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Daily Slop – 17 Jun 25 – Commanders 2 offseason trades will be key to ‘25 success: Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel

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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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ESPN

NFL execs, scouts pick their favorite 2025 offseason moves

ESPN talked to league scouts, executives and coaches about their favorite offseason moves after the dust settled. Some answers were predictable, others surprising.

Commanders acquire Laremy Tunsil

While teams we spoke to had mixed reviews on the Deebo Samuel Sr. trade due to perceptions of a declining skill set, most were all-in on Tunsil.

The Washington Commanders gave up four picks — including third- and seventh-rounders this year, along with second- and fourth-rounders next year — in exchange for Tunsil and a fourth-rounder. So, essentially, Washington gave up two Day 2 picks and change for Tunsil.

While Tunsil is an imperfect player — he struggled with penalties, and the Houston Texans’ offensive line struggled overall in 2024 — he’s on the short list at a premier position.

“He’s still a top-three tackle for me,” an AFC scout said. “And anything you can do to protect Jayden Daniels and load up while he’s on his rookie deal is smart. They gave up a little more than I’d like but I trust AP [general manager Adam Peters] that he knows what he’s doing here.”

Added an NFL coordinator of Tunsil: “Dude’s still as good as anyone. Honestly, I think he just gets bored and loses focus sometimes but I’m guessing he will be highly motivated in Washington, and when he is he’s among the very best.”

Commanders.com

Dan Quinn impressed with Deebo Samuel’s speed

Dan Quinn entered the Washington Commanders’ offseason workout program with some preconceived notions about Deebo Samuel — all of them positive — but what stood out to him the most about his new receiver wasn’t quite what he expected.

“Somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten until [he was] out here how fast he is,” Quinn said.

Samuel, who the Commanders acquired in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers in March, is known for being able to line up at multiple positions on offense, acting more as a weapon than a traditional receiver. His best trait, however, is what he can do after making catches and being able to break away from defenders.

Of course, Quinn has always known that about Samuel — he had to game plan for it as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator — but he has a deeper appreciation for it now that he has seen that skill set in person.

“He was such a difficult person to tackle that you spent so much time, ‘How are you going to tackle this person?’” Quinn said.

NFL.com

Which NFL players will improve in 2025? C.J. Stroud, Deebo Samuel among guaranteed risers

Which players are in line to improve in 2025? Who’s positioned to level up? Last month, I discussed rookies in the best situations to succeed and second-year players poised to break out, so you won’t see the likes of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Marvin Harrison Jr. in today’s mix, for the sake of avoiding redundancy.

Today, I am identifying seven players who I guarantee will improve on their 2024 output in the 2025 season.

Deebo Samuel – Washington Commanders · WR

Despite his declining production over the last couple seasons in San Francisco, Samuel has been one of the most productive wide receivers since 2021, ranking ninth in scrimmage yards, tied for fifth in scrimmage TDs (35) and first in rush yards (958) and rush TDs (17) among wideouts. Yet, for as good as he was with the 49ers, an argument could be made that the seventh-year veteran is entering the best situation of his career after being traded to Washington this offseason. The change of scenery puts Samuel in an offense that is led by an MVP-caliber quarterback in Jayden Daniels. Also, he’ll pair with a true No. 1 receiver in Terry McLaurin to form a dangerous tandem in Kliff Kingsbury’s passing attack.

Sports Illustrated

Trade acquisitions crucial towards Commanders success

Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine believes the play from Tunsil and Samuel will determine if the Commanders are a better team than they were a year ago.

“The Commanders got aggressive to make sure Daniels has a better support system around him next season. If Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel can live up to their reputations, they are going to fill the team’s biggest needs,” Ballentine wrote.

“Tunsil will create a real solution at left tackle, while Samuel can be the sidekick Terry McLaurin hasn’t really had in Washington.

“If those guys can help Daniels continue his development, then there’s nothing stopping Washington from competing to be the league’s best offense.”

Pro Football Focus

2025 NFL Offseason Rankings: Every offensive position ranked

6. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Perhaps we’re crowning Daniels a bit too early, as plenty of quarterbacks have had standout rookie seasons only to regress in Year 2. But what separates Daniels is his poise under pressure and in clutch moments late in the year. His rookie campaign was arguably the best we’ve ever seen, with his 90.6 overall grade marking the highest ever recorded by PFF for a rookie quarterback.

31. BRIAN ROBINSON JR., WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

Robinson’s stats don’t wow, but he’s a hard-nosed runner who has recorded yards-after-contact averages of 2.93 and 3.0 in the past two seasons, respectively, with yards-per-attempt averages of 4.1 and 4.2, as well.

10. TERRY McLAURIN, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

McLaurin is the toughest player to rank on this list, but regardless of where he lands, he’s simply a high-level receiver. He leads the league with 89 contested catches since 2020, and his cumulative WAR of 1.31 over the past three seasons ranks seventh among wide receivers.

30. DEEBO SAMUEL, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

Samuel hasn’t quite matched his 2021 form in recent seasons. That year, he earned a 90.2 overall grade as both a receiver and rusher, but his 72.1 receiving grade in 2024 marked a career low. Injuries have played a role, but with a fresh start in Washington, the bet here is on his talent ceiling.

30. Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders

While Ertz isn’t the same player we saw from 2013 to 2019, he enjoyed a resurgence while catching passes from Jayden Daniels in 2024. He hauled in 84 passes for 809 yards and eight touchdowns last season, and his 72.5 PFF receiving grade was his best mark since 2019, showing he still has good play left in the tank.

15. Tyler Biadasz, Washington Commanders

Biadasz, in his first year with the Commanders, started off the 2024 season on a high note. Through the first nine games, his 79.3 PFF pass-blocking grade charted as the second-highest mark at the position. While that momentum faded as the season went on, and as Biadasz dealt with injury and illness, he still managed to finish with solid marks as a run blocker and a pass protector.

13. Sam Cosmi, Washington Commanders

A torn ACL in the playoffs will likely result in Cosmi missing the start of the 2025 season. Even still, the 26-year-old guard profiles as an incredible interior presence when healthy. He is a well-rounded blocker, having posted 70.0-plus PFF grades as both a run blocker and pass protector over the past two seasons, and should pick up right where he left off.

19. Brandon Scherff, Free Agent

Scherff remains unsigned, but he likely won’t linger on the free-agent market much longer. At 33 years old, Scherff still profiles as one of the most consistent pass protectors in the NFL. Over the past three seasons, he ranks in the 88th percentile or better in each of PFF’s stable pass-blocking metrics, including PFF grade on true pass sets.

8. Laremy Tunsil, Washington Commanders

While he has never been better than an above-average run blocker, Tunsil continues to be one of the best pass protectors in the NFL.

During his six seasons with the Houston Texans, he earned a 92.3 PFF pass-blocking grade, which ranked first among 57 qualifying offensive tackles. He still ranked fourth with an 89.1 PFF pass-blocking grade. Now, the 30-year-old will prove his mettle with the Commanders after being traded this offseason.

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Bleeding Green Nation

Can you name the NFL team with the most former Eagles players on their roster?


Trivia question answers: 1) The Commanders have the most former Eagles. 2) The Packers, Ravens, Panthers, Jets, Bills, and Dolphins have zero former Eagles.

Blogging the Boys

A new coaching staff brings excitement, but here’s one change that could come back to bite the Cowboys

[T]he team lost their defensive backs coach, Al Harris, who joined Ben Johnson’s new coaching staff in Chicago. Harris had coached with Johnson during their time together with the Miami Dolphins in 2012. He’s now the Bears’ new passing game coordinator, a promotion well deserved after an impressive tenure as the Cowboys’ defensive backs coach.

Before Harris arrived in Dallas, the Cowboys’ secondary was often a hot mess. It shouldn’t be too hard to remember when it seemed like the defense getting an interception was such a rare occasion. That’s because it was. During the five seasons before Harris showed up, the Cowboys’ defense never eclipsed double-digit interceptions. And right before Harris joined the coaching staff, the Cowboys only had seven interceptions, finishing third-worst in the league in 2019.

But those problems went away. In all five of his seasons with the Cowboys, the defense reached double-digit interceptions. They had a three-year stretch (2021-2023) where they finished in the top eight in picks, including a league-leading 26 interceptions in 2021.

The work Harris did in transforming Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland into ball-hawking studs was quite impressive, but it wasn’t just about what he did with the talented fellas. During Harris’ first three seasons with the Cowboys, Anthony Brown was a starting outside corner. And nobody should forget the disaster the team dealt with last year due to injuries, which saw seven corners play at least 100 snaps on defense. Players like Amani Oruwariye, Josh Butler, Caelen Carson, and Andrew Booth were called into action quite a bit last year.

In what ended up being a job swap, the Cowboys’ new defensive backs coach is former Bears’ defensive backs coach, David Overstreet II. He has gone where Eberflus has gone, first with the Indianapolis Colts, then to Chicago, and now to Dallas. He doesn’t come with the same track record as Harris, but in all fairness, the Bears’ defense has not had the same level of talent. Chicago finished dead last in 2021, allowing 7.4 yards per pass attempt, and finished second-worst last year, allowing 6.8 yards per attempt. On the flip side, the Bears led the league in interceptions in 2023 with 22 picks, and his Colts team finished third with 19 interceptions in 2021. So, there are some good things and some not-so-good things.

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NFL.com

Don’t overreact to these five NFL storylines — and don’t sleep on two others

Pay MORE attention to …

Anthony Richardson missing minicamp. Among the issues that have led the Indianapolis Colts to stage a quarterback competition between Richardson and former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is Richardson’s inability to stay on the field. Physically, Richardson looks indestructible, but in the two seasons since Indianapolis drafted him fourth overall, he has missed 17 games to injury. He sprained his right AC joint five weeks into his rookie season, which required season-ending surgery. In 2024, he missed six games, two of which were when Richardson was benched. The AC joint is the injury he has aggravated, causing him to be shut down for an undetermined period of time. Coach Shane Steichen was noncommittal about whether Richardson would be ready for the start of training camp, although he said Richardson does not need surgery again. A shoulder injury is obviously not good for any quarterback at any time, but is it particularly problematic for Richardson, who badly needs the reps because he had limited experience as a starter in college and has missed so much time since being drafted. The current setback clearly gives Jones a significant edge in a competition he had a good chance of winning anyway. But Richardson’s absence, which underscores existing concerns about his durability, may have longer term implications for his future.

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