 16, 2025​

That’s the dirty business of being a real gm. Your decisions have to be divorced from the emotions of folks outside of the building. As much as I want Terry to retire a Commander, AP and staff has to follow their process. That’s the front office we’ve begged for. Now we have it. https://t.co/fErW2IFB8S

— Cedonia Ave. (@KMBmoreX) July 15, 2025​

Execs, coaches, scouts rank NFL's top 10 WRs:

*Chase finally beats Jefferson
*Collins, Nabers debut in top 8

*Five players tied for last two spots: Evans, Wilson, McLaurin,
Nacua, Thomas Jr.

GMs and HCs help break tie https://t.co/HETCuLNY1Q

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) July 16, 2025​

ESPN didn't rank Terry McLaurin in the Top 10 of their Top 10 WR list despite being an All-Pro in 2024.

Mike Evans was No. 9. Garrett Wilson was No. 10.

Terry was the first honorable mention. #RaiseHail

— Denton Day (D-Day) (@TheDentonDay) July 16, 2025​

Something I keep thinking about when it comes to Terry McLaurin —

When I was younger, I thought you had to run a team sans emotion. Robotic decisions. Services not yet rendered were all that mattered, past performances irrelevant. A guy’s standing as a beloved, long-time fan…

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) July 16, 2025​

I was re-watching Tyler Shough highlights & it was more like Ja’Corey Brooks highlights

JB was responsible for 31% of Shough’s yards & 40% of his TDs

How did this kid not get drafted? #RaiseHail might have UDFA pic.twitter.com/xeOnjRRete

— Fantasy Football Commish  (@AskTheFFC) July 15, 2025​

#Commanders Safeties, Quan Martin, Tyler Owens, and Percy Butler putting in that work with Coach Savage! #RaiseHail

ig: thecoachsavage pic.twitter.com/29DsUCTVw8

— Los Doos__ @redzoneinthelab podcast (@redzoneinthelab) July 16, 2025​

Jayden Daniels comp are two top 5 QB’s combined via the hosts of The Colin Coward podcast.

‍ ‍ ‍#RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/8PMlp3uOq4

— Los Doos__ @redzoneinthelab podcast (@redzoneinthelab) July 15, 2025​

Source: https://www.hogshaven.com/2025/7/16...claurins-contract-luvu-named-top-5-lb-by-espn

 

[Washington Commanders]

Daily Slop – 27 Aug 25 – Articles, podcasts & tweets to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, and the NFL in general

Commanders links​

Articles​

The Athletic (paywall)

Terry McLaurin’s extension shows how the Commanders will do business going forward​

That McLaurin got $29 million in average annual value instead of the $32 million he sought is something they “debate” on ESPN. The deal is worth “up to” $96 million over three seasons in the same way I can get “down to” 175 pounds if I’d just eat a little better and work out a little more. It’s an aspiration, not reality.

Just as predicted, neither side is likely all that happy with the final resolution. But the Commanders offered, and McLaurin signed, and we’re 12 days away from the season opener at Northwest Stadium — a game for which No. 17 will now suit up and play, with fuller pockets, including a $30 million signing bonus.

What does matter, though, is that there was an actual negotiation. And that’s the big ol’ marker general manager Adam Peters has slapped down on the table, a year-plus into his stint here.

Under New Management.

The Commanders are no longer the place where you pick up your golden handshake on the back nine of your career. Where there was financial anarchy during the worst of the Snyder Era, there is now rock-ribbed discipline.

It’s not show friends, Bob Sugar said in “Jerry Maguire,” it’s show business.

Washington is now San Francisco East — resembling a place where a lot of good football players have had to work overtime for their next big contract, including Nick Bosa and old friend Trent Williams.

There’s the unmistakable feeling that Peters is letting the rest of the league know how Washington’s going to do business going forward. This was his first high-profile negotiation in D.C., and it left no ambiguity about how sentimentality is not going to be an operating principle here.

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The Athletic (paywall)

Most surprising NFL roster cut for every team​

Washington Commanders: Clelin Ferrell, DE

Spoiler: This wasn’t that big of a surprise. Ferrell, the No. 4 pick in the 2019 draft, signed with Washington last season and re-upped in March as the team attempted to transform its defensive line. The Commanders needed to boost their pass rush, opening the door for Ferrell to prove he should maintain his spot. But he failed to show enough in camp and preseason to warrant keeping him over returning defensive ends Dorance Armstrong and Javontae Jean-Baptiste, or newcomers Deatrich Wise Jr. and Jacob Martin. — Nicki Jhabvala

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Washington Post (paywall)

Breaking down the Commanders’ initial 53-man roster​

After Tuesday’s cuts, here’s how the position groups look. Changes could be coming soon.

Tuesday was still a key date for Washington’s roster construction — and a great day for undrafted rookie linebacker Ale Kaho, one of the notable players on the bubble who survived the sweeping cuts. Here’s how the Commanders look immediately after their one and only cutdown of the summer.

Cornerback (5): Trey Amos, Marshon Lattimore, Mike Sainristil, Noah Igbinoghene, Jonathan Jones

Amos looked like a home run of a second-round pick all spring and summer. His addition should allow Sainristil to focus on inside cornerback duties, which fit his ball-hawking skill set best. Lattimore may be one of the season’s swing players — is he still an elite shutdown corner, or have injuries eroded his skills? Igbinoghene brings physicality, and Jones is a versatile veteran known for his speed and smarts.

Safety (5): Quan Martin, Will Harris, Jeremy Reaves, Percy Butler, Tyler Owens

In his third year, Martin could be a breakout player. Reaves, an irrepressible special teams standout for several years, may cut into Harris’s snaps after an excellent training camp. Owens is a strong developmental prospect, and Butler will provide special teams ballast.

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A to Z Sports

Ale Kaho may be a gem on the Commanders’ defense after earning a spot on the 53-man roster​

It’s hard to find quality players that go undrafted, because each player has their own reasons for going undrafted, but now and then a gem while shine through for a team. Ale Kaho showed up to Commanders Park this offseason, put his head down, and went to work. He was a quiet name throughout training camp, but he let his presence be felt on gameday.

Kaho led the defense in tackles for the entire preseason with 15, and he really popped out on tape against the Ravens. The game was pretty ugly as a preseason finale at home, but Kaho had seven tackles and one tackle for a loss, and flew around the field to make plays.

Football player https://t.co/5hpChVeWPJ pic.twitter.com/FOqqOINcBn

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) August 23, 2025

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Riggo’s Rag

Commanders need a backup center, and Cole Strange could be a useful addition​

There’s a chance someone like Michael Deiter or Nick Harris is brought back onto the practice squad. Neither inspires much confidence, so taking a chance on someone like Cole Strange wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.

Strange was one of the oddest first-round picks in recent memory. He was projected as someone who’d be taken just outside the top 100 by most analysts and scouts. However, the New England Patriots thought he was worth the risk at No. 29 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Bill Belichick made a mistake with Strange. He was solid, but never looked capable of reaching his first-round billing. After experiencing some struggles this summer under the new regime, the Patriots opted to pull the plug on this costly experiment.

Nobody would be expecting Strange to start in Washington. Biadasz is the established center and a pillar of consistency on the interior. What the Commanders need is a capable understudy who could provide relief if he’s forced to miss time, which he did twice during the 2024 regular season.

Strange does have struggles against the run, but he’s a sound pass protector. He also has the scope to play either center or guard, which is the sort of versatility every team covets in their backup options.

The Commanders might have alternatives in mind, but Strange is a solid pro who could benefit from a change of scenery. It’s a low-risk move that could solidify one remaining issue along the offensive line depth chart, at least for one season.

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Podcasts & videos​

Commanders Film Room @Gcarmi21 & @MarkBullockNFL are back in the lab breaking down the Film on Terry McLaurin & what he truly means to Jayden Daniels & this offensehttps://t.co/17Cdzs1zKb

— Big Doug (@DougMcCrayNFL) August 26, 2025

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Terry McLaurin, High Expectations & Season Preview! | Get Loud | Washington Commanders​

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On this week's Business of Sports, @AndrewBrandt gives his thoughts on some of the biggest news around the sports world including:

– Trey Hendrickson's & Terry McLaurin's new contracts
– NFL Final Roster Cuts
– Browns trade Kenny Pickett to the Raiders
– And more!… pic.twitter.com/FmqCfVPhu7

— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) August 26, 2025

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FIRST TAKE | “Commanders are Super Bowl contenders” – Stephen A. has high expectation for Daniels​

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NFC East links​

The Philly Voice

Ranking NFL teams by age after 53-man cutdowns: 2025 edition​

Calculating the average age of the 32 NFL teams, from oldest to youngest, as they get ready for a new season.

As of roughly 8:30 p.m. on cutdown day, when we finished collecting data from all 32 NFL team website rosters, the Green Bay Packers had the youngest team in the NFL.

The Washington Commanders have the oldest roster in the NFL this year, and by a wide margin at 28.1 years of age. In fact, I’ve been calculating the average age of every team in the NFL at final cutdowns every year since 2012, and the two oldest teams previously were the 2023 Saints and 2018 Raiders, both at 27.4 years of age.

A common “rebuttal” by fans who don’t want their team to be super old is usually something to the effect of, “Well if you take out this guy or that guy, then their average age is lower.” Of course, that premise can be applied to every other team, too. But in the case of the Commanders, they’re old across the entire roster, with a staggering 25 players who are 29 years of age or older.

The Eagles rank 2nd, as in, 2nd youngest. They were the 6th youngest last year. The retirement of Brandon Graham and the loss of a bunch of players to free agency have something to do with the lower age.

To note, “old” doesn’t mean “bad,” and “young” doesn’t mean “good.” But certainly, you don’t want to be old and bad, like some of the teams above. And obviously, teams that are both young and talented with good quarterbacks can feel pretty good about their long-term chances of being consistent contenders.

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ESPN

2025 NFL roster cuts tracker: Updates for all 32 teams​

NFC East​

Dallas Cowboys

Biggest move: With the uncertain status of Micah Parsons for the opener, James Houston (one sack, three hurries and two tackles for loss in 2024) was likely one of the beneficiaries, as Dallas chose to carry six pass rushers on the 53-man roster. Houston has been disruptive in practices and during the games, but can he make it to Week 1 still on the active roster and see playing time? The Cowboys likely will bring back Hakeem Adeniji as their swing tackle and cornerback C.J. Goodwin to the roster as soon as Wednesday, when they can place running back Phil Mafah (shoulder) and cornerback Caelen Carson (knee) on injured reserve/designated to return. — Todd Archer

New York Giants

Biggest move: The Giants cut Tommy DeVito. It was expected and really became a lock when they signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and also drafted Jaxson Dart. DeVito was the fourth quarterback all spring and summer, and the Giants weren’t going to keep four quarterbacks on the active roster. Maybe DeVito lands on the practice squad, but even that seems like a long shot. However, he will have other options. Ihmir Smith-Marsette not getting an opportunity as the returner was significantly more surprising than the DeVito move. Smith-Marsette returned a kickoff for a touchdown — and a punt, as well, even though it was called back because of a penalty — while averaging almost 35 yards per kickoff return in 2024. One would’ve thought that earned him another chance to be the returner. But the Giants instead chose Gunner Olszewski over Smith-Marsette to be their returner to start the season. — Jordan Raanan

Philadelphia Eagles

Biggest move: The additions of tackle Fred Johnson and quarterback Sam Howell bolster depth at a couple of key areas. No. 2 QB Tanner McKee has earned the trust of the organization, but he suffered a finger injury on his throwing hand late in training camp. Rookie Kyle McCord isn’t ready for NFL action quite yet, so the Eagles turned to Howell, who has 18 career starts under his belt. Johnson spent the past two seasons in Philadelphia before signing with the Jaguars earlier this offseason. With no one emerging at camp this summer, he can step right into the swing tackle role on game day. — Tim McManus

Washington Commanders

Biggest move: Washington’s biggest roster move occurred last week when it traded running back Brian Robinson Jr. to San Francisco. But the Commanders’ most significant move Tuesday was keeping right guard Sam Cosmi on the physically unable to perform list. That means he’ll be sidelined for at least the first four weeks of the season as he continues rehabbing from a torn right ACL suffered in the NFC divisional round in January. Nick Allegretti has been working in his place. The Commanders have been optimistic about Cosmi’s recovery, but it’s an injury that often has a healing timeline of nine to 12 months. — John Keim

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NFL league links​

Articles​

Front Office Sports

NFL Sunday Ticket Debuts Monthly Plan—but at a Steep Cost​

YouTube is adding a month-to-month option to NFL Sunday Ticket this season, increasing the flexibility of the out-of-market media-rights package.

YouTube is adding a month-to-month option to NFL Sunday Ticket this season, increasing the flexibility—albeit with a price hike—of the out-of-market media-rights package that is the center of a $14 billion antitrust lawsuit.

For the first time since Sunday Ticket was launched in 1994, viewers will be able to purchase the service for a single month, as opposed to the entire season, which costs $276 for new users (with a YouTube TV subscription) and $378 for returning users.

Beginning in September, monthly Sunday Ticket plans will be available for $85 up to four payments ($340) for new users (with a YouTube TV subscription) and $115 for returning users ($460). Those monthly price points are $16 and $20.50 higher, respectively, than the full-season Sunday Ticket plans would cost across four months.

Sunday Ticket, including the monthly plan, is also available via YouTube for non–YouTube TV subscribers, although at even higher price points.

Multiview Expansion

YouTube is also expanding its Sunday Ticket multiview options to offer more combinations of local and national games for YouTube TV users. The streamer plans to gradually launch those improvements throughout the season, and a source told Front Office Sports that viewers will eventually be able to access all combinations of local and national games, which has not previously been the case.

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The #Dolphins placed K Jason Sanders on IR as they cut down to 53 players. They hosted four veteran kickers for tryouts today to replace him:https://t.co/QeGiMzU60Y

— Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors) August 27, 2025

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aBit o’Twitter​

scary smiles pic.twitter.com/gNrzN36yTB

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 26, 2025

Paid Terry. pic.twitter.com/pTYbsxSLdT

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 26, 2025

Long snappers,

If you have NFL aspirations, this is a much watch. Key in on what the coach is saying in this moment. This young snapper played at the highest level collegiately but the biggest concern was “can you block?” at the next level.

It wasn’t about snap times, it was… https://t.co/oUGSm0JNWJ

— Matt Overton (@MattOverton_LS) August 26, 2025

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Source: https://www.hogshaven.com/daily-slo...ommanders-the-nfc-east-and-the-nfl-in-general