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Daily Slop – 2 Jun 25 – Commanders resume Phase 3 of OTAs today

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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

Commanders links

Articles

Riggo’s Rag

Luke McCaffrey already fighting to stay relevant in loaded Commanders offense

Last year’s third-round pick got plenty of reps as a rookie. Targets on the offensive rotation were in short supply throughout the campaign, but this experience should serve him well. Even so, McCaffrey cannot take his foot off the gas in pursuit of carving out a bigger role for himself in 2025.

The Commanders selected Jaylin Lane at No. 128 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s explosive with similar traits to McCaffrey. One could even make a strong case for his physical prowess being more impressive, which could lead to surging above the former Rice standout on the depth chart and as a kick returner.

NFL analyst places Commanders WR Luke McCaffrey on the hot seat

Douglas Fritz from Clutch Points placed the microscope on McCaffrey’s predicament in greater detail. The analyst highlighted his lack of production last season, coupled with other wideouts catching the eye at organized team activities, as reasons why alarm bells are being raised. Something he believes is a bad sign for his overall outlook.

“For all of the good things that were written and said about [Luke] McCaffrey, it never showed up on the field. Keep in mind, too, that McCaffrey had a dynamic quarterback on the field with him. Jayden Daniels turned average receivers into playmakers with his performances. But not McCaffrey. McCaffrey is already out of excuses despite being in just his second NFL season. Sometimes players can take a leap from year one to year two, but most of the buzz from the Commanders revolves around the new receivers. McCaffrey’s name hasn’t come up much. That’s a bad sign.”

Douglas Fritz

McCaffrey will make the squad. The Commanders aren’t going to throw in the towel on his potential so soon into his NFL journey. But unless progress arrives quickly, there’s a chance he could be buried down the depth chart.

Trey Amos predicted to bring aggressive mindset to Commanders’ defense

Douglas Fritz from Clutch Points placed more hype on Amos, naming him among Washington’s hidden gems that fans should get to know quickly. The analyst expects the defensive back to give Dan Quinn’s defense an aggressive spark. Something that could make a significant difference against some imposing passing attacks on the 2025 schedule.

“Commanders head coach Dan Quinn had things easier on the defensive side of the ball when his cornerbacks made life miserable for opposing offenses. But the personnel didn’t match Quinn’s approach in 2024. The hope for the Commanders is [Trey] Amos will provide an aggressive spark. Plus, he can bait the QB, read from across the field, and converge on the ball.”

Douglas Fritz

This is all immensely positive. The Commanders will give Amos all he can handle throughout the summer in pursuit of honing his craft. If he passes these tests, especially going up against the likes of Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel Sr., that should inspire enough confidence.

Commanders Wire

Will Washington Commanders’ aging roster hold them back in 2025?

[ESPN’s Bill Barnwell discussed] the age of the Commanders’ team and their lack of youthful talent. At the end, he talks about how the Houston Texans surrounded C.J. Stroud with one of the oldest rosters, and while they won the division and a playoff game, it was a struggle all season long and not the season they had hoped for.

Barnwell concludes by saying that this ‘might be more of a consolidation year than one in which they challenge for a Super Bowl.’

He could be right, but he could also be wrong. There are some very big differences between the Commanders and the Texans. For one, C.J. Stroud is not Jayden Daniels. They don’t play the same style of football, and their coaches ask them to do different things. Stroud isn’t quite as talented as Daniels, and the weapons they have to throw to aren’t the same. Also, the Texans don’t have offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

Yes, there is a fine line between being a veteran at his peak and being near the end of your career, but that also doesn’t mean that being at the end of your career means you’re not playing at a high level. Age is a secondary consideration in 2025 as we continue to see players on the field into their late 30s and even 40s, so while the Commanders’ roster may be on the older end, it certainly doesn’t mean they won’t take a step forward in 2025.

Sports Illustrated

Could the Commanders still make a move at cornerback?

Some believe the Washington Commanders need to do more for their cornerback room before the season begins. Despite additions and returning players like Marshon Lattimore and Mike Sainristil, some believe the team could still benefit from a big-name veteran, especially in a division with A.J. Brown, CeeDee Lamb, and Malik Nabers running around.

One of the more recent names attached to the Commanders in trade speculations has been Jalen Ramsey, who is expected to be moved by the Miami Dolphins as early as Monday morning.

But there’s another cornerback out there who might be available, and Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports thinks Washington could be in the hunt for Green Bay Packers’ star Jaire Alexander.

“All offseason, the Green Bay Packers have publicly anticipated a breakup with Alexander, who’s simultaneously been one of the NFL’s best — and most injured — cover men,” says Benjamin. “Both sides hinted at a split in free agency, either via trade or release. Now the Packers apparently have a new contract offer on the table, but if the Pro Bowler doesn’t bite at a pay cut, Green Bay could save $17 million by cutting or trading the cornerback after June 1. That’s an increase of $9.5 million from prior to June 1.”

With his injury history, he’s not going to fetch a ton on the open market, and if the Commanders see as much need in their cornerback group as some outsiders do, they could take a gamble on much worse players out there.

In fact, Alexander’s reduced price tag might just be reason enough for a team with good corners on the roster already to make a run at him, in a low-risk, high-upside approach. Perhaps, a team like the Commanders, which has done wonders with other veterans, thought some were past their prime.

Podcasts & videos

Inside the Commanders DC Deal With Owner Josh Harris | The Deal

I watched this beginning to end. If you’ve got the patience to listen to a lot of business talk, there’s a lot of insight in this interview into how Harris perceives and values sports investment; if not, you may find this a dry discussion after the first few minutes.

Photos

PHOTOS | In the lab for Phase 3

Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders during their OTA practice in the bubble on May 28.






NFC East links

Big Blue View

Did the Giants close the talent gap? Ranking NFC East defenses position-by-position

Defensive line

  • 4 points: Commanders
  • 3 points: Eagles
  • 2 points: Giants
  • 1 point: Cowboys

Still, the Giants came in third because of Philadelphia and the Commanders, who I surprisingly ranked first (four points). I respect Daron Payne, but he’s no Dexter Lawrence or even Jalen Carter, yet he’s complemented by Johnny Newton, Deatrich Wise, and Sheldon Day. Eddie Goldman is also on the roster, but he’s struggled his last two seasons. Wise came over from New England and brings a level of physicality to the line as a 280-pounder who aligns as a 5-technique at times. Johnny Newton was injured through training camp and got a late start to the season — I remain high on his skill set. I’m not the biggest fan of Javon Kinlaw’s game but he’s another defensive line asset that was added through free agency. The combination of Payne, Wise, Newton, Day, Kinlaw, and Goldman is just deeper than what the Giants and Eagles have, so I gave the nod to Washington for four-points.

Final thoughts

Let’s see the NFC East defensive point totals:

  • 14 points: Eagles
  • 13 points: Cowboys
  • 12 points: Giants
  • 11 points: Commanders

The Eagles steal the top spot again, with Dallas finishing with one more point than the Giants. Washington finished one point behind the Giants on defense in this very meticulous exercise. Here are the combined offensive and defensive points:

  • 37 points: Eagles
  • 25 points: Giants
  • 25 points: Cowboys
  • 23 points: Commanders

The Eagles finished with 12 more points than the Giants and Cowboys, who tied with 25. Washington finished with two fewer points than New York and Dallas, with 23 total points. This means the Giants will be a better team than the Commanders

Blogging the Boys

Like Byron Jones before him, the Cowboys should let DaRon Bland walk next summer

The Dallas Cowboys are about to have a lot of decisions to make. Micah Parsons’s contract has already been the subject of much discussion, but other players entering the final year of their current deal include George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert, Jake Ferguson, Hunter Luepke, Brandon Aubrey, Sam Williams, Donovan Wilson, and DaRon Bland.

Of all of those names, though, Bland may be the most intriguing.

A fifth-round pick in 2022, Bland was pushed into a starting role as a rookie when slot corner Jourdan Lewis suffered a season-ending injury. He played well enough to earn the starting job opposite Trevon Diggs the next year, though Diggs would suffer an injury of his own early into the season.

Bland, who had led the team with five picks the year before, lit the league on fire with a league-leading nine interceptions, breaking a record by returning five of them for a touchdown. Unsurprisingly, Bland was named a First-Team All-Pro that year.

However, Bland’s follow-up campaign wasn’t as special. He failed to record an interception all year, though he missed more than half the season with a foot injury. Even when he did play, though, Bland didn’t look like himself.

He gave up a completion two thirds of the time quarterbacks threw at him, and Bland’s passer rating allowed clocked in at 116.1, which is easily the worst mark in his career. In fact, only seven cornerbacks had a worse passer rating when targeted last year.

Of course, none of this is to say that Bland is a bad player – the injury and the scheme change are two big factors to consider – but it does complicate the question of Bland’s market as contract negotiations approach.

Bland’s 2023 was spectacular, and he’s already got his name in the NFL record books. It won’t surprise anyone if his agent tries to make Bland the highest-paid cornerback in the league. Honestly, anything less than top five would be a shock.

In other words, Bland could very easily end up securing a contract that pays him more than $24 million a year.

Whatever the actual number ends up being, though, it shouldn’t be with the Cowboys.

Pro Football Talk

Odell Beckham Jr. says he “never, ever wanted to leave the Giants”

In late August of 2018, the Giants signed receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a contract extension. Within weeks, things got weird. Within months, the Giants traded Beckham to the Browns.

On Saturday, Beckham said he didn’t want to go.

“I never, ever wanted to leave the New York Giants,” Beckham said during the CBS coverage of the UEFA Champions League final, via Fox News.com. “The reason you heard me talking about what was going on was because I was pissed because, where I come from in college, if we lost one game, our season was over.”

Asked at the time whether he [was]happy in New York, Beckham said, “That’s a tough question.”

Even after Beckham was traded, he spoke openly about his unhappiness in New York.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Beckham told GQ regarding his mindset during his last year in New York. “I just can’t do it. I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t in a good place. And like I told you earlier, I feel like everything is about happiness, and I just was not.”

He wasn’t happy. But he never, ever wanted to leave?

The reality is that he had it worse with the Browns, who eventually released him after the 2021 trade deadline.

He…missed all of 2022, spent 2023 with the Ravens, and had a disappointing 2024 with the Dolphins, who cut him late in the year. He had no takers and still has been linked to no NFL team.

[W]ith 579 catches and 7,987 career receiving yards, a career that once seemed destined for Canton will likely be remembered primarily for one very memorable one-handed catch in 2014 and otherwise unfulfilled potential.

All aTwitter