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Daily Slop – 14 Jun 25 – Lots of focus on Commanders wide receivers and cornerbacks in today’s leading stories

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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

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Washington Post (paywall)

Seven takeaways as the Commanders pack up shop until training camp

Washington is bigger and perhaps better after its offseason moves, as seen during minicamp, but we’ll learn plenty more when the team returns to action.

The secondary might have three really good corners.

Washington will need them to shore up its coverage, as noted above. Marshon Lattimore opened up about his recovery from a hamstring injury last season and said it hindered his play and confidence after he was traded from New Orleans. He believes his explosiveness is back, and if he can stay healthy, the Commanders may finally see the fruits of their investment.

Perhaps even more promising is the prospect of Trey Amos, the team’s second-round pick out of Mississippi, who started taking first-team reps with the defense.

“Oh, he got technique,” Lattimore said of Amos. “His technique is there. From what I see as far as his technique, he looks complete. He’s a rookie, and it’s early, but throughout the season, I just feel like he’s going to keep that up and get better as the season goes.”

There’s at least one spot up for grabs at wide receiver.

Noah Brown…was carted off the field with an undisclosed injury Wednesday. Brown, the recipient of Washington’s Hail Mary touchdown against the Chicago Bears last season, missed the last six games because of a kidney injury.

Quinn declined to specify Brown’s latest injury or its severity, saying only that he would have an MRI this week for further evaluation.

Meanwhile, Michael Gallup, the former Cowboys wideout who signed a one-year deal in free agency after sitting out last season, did not participate in on-field work during minicamp because of a strained hamstring.

The hope, of course, is that all three receivers are back for training camp. But even with their return, there is plenty of competition for the final roster spot or two, depending on how many receivers the team wants to keep. McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, Brown, Luke McCaffrey and rookie Jaylin Lane figure to make it.

Veteran Chris Moore impressed in the team periods during minicamp and has a chance to earn more in training camp. KJ Osborn is back after getting claimed off waivers in December, and he joins Gallup and undrafted rookies Ja’Corey Brooks and Jacoby Jones in fighting for a spot. Don’t discount the possibility Washington adds to the receivers room before training camp.

Commanders.com

3 standouts from Commanders minicamp

Luke McCaffrey

There was never a question about McCaffrey’s work ethic or determination last season, but it was clear that he needed more time to develop into a more polished NFL receiver. Now, the former third-round pick’s hard work is starting to pay off.

Head coach Dan Quinn praised McCaffrey for the attention to detail he showed in his route running, and that showed throughout OTAs and minicamp. One of his best moments came when he was able to shake off Marshon Lattimore during seven-on-seven drills and get open for a decent gain. He also made a tough sideline catch with Tyler Owens providing tight coverage and scored a touchdown on a catch-and-run later in the day.

“Those are the things that I’ve seen from him this offseason as a really polished receiver,” Quinn said. “Was I surprised that he did it? No, because I knew he’s a person [who] if I go back to the competitor, he’s going to find a way or make a way.”

McCaffrey wants to have a bigger role in the offense during his second season. He’ll need to keep showing progress in camp, but he’s off to a good start.

Commanders.com

Laremy Tunsil sees bright future for Josh Conerly

“You know who I’m really impressed with, though? JC [Conerly],” Tunsil said after Thursday’s minicamp practice. “JC’s gonna be a dog, and I’m not just saying that just to blow smoke up his a**.”

Conerly excelled at that in Oregon, allowing just two sacks in the final two seasons with the Ducks. They also valued the type of competitor Conerly was and appreciated his dedication to improving his skill set.

“Just great feet, great lower body structure, great bend, and just super talented for a big man,” Peters said after the team drafted Conerly. “And then you start hearing about the type of person he is, just human being. And then you hear about the type of football like person he is in terms of in the locker room, the leader, the worker, how routine oriented he is, how he’s like a true pro already, despite being really young.”

Tunsil agrees with all that and more.

“Just the way he moves, the way he bends,” Tunsil said of Conerly. “He’s athletic, smart, very intelligent. I think he’s got all the tools to be a good player in this league.”

Washington Post (paywall)

D.C. Council members say stadium approval is likely, but they need more time

The mayor wants the council to approve the Commanders deal next month, but members say they need time on a deal that involves more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds.

The prospect of the council delaying a vote on the $3.7 billion deal has the team “outraged,” Bowser said this week, and “sacrifices our exclusive seat at the table and $2.7 billion in private investment.” Bowser has wanted the council to approve the deal with the Commanders as part of the council’s fiscal year 2026 budget process — and the Commanders said this week that any delay beyond that threatens the team’s construction timeline.

But council members argued it was only fair that they take more time to consider a deal that involves more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds — especially since they said they still lacked key information, such as a full explanation of the Bowser administration’s revenue projections for the project and an analysis of how much the proposed tax exemptions for the Commanders will cost the city.

“The mayor thinks that her deal is perfect, and that’s great for her,” said council member Christina Henderson (I-At Large). “I feel like there are areas where we can certainly improve.”

The timeline tensions came into public view Tuesday, after NBC Washington reported on a closed council meeting where members discussed the possibility of voting on the terms of the RFK deal separately from the overall budget, which lawmakers are expected to approve in late July. The council would still approve the capital funding Bowser has allocated for the development with the budget, two lawmakers said this week.

But voting on the deal in the fall would violate a deadline that Bowser negotiated with the Commanders; a term sheet between the two parties set July 15 as a deadline for a council vote and says the team would no longer exclusively negotiate with the city if the council did not vote on the deal by then, or if the council “materially changes” the deal’s terms. And Bowser said in an interview Friday that even if the council voted to approve the capital funds, that would mean little without them also approving the terms. “The team can’t take that to the bank,” she said.

Henderson cast some doubt on the idea that an additional couple of months of council consideration would cause the Commanders to walk away from the city. “Every indication that I have from them, from the NFL, from their extraordinary involvement,” she said, “is that they want to be here, which is great.” Henderson has said she would support a stadium deal, but only if it is improved for taxpayers and has a stronger labor agreement.

Pro Football Focus

NFL’s top WR-CB battles: Recent one-sided and tight matchups

WR A.J. Brown vs. CB Emmanuel Forbes

The Commanders selected Forbes in the first round (16th overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he was no match for Eagles All-Pro wideout A.J. Brown, who got the best of him twice that season. Brown was targeted 10 times in their Week 4 contest, catching six passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns (143.8 passer rating).

The second matchup between Washington and Philadelphia that year wasn’t quite as noteworthy as far as the individual matchup (two receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown), but Brown accounted for an 8-130-2 line overall for the game. He was simply unstoppable for the Commanders’ defense, no matter who covered him that day.

WR DeVonta Smith vs. CB Kendall Fuller

Smith’s best game of 2022 came in Week 3 versus Washington when he caught eight of 12 targets for 169 yards and a touchdown (92.5 PFF game grade). Most of his production was with cornerback Kendall Fuller (38.4) in primary coverage — six targets, five receptions, 95 yards, one touchdown and a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeted.

Smith’s dominant performance was even more impressive when you consider that Fuller was one of the 15 highest-graded cornerbacks in the league that season (76.6) and was coming off a year in which he ranked third (81.5) at his position.

WR Mike Evans vs. CB Marshon Lattimore

Evans versus Lattimore has been one of the most publicized battles in the league for years now, as the two clashed many times as NFC South rivals. Their rivalry was renewed last year in the wild-card round after the Washington Commanders acquired Lattimore from the New Orleans Saints late in the season.

Evans dominated that matchup, catching all six targets thrown his way for 84 yards and a touchdown (158.3 passer rating). Evans (91.8 PFF game grade) gave Lattimore (26.5) fits all night, also drawing a defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone before his touchdown just one play later.

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Blogging the Boys

Micah Parsons reportedly ‘puzzled’ that Cowboys are costing themselves in contract negotiations

Just about everybody is confused why the Cowboys are continuing to wait on a Micah Parsons extension

Dallas Cowboys fans all agree that a Micah Parsons extension should have been taken care of by now. Parsons, who was first eligible for an extension last offseason, seems to remain puzzled by this himself.

It should be reiterated that the Cowboys had a chance to get Parsons done as early as last offseason and that if they had they could have, from a salary cap standpoint, taken advantage of an extra year of his rookie contract as far as allocation of funds were concerned. Had they taken care of him last year they likely would have beaten not only Watt and Hendrickson to the punch, but also Myles Garrett who got a four-year deal with the Cleveland Browns at the beginning of this offseason. It averages $40M per year.

Waiting, dragging your feet or however else you want to put it only serves to make what you are trying to do more difficult. We have all procrastinated something in our lives, but if you kept getting failing grades because you were not studying for your tests, didn’t you make an adjustment? At some point did you not learn from this pattern of behavior?

It is hard to believe that the Cowboys cannot learn from their mistakes or that they aren’t aware of this idea. In fact, we know that this is not the case.

Consider that Stephen Jones said back in March that the team puts “zero credence” into the notion that they wait too long.

“We’ve done the early before, and we’ve waited until the end to do them,” Jones said. “A lot of it is just the negotiation itself. Some of them take longer than others. And we put about zero credibility or credence into people saying you wait too long.”

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Pro Football Talk

Saints sign free agent RB Cam Akers

The Saints signed free agent running back Cam Akers on Friday, according to the NFL’s transactions report.

Akers participated in the team’s minicamp this week on a tryout basis.

He joins Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller, Devin Neal and Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the running backs room.

Akers, 25, spent last season with the Texans and Vikings. Between the two teams, he rushed for 444 yards and two touchdowns on 104 carries and added 14 catches for 68 yards and three touchdowns.

The Athletic (paywall)

Michael Penix Jr., Olu Fashanu, other 2024 NFL Draft first-rounders who need big seasons

Six 2024 NFL Draft first-round picks were named to the 2025 Pro Bowl (Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, Patriots QB Drake Maye, Giants WR Malik Nabers, Raiders TE Brock Bowers, Rams edge Jared Verse and Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr.). A slew of others, including Chargers OT Joe Alt and Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell, were key contributors on playoff teams. Overall, early returns on the ’24 class were strong.

Not necessarily everywhere, though. Let’s take a look at a few soon-to-be second-year NFL players who are in desperate need of a great sophomore campaign after either disappointing or getting hurt as rookies last year.

Michael Penix Jr., QB, Atlanta Falcons

Entering one of the strangest rookie QB situations in some time, Penix made just 16 preseason dropbacks last summer. He then waited behind 2024 offseason signing Kirk Cousins, only to make his first start in Week 16 after Cousins bottomed out. In three starts to close the year, on an 8-9 team, Penix completed 58.1 percent of his throws for 775 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions — his best game coming in Week 18 vs. Carolina (21 of 38 for 312 yards, two touchdowns, one interception).

Accuracy, handling pressure and an inability to consistently anticipate over the middle were the biggest concerns about Penix coming out of Washington. And though it’s hard to knock him for his play in mop-up duty last season, some of those issues remained.

Not only did Atlanta take a QB at No. 8 in 2024, months after paying Cousins a fortune, it also took Penix ahead of J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix. For Atlanta GM Terry Fontenot, this pick simply has to pan out. We’ll see soon how much growth has happened.

Tyler Guyton, OT, Dallas Cowboys

Guyton was a polarizing prospect coming out of Oklahoma in 2024. He began his college career (at TCU) as a tight end and only fully transitioned to offensive tackle ahead of the 2022 season, following a transfer. He was an up-and-down player in college as a result but did offer both elite athleticism (34 1/2-inch vertical, 7.5-second three-cone time at 6-7, 322) and size (34 3/8-inch arm, 82 3/8-inch wingspan) outside.

It was a bit surprising how quickly Guyton earned a job in Dallas. He opened as the Cowboys’ Week 1 left tackle and wound up starting 14 games on the blindside — but it wasn’t always pretty. Guyton really struggled in protection over the first month of the year and wasn’t much better in the run game. Things steadied a bit down the stretch, but he still finished the year as the NFL’s second-worst graded starting offensive tackle, per PFF.

Cincinnati Bengals second-year OT Amarius Mims, a similar prospect to Guyton in size and athleticism, also could be on this list. He’s another young player who really needs a big second season.

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