Daily Slop – 11 May 24: Jayden Daniels draws a crowd to first day of on-field work for rookies

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Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

What LB Jordan Magee brings to the Washington Commanders

Breaking down what the Commanders are getting from their fifth round linebacker

Magee is an interesting study. He’s an undersized linebacker at 6-foot-1, 228 pounds and is more in the mold of a hybrid safety/linebacker type rather than a traditional downhill linebacker. That’s a profile that head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. are very familiar with using, especially during their time in Dallas. That being said, Magee isn’t a liability against the run like some linebackers of his profile can be. He’s not afraid to trigger downhill and take on blocks in the run game.

On this play, Rutgers look to run an outside zone scheme against Temple’s defense. The center looks to work off a combination block on the nose tackle before climbing up to block Magee. Magee reads run early and quickly works up to the line of scrimmage, meeting the center head on. He uses his momentum to explode into the block, getting up and under the center to drive him backwards. Magee blows up the center and closes the lane for the running back, who ends up getting tackled for no gain.

That willingness to take on blocks for an undersized linebacker was a standout trait for Magee. He consistently triggered on runs inside early and exploded into blockers to knock them back and disrupt the run scheme. But he wasn’t just running head first into blocks for the sake of it. Magee displays good instincts and can quickly identify where the ball is going.

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Washington Post (paywall)

Jayden Daniels makes Commanders debut at rookie minicamp: ‘He’s a stud’

Daniels took the spotlight on Friday as the Commanders ran through their first of two rookie minicamp practices.

For roughly an hour, Daniels took the spotlight as the Commanders ran through their first of two rookie minicamp practices. It was his first on-field work with Coach Dan Quinn, who observed much of the practice while roaming from drill to drill; offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who stuck with the quarterbacks; and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard, who often stepped in as an extra receiver on passing drills.

“I love it, just the open communication, open dialogue,” Daniels said. “Having those guys around me, obviously have coached at the highest level, played, too — a different set of eyes, man. I’m trying to be a sponge and learn as much as possible.”

“Just the ball placement, the arm talent he has, he’s got the ability to make every throw,” tight end Ben Sinnott said of Daniels. “And I mean, you see it all over the film, too. Like, he can run, he can extend plays, create explosives with his legs, throw it 80 yards downfield and create a huge play in the pass game. He’s got all the intangibles, and he’s a natural leader, a guy who brings his teammates together.”

Sinnott arrived in Washington with more experience working with Daniels than most. The two trained together in California ahead of the draft, so it wasn’t a surprise that their timing on passes appeared seamless.

When practice closed shortly after 2 p.m., Daniels and Hartman stayed on the field for another 30 minutes to get extra time with Kingsbury and Pritchard, hoping to absorb even more.

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The Athletic (paywall)

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and the unlikeliest passing of the torch

Way, a two-time Pro Bowler and frequent team winner for special teams performer of the year, has remained among Washington’s most popular players. His affability connects with fans of all ages, and his precision punts became weapons for an offense that lacked punch over the years. Regardless of the plusses, a punter should not be a headliner or in the best-player discussion.

There’s zero sarcasm about the reverence for Way’s annual contributions. One Reddit thread following the recent 4-13 season asked if Way is the best player on the team. The 2023 season wasn’t among his best, but anyone discounting the notion based on previous work hasn’t followed this team closely.

The punter understands the irony of a player in his role garnering such outsized acclaim. The 34-year-old also knows what the fan base and players have endured more than most, and he grasps what a potential star at the sport’s most important position represents for the future. No wonder Way punted on taking the 23-year-old for a transactional ride.

Way’s emotions were exposed when he explained his reasoning for letting Daniels have his number.

“There is just so much excitement around this organization, hands down the most I have ever seen,” Way said. “… (Changing numbers) is just a very small part that I can do.”

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ESPN

Jayden Daniels impresses in 1st Commanders minicamp practice

Daniels’ presence led to more interest than usual in the Commanders’ first rookie workout as approximately 55 media members attended — at least 20 more than usual, according to a team spokesman. He smiled often and during breaks could be seen laughing with coaches or teammates. He lofted accurate deep passes down the middle of the field against no defenders and was accurate during a 7-on-7 drill, with one off-target pass that resulted in a one-handed grab by undrafted free agent Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint.

Daniels said Friday was just about “day one install” of the playbook. But he also said he soaked in seeing his helmet in the locker and putting on his yellow No. 5 practice jersey.

“Man, it was awesome,” he said. He added that scenes like this brought out “that 9-year-old kid in me, just realizing that his dreams came true, and now I’m here but I’ve still got a long way to go.”

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Commanders.com

Cosmi: O-Line wants to help Jayden Daniels by ‘taking stuff off his plate’

It’s on the new bunch of players up front to take care of Daniels as he gets adjusted to the NFL.

“We as a line have to definitely help him in the learning process, for sure,” Cosmi said. “Taking stuff off of his plate, being able to communicate with him.”

Taking care of a rookie quarterback is going to be a challenge for a group consisting of players who have either never played together or spent years apart, but overhauling the offensive line was necessary in 2024. They were just above average in pass-block win-rate (14th) and below average in run-block win-rate (22nd). They were also tied for the second most sacks allowed in 2023, although not all of the 65 given up were because of the offensive line.

Whether it happens in Week 1 or later in the season, Daniels will be the starting quarterback at some point, and that creates positives and challenges. Daniels was one of the best mobile quarterbacks in college football over the past five seasons, and while he did take 22 sacks in 2023, he also used his legs to avoid pressure and keep plays alive.

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Commanders.com

11 things to know about Washington’s 11 UDFAs

5. David Nwaogwugwu comes from a talented offense.

Nwaogwugwu played at Temple and Rutgers before settling in at Toledo, playing both guard and tackle. He started the entire season for Toledo, helping the offensive line rank fourth in sacks allowed per game and first in the MAC in points per game (32.3), total offense (419.2) and passing efficiency (147.82).

6. Tyler Owens tested well at the combine.

Owens only participated in two events at the scouting combine this year: the vertical and the broad jump. He dominated in both.

Both Owens’ broad jump (12-foot-2) and vertical jump (41 inches) were some of the best any evaluator had seen in recent years. He had the best broad jump of any safety by 13 inches, becoming the second player to jump at least 12 feet in combine history. His vertical jump was also the best among the entire safety class, ranking fourth among all defensive backs.

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Washington Wire

Jayden Daniels bet with Malik Nabers is off

“I’m educated now that I got here about sports betting and gambling,” Nabers said on the first day of the Giants rookie minicamp via Jordan Raanan of ESPN. “So we’re calling the bet off. There is no bet now. It was just another brother pushing another brother to try to get to success. That is all it was.”

The friendly wager became known when Nabers, as a guest on “The Pivot,” announced he and Daniels made the bet. Daniels later confirmed it was true.

However, before both players reported to rookie minicamp, the NFL was expected to educate the rookies on the league’s gambling policy.

Daniels acknowledged the bet was off when he spoke to reporters after the first day of Washington Commanders rookie minicamp.

“Yeah, we were uneducated on the gambling policy in the NFL,” Daniels said. “We learned about it last night. Me and him had a conversation and canceled the bet. Obviously, we don’t want to get in trouble with anything, so we’re just focused on being the best players for our respective teams.”

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Podcasts & videos

Austin Ekeler is a “QB’s Best Friend” | Free Agency Friday | Command Center

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Photos

Commanders.com

PHOTOS | Commanders begin rookie minicamp

Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders’ rookies, undrafted free agents and tryout players take the first for the start of rookie minicamp.

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NFL league links

Articles

Front Office Sports

Reported NFL-Netflix Deal Is Notable, but Isn’t a Big Multiyear Commitment

That the NFL is even playing on Christmas this year, however, is still noteworthy, as the holiday falls on a Wednesday, normally not a day of the week when the league plays. But the NFL is pursuing a series of precise scheduling moves to keep its Christmas presence.

The developing deal with Netflix also signals a rising interest by the NFL to experiment with various streamers for many of its tentpole events. Over the past two years, the league has placed Black Friday and wild-card games on outlets such as Amazon and Peacock, and now operates the residential portion of NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube. Given the unprecedented level of disruption across the media landscape, it’s smart business for the NFL to see where consumer patterns are heading while still keeping its core status on linear television. But for fans, it simply adds to the number of different streaming subscriptions one must have to see every game.

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