Daily Slop – 20 Aug 24: Colt McCoy retires; Jayden Daniels is annointed, and Sam Cosmi is “nasty”

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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Articles

The Athletic (paywall)

Becoming a father has changed Commanders’ Sam Cosmi, but he’s still a ‘nasty’ O-lineman

“You can’t be nice guys. They always say the D-line is going to bring the fight to you. I want to bring the fight to them,” Cosmi said. “If I can put them on their ass, I want to put them on their ass. I don’t like to be the guy taking punches. I wanna give the punches.”

Transitioning his demeanor from sour to sweet upon re-entering civilian life wasn’t always a simple switch flip for Cosmi. The energetic blonde-haired intruder sitting on the grass field next to the 6-foot-6, 309-pound lineman changed the game. She is also responsible for the noticeable stain on the practice fit of Washington’s top offensive lineman.

“Baby spit,” Cosmi happily explained.

The Commanders allow family members to watch training camp practices and then, following a cool-down period, sidle up to players coming off the practice field at Ortho Virginia training center. Cosmi’s entourage consists of his wife, Blair, and Clara, their 9-month-old daughter and his “soft spot.”

Clara’s arrival last December added wrinkles to his otherwise regimented football life. Early morning duties were no longer solely about arriving at the team facility for workouts but providing 3 a.m. bottle service for Clara and waiting an hour before she fell back asleep.

The birth and the many months of anticipation provided sunshine amid a dismal football season for the Commanders. When Clara debuted, her dad was already experiencing a breakout campaign. Not only did the 2021 second-round pick’s play improve — while transitioning from tackle to guard — but so did his mood on and off the field.

The rare draft pick to pan out during the 2020-23 era under coach Ron Rivera, Cosmi doesn’t simply want to play guard. The goal is becoming “one of the best in this league,” he said early in training camp. “I feel like I am one of the best in this league. I’m going to be dirty; I’m going to be nasty. I’m not going to take — excuse my language — (expletive) from anybody. That’s what I’m going to do every time I step on that field, and that’s the type of player I’m going to be.”

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NFL.com

2024 NFL Preseason Week 2 rookie grades: Jayden Daniels impresses; Malik Nabers makes his mark

Jayden Daniels – B+

Daniels got the start against Miami on Saturday night, looking efficient and making good decisions. The play-calling set the rookie up to get the ball out of his hand quickly on bubble screens, stop routes and underneath throws to move the chains. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner regularly threw the ball outside away from defenders, including a perfect delivery on the first series to Terry McLaurin that allowed the veteran receiver to make a move and get 20 yards. Daniels could not connect with McLaurin on another throw to the sideline, though, forcing the team to settle for a field-goal attempt (which was missed). His only throw in the middle of the field was a pop pass to John Bates that was too low to allow the tight end to run after the catch. As a runner, Daniels smartly dove to the ground to prevent taking a big hit on the first series and later followed a lead blocker for 13 yards on a called quarterback run. Again, he made a smart choice on his final play, checking down instead of throwing into coverage to set up a successful field goal.

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Washington Post (paywall)

Finally official: Jayden Daniels is the Commanders’ starting quarterback

Daniels will become only the second rookie quarterback drafted by Washington to start Week 1 for the franchise, in Tampa on Sept. 8.

Four months after the Commanders drafted Daniels No. 2 overall, Quinn officially named him the starting quarterback for their season opener Sept. 8 at Tampa Bay. Daniels will become the 11th quarterback selected by Washington in the common draft era (since 1967) to start a season opener for the franchise and only the second rookie to do so, after Robert Griffin III (2012).

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The Athletic (paywall)

Jayden Daniels named Commanders starting quarterback, coach Dan Quinn says

Daniels assumed nothing when Quinn entered the room.

“Nothing is given in this world,” Daniels said through a mile-wide smile.

“When he told me, I was surprised. I didn’t know what I was getting talked to about. I thought he was going to talk to me about my routine for (Sunday’s preseason) game.”

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Commanders.com

Commanders name Jayden Daniels starting quarterback

Quinn said at the start of training camp that the decisions made about Daniels’ playing time were not a secret but a journey. The team has been intentional with his workload and snap count, starting with the move to have him behind veteran Marcus Mariota until he was ready for the next steps in his progression.

As Daniels went through camp, it became clear that him being named the starter was more an inevitability than a possible outcome. Through the first three weeks of camp, Daniels flaunted many of the traits that convinced Washington to take him in the first round, from his ball placement and accuracy to his work ethic that drives him to be the first player at the facility.

Daniels’ coaches have praised his ability to not only retain information but implement it and improve each day. As his comfort level in Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive scheme increased, so, too, did his snap counts in practice. He went from getting reps with the starters in certain situations to leading whole periods with the first group. Over the past two weeks, Daniels has exclusively worked with the starting offense.

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ESPN

Why Commanders named rookie Jayden Daniels QB1

Daniels now enters the season as the organization’s latest quarterback hope — he’ll be the 11th different starter since the start of 2019. No quarterback has opened consecutive years as the starter since Kirk Cousins left after the 2017 season.

Daniels is the sixth first-round pick since 1994 who will start for the franchise — joining Heath Shuler, Patrick Ramsey, Jason Campbell, Robert Griffin III and Dwayne Haskins. Shuler (1994) and Griffin (2012) also were top-five selections. That group has one Pro Bowl season — by Griffin as a rookie.

Why name Daniels the starter now?

With one preseason game remaining, there’s no reason to wait any longer. Teams typically sit their starters for this game so it’s not as if this game would alter the decision. Also, there hasn’t been any sort of confusion over who it eventually would be, based on how Daniels had performed this summer.

Washington has taken a deliberate approach to decision-making all offseason, wanting to finish the process of interviews before naming a head coach — even as candidates were signed by other teams. The Commanders took the same approach before the draft, falling in love with Daniels early but wanting to finish the process just in case something changed their minds.

That’s why they held off until they finished joint practice sessions with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, in addition to the preseason games vs. those teams, before announcing a decision.

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Commanders Wire

Former Washington quarterback Colt McCoy officially retires from NFL

Colt McCoy spent six seasons with the Washington Redskins from 2014-19 during Jay Gruden’s time as head coach. On Monday, McCoy officially retired from the NFL.

McCoy, who turns 38 in September, was the Cleveland Browns’ third-round pick in the 2010 NFL draft. He spent three seasons in Cleveland and one in San Francisco before his time in Washington.

With Washington, McCoy appeared in 12 games with seven starts. He’s best remembered for leading the Redskins to an upset win over his home-state Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football in 2014. During most of his time in Washington, McCoy served as the primary backup and when he did have the chance to play, he played well, but injuries ruined any long-term chances of starting.

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Sports Illustrated

Washington Commanders Make Roster Moves Following Second Preseason Game

The Commanders made a couple of roster moves following their second preseason game against the Dolphins.

[The Commanders made] a couple of roster moves on Monday, signing veteran defensive end/linebacker Justin Hollins and releasing undrafted free agent linebacker Bo Bauer.

Bauer, who went undrafted out of Notre Dame, was fighting for a spot on the Commanders’ roster and was starting to find his own when he suffered a right leg injury during last week’s joint practice with the Miami Dolphins. He had to be carted off and it appears the injury is somewhat serious if the Commanders released him and agreed to an injury settlement.

Justin Hollins, a former fifth-round draft pick by the Denver Broncos, will now be on the fifth NFL roster over the course of his five-year NFL career. Hollins has never been a game-changer for teams, but he will get a shot at making the Commanders’ 53-man as a depth piece with one preseason game left on the schedule.

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Podcasts & videos

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JAYDEN DANIELS Named Starting QB | Command Center | Washington Commanders

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Beltway Football – Jayden Daniels is named the starting QB: Dan Quinn makes it official, and injury updates

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NFC East links

ESPN

NFL Power Rankings 2024: Which players, coaches, execs are on the hot seat?

5. Philadelphia Eagles

• Post-draft ranking: 5
• Who’s on the hot seat: Coach Nick Sirianni

Sirianni has a 34-17 regular-season record and has taken Philadelphia to the playoffs each of the past three seasons. But he was at the helm for last year’s 1-6 collapse that resulted in both his offensive and defensive coordinators being fired, effectively taking the safety netting out from under him. Sirianni was unable to get on the same page with quarterback Jalen Hurts last season and has since handed off many of the offensive responsibilities to Kellen Moore. Given the talent on this roster and the soaring expectations in the city, it will take a deep playoff run to steady the ground under Sirianni. — Tim McManus

11. Dallas Cowboys

• Post-draft ranking: 11
• Who’s on the hot seat: Team owner Jerry Jones

The easy answer is coach Mike McCarthy. Maybe quarterback Dak Prescott, too. Nothing that happens this year will impact Jones’ status as the owner and general manager, but he has a lot on the line with how he constructed this year’s team. Prescott is months from being a free agent. McCarthy — who has won 36 games the past three seasons — and his coaching staff are on one-year deals. If the Cowboys falter, Jones will likely be starting all over, 29 years removed from the Cowboys’ last Super Bowl appearance. While the Cowboys said their season-ticket renewal was at more than 99%, according to Jones, the size of the crowds at training camp have been smaller, and anger with the organization seems to be higher than ever. A season that ends without a playoff appearance, at minimum, will ratchet up the heat on Jones. — Todd Archer

26. New York Giants

• Post-draft ranking: 28
• Who’s on the hot seat: QB Daniel Jones

The Giants negotiated Jones’ contract last offseason with the ability to reasonably get out after two years. Well, so far, Jones hurt his neck, tore his ACL, and produced two touchdown passes and six interceptions in six games for $46 million. The team has made no secret about him needing to prove he’s the conductor, not just a passenger, after having looked for his replacement in the draft. — Jordan Raanan

28. Washington Commanders

• Post-draft ranking: 27
• Who’s on the hot seat: CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr.

You could include WR Jahan Dotson and LB/DE Jamin Davis on this list as well. But Forbes is coming off a tough rookie season, and the 19th pick in the 2023 draft must show he’s worthy of starting this season. Forbes has to become more consistent in his techniques to become a consistent starter. At times he has shown good positioning to take away a deep ball; other times he’ll give up a long catch because his technique wasn’t sound enough. If he doesn’t become a consistent starter this season, his stay in Washington will be a brief one. — John Keim

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NFL.com

Giants restructure Andrew Thomas’ contract

Thomas had $4.175 million of his base salary converted into a signing bonus. The move cleared $3.34 million in cap space for the Giants in 2024.

The team now has around $18 million in cap space.

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NFL league links

Articles

Pro Football Talk

Sunday Ticket case finally turns to issue of injunctive relief

Regardless of whether the NFL will have to pay more than 2.4 million residential class members and nearly 50,000 commercial establishments in the Sunday Ticket case, the plaintiffs want what’s known as injunctive relief. In non-legalese, it’s an order telling the NFL to ix-nay on a distribution and pricing model that violates antitrust law.

As explained in the aftermath of Judge Philip Gutierrez’s stunning decision to scrap a $4.7 billion verdict (which would have become a $14.1 billion judgment), he found that the record contained more than enough evidence to support a finding that Sunday Ticket amounts to an antitrust violation. The judge scrapped the verdict because he rejected the testimony from the expert witnesses who conjured a world that would have existed “but for” the antitrust issue. The judge did not exonerate the NFL.

So, now, the plaintiffs want the judge to tell the NFL to stop doing what it’s been doing, for 30 years and counting.

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Front Office Sports

Will—and Can—NFL Stars Play Olympic Flag Football?

U.S. men’s flag national team quarterback Darrell Doucette made headlines over the weekend for his resistance to NFL players joining Team USA’s flag football squad for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “I think it’s disrespectful that they just automatically assume that they’re able to just join the Olympic team,” Doucette told The Guardian.

Doucette, 35, will lead the 12-man U.S. roster into the 2024 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Flag Football World Championships, which begins Aug. 27 in Finland. But it was Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts who starred in an ad during the Paris Olympics touting the addition of flag football to the Games in 2028. Fellow star QBs Joe Burrow (Bengals) and Caleb Williams (Bears) have also made their potential Olympic interest known. So have Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill and Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons, among other current and former NFL players.

A Lot on the Table

Despite the hype surrounding Olympic flag football, many details still need to be ironed out over the next four years. How many nations will compete in Los Angeles, and how they will qualify, have not been determined. Neither has the roster selection process for Team USA.

“We’re going to be very open-minded about anyone and everyone meeting the criteria that we set.” USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck told USA Today in December. “We’re going for the gold, and we will do what’s necessary to put the best team together.” No specific timetable for the Olympic process has been revealed.

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