Daily Slop – 19 Mar 24 – Mark Bullock breaks down film on former-Dallas DE Dorance Armstrong

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

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What DE Dorance Armstrong brings to the Washington Commanders

Breaking down what the Commanders are getting in new free agent defensive end Dorance Armstrong

Armstrong also offers the ability to rush from all over the field. The Cowboys under Quinn loved to move guys around and rush them all from different positions and I’d be shocked if Quinn and Whitt didn’t look to do the same in Washington. Armstrong is already well versed in doing that from his time under Quinn in Dallas and because of that he understands how to use his quickness against slower interior lineman to cause them problems.

Another big positive with Armstrong’s game is his motor. You’ll often hear rushers and defensive lineman get tagged as having a “great motor” and it can be thrown around almost as an afterthought that isn’t really all that important. All players in the NFL try hard, but Armstrong is relentless in his desire to finish every play and as a defensive lineman, that can often lead to sacks. Motor sacks aren’t the flashy sacks where you see an edge rusher get a great jump off the snap and bend around the edge incredibly quickly or use an amazing spin move to beat a tackle quickly, but they are still incredibly important plays.

Overall, Armstrong is unlikely to become an outstanding edge rusher that will post 12-15 sacks per season but the Commanders aren’t paying him to be that type of player. What he will be is a very capable defensive end that is ready to step up into a starting role and offers a lot of versatility that can be a valuable part of the rotation in various packages. He’s a very good complementary piece to an elite rusher like Parsons. Washington obviously lacks that elite edge rusher and they may not find that guy this offseason, but that doesn’t negate the impact that Armstrong can have and the different roles he can play on this defense.

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ESPN

Commanders’ Austin Ekeler energized, ready to prove himself again

After spending seven seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, Ekeler agreed to a two-year deal with Washington on the first day of the free agent negotiating period one week ago. He signed his deal at the Commanders’ facility Monday morning.

He scored a combined 38 touchdowns in 2021 and ‘22. He fell to 1,064 yards from scrimmage and six scores last season.

With Washington, Ekeler will serve as a third-down back with Brian Robinson Jr. expected to handle a heavier part of the run production. Ekeler said having Robinson here played a factor in his decision, knowing the burden would be shared. So, too, did reuniting with his former Chargers coach, Anthony Lynn, now Washington’s run game coordinator and running backs coach.

And while he said he remains in prove-it mode, Ekeler remains confident in what he can still add.

“A lot. I’m going to score some touchdowns for you, that’s for sure,” he said. “I’m going to bring some energy.”

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ESPN

Commanders sign former Chargers cornerback Michael Davis

The Washington Commanders made an addition to their secondary on Monday, signing cornerback Michael Davis, the team announced.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Since signing a three-year, $25.2 million extension with the Chargers after the 2020 season, Davis has shown promise, but his play took a step back in 2023 — partly, he said, because of the team’s mishaps in the cornerback room.

The team rotated between J.C. Jackson and Davis early in 2023, which Davis said hurt his ability to get into a rhythm. The Chargers eventually traded Jackson ahead of Week 5.

Even with Jackson gone, Davis wasn’t the player he was in 2022, allowing career highs of 13.8 yards per completion and 9 yards per target, and he was benched for multiple games by then-coach Brandon Staley.

In 2022, Davis had a career-high 15 passes deflected and allowed career lows of 9.9 yards per completion and 4.4 yards per target while filling in for Jackson, who was injured.

Ultimately, Davis is a quick and lengthy corner (6-foot-2, 196 pounds, 4.35 40-yard dash) who has proved he can play at a high level.

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Commanders Wire

Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones talks players following Dan Quinn to Commanders

“Yeah, I mean that’s part of being, if you choose to go to Washington, Philadelphia or New York, that’s what we’re going to have,” Jones said. “It’s nothing but respect off the field, but when it comes time to compete against each other, then that’s what’s going to happen. It’s no surprise when we were having our farewells to him, which no one thinks more of DQ than our organization and what he brought to the table here. And obviously, the players enjoyed playing for Dan, so it doesn’t surprise me a bit that they (want to follow him).”

Jones was speaking of how fans were upset with Dallas’ disappointing offseason thus far after his father, owner and GM Jerry Jones, said the Cowboys would be “all in” this offseason. The Cowboys have watched multiple key players depart while remaining mostly inactive in free agency.

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Podcasts & videos

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Locked on Commanders: Washington Commanders Cornerbacks Michael Davis and Noah Igbinoghene | Depth Chart | NFL Draft

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Beltway Football: What’s next? Wrapping up free agency with an eye on the NFL draft

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NFL.com

Cowboys re-signing RB Rico Dowdle

Rico Dowdle is re-signing with the Cowboys, his agency tweeted out Monday afternoon. It is a one-year deal, the team announced.

Having followed Tony Pollard into free agency, Dowdle was thought by many to be leaving Big D, but he’s now headed back as the likely RB1 — for now anyway.

Prior to Dowdle’s re-signing, the Cowboys’ running back stable was led by Deuce Vaughn, who was followed by Malik Davis and Snoop Conner. What follows in free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft remains to be seen, but for now, the Cowboys are bringing back the 25-year-old Dowdle to lead the way.

He’s coming off the most productive of his four NFL years (which includes missing all of 2021 with an injury). In 2023, Dowdle rushed for 361 yards on 89 carries (4.1 yards per carry) and scored a pair of touchdowns. He added two more scores and 144 yards on 17 receptions.

It’s likely the Cowboys won’t be content with Dowdle taking on a bell cow role, but for now his return likely slots him as Dallas’ RB1.

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Big Blue View

2024 NFL Draft prospect profile: Jonah Elliss, edge, Utah

Can Elliss build off his breakout 2023 season?

Projection

Jonah Elliss projects as a rotational edge defender at the next level, though he has the upside to develop into a starter in the right situation.

Elliss’ athleticism, explosiveness, and technical refinement should make him an effective (and disruptive) pass rusher right away in the NFL. He obviously won’t be for every team, and defenses that value larger defensive ends to play a classic 7-technique might not grade him highly. However, he has the upside to be a very useful player in most one-gap “multiple” defenses at the NFL level. Elliss can rush from a 2 or 3 point stance, and anywhere from a Wide 9 technique to blitzing through the A-gap as a linebacker.

Whether or not Elliss becomes a starter and most-downs player could well depend on how he develops as a run defender. Teams will want to do their homework to find out why he didn’t break out until his final season, as well as the long-term prognosis for his shoulder. Assuming those check out, Elliss should have quite a few fans around the League.

Final Word: A good Day 2 value

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Big Blue View

Does the ‘very Buffalo-ish’ approach work?

The Giants are largely following the model Joe Schoen learned with the Bills

Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer recently told the ‘Rich Eisen Show’ that the New York Giants under the direction of GM Joe Schoen are taking a “very Buffalo-ish” approach to their build.

This is absolutely true, and not a surprise since Schoen and coach Brian Daboll had front row seats to GM Brandon Beane’s build in Buffalo. The approach includes:

• De-valuing positions like running back and safety.
• Spend your resources on premium positions.
• Be quarterback-centric on offense, and do what you have to do to get the guy you want.

No, the Giants have not — yet — swung a Josh Allen-style trade. They did, though, prioritize paying quarterback Daniel Jones over running back Saquon Barkley.

Question is, does it work? Tony DelGenio and I were debating that the other day, and we thought maybe we should float our opinions out into the world. At least the part of the world that cares about the Giants.

So, here is a little point-counterpoint about the ‘Buffalo Model.’

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The Athletic (paywall)

What happened to the 2021 NFL Draft QBs? Why Justin Fields and others are with new teams

Instead of rivaling the 1983 draft class of Hall of Famers John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino, the 2021 QB class will instead serve as a cautionary example about how commonly teams miss when it comes to talent evaluations, projections and developmental plans.

But what went wrong? Why are these once-heralded quarterbacks still stuck in developmental stages and/or bordering on bust territory?

An examination of each situation reveals some common themes and answers.

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