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Daily Slop – 20 Jul 25 – Commanders place rookie offensive lineman on the non-football injured reserve

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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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A to Z Sports

Von Miller’s biggest weakness isn’t a concern to Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders

Miller obviously isn’t the type of edge rusher he was in the past, or even an every-down type of player like Trey Hendrickson, or T.J. Watt, but Washington made this call for a reason. The Commanders don’t need the Super Bowl MVP to come in and play every snap – they needed to fill a void.

It’s clear Miller is a rotational guy that saves himself for the playoffs and the Commanders are just fine with that.

Dan Quinn knows how to manage veterans and we all know how the Commanders are very deliberate with how they go about making sure they always hit the right markers. They know exactly what they’re getting into with Miller and they’ll know how to manage him.

Miller finished with a 16.1% pressure rate last season, which ranked as 10th best in the league among players with 175+ pass rush snaps. Quinn isn’t going to put Miller on the field on first and ten, or likely running situations, he’s going to deploy Miller on third and forth downs, and let him use that trademark spin move to get the ball back to Washington.

Heiserman’s Huddle (subscription)

Commanders Sign Eight-Time Pro Bowler Von Miller to a One-Year Deal

While Miller isn’t necessarily the same workhorse that he was with the Broncos, he can still come into the game on later downs and make a big impact.

Even though Miller will likely be utilized as a backup behind both Dorance Armstrong and Deatrich Wise Jr., this is a very low risk, high reward situation for Washington, adding extra depth to a defense that heavily struggled against the run last season.

Clearly, based on his production last year, Miller still has a lot left in the tank. He obviously won’t solve all of the Commanders’ defensive problems, but should be able to accumulate around 5.0 sacks, and make some big plays for Washington, as he looks to add another Super Bowl ring to his collection.

Heavy.com

Commanders Non-QB MVP Set for Double Digits After Von Miller Deal

It’s versatile, off-ball linebacker Frankie Luvu who’s in for the statistical boost, according to Bryan Manning of Commanders Wire. Manning believes former Buffalo Bills edge-rusher “Miller’s signing will not impact Luvu’s usage as a pass rusher. Luvu was all over Washington’s defense last season and established himself as a villain to Philly fans. That’s how you know you’ve arrived. Expect Luvu to hit the double-digit mark in sacks in 2025.”

Miller may not alter how often Luvu is used as a pass-rusher, but he will take attention away from the best blitzing playmaker on the roster. Luvu’s ongoing spat with NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles may endear him to many fans in Washington, but the real reason to cheer will be seeing the 28-year-old make good on Manning’s prediction.

If he does, Luvu will have done his bit to turn pass rush from a perceived weakness into a team strength. Fortunately, key work this offseason provides good reason to believe Luvu is primed to take a leap generating pressure.

Washington Post (paywall)

Pressure heats up on D.C. Council to hold vote on RFK Stadium deal

D.C. lawmakers have said for weeks that they are doing their due diligence on the $3.7 billion dollar deal, and expect to approve it – just not as fast as everyone wants.

[W]hile the council will hold public hearings on the stadium deal July 29 and 30, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) has yet to set a specific date for a vote on the proposal, fueling the continued pressure.

Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), who led the House effort to give D.C. the RFK Stadium redevelopment opportunity, sent a letter to Mendelson on Thursday urging him to approve the deal no later than August after the D.C. Council separated the deal from the city budget process that is occurring this month. The council still took an initial vote Monday to approve $500 million in public funds to support stadium infrastructure as part of the budget, though the terms of the deal are expected to be debated separately.

“The Committee was disappointed to see the Council’s vote on the stadium deal delayed, particularly given the significant economic benefits at stake and the clear mandate provided by federal legislation,” Comer wrote to Mendelson. “The removal of the stadium’s authorizing language from the D.C. budget has given cause for concern since it would unnecessarily delay the ultimate use of the 174 acres of currently underutilized federal property which the Act unlocked for revitalization.”

Mendelson reacted to Comer’s intervention on Friday, saying on WAMU’s “Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi” that the letter surprised him. He said he was having productive conversations with the Commanders to work toward agreeing on terms of the deal that the council would vote to approve and that the council was moving with urgency.

“The proposed stadium deal is not inherently flawed — but it is incompletely structured for a project of this scale, public profile, and timeline,” Bobb wrote. He called the timeline “compressed and unforgiving,” requiring extraordinary planning and coordination to execute the stadium by 2030, when Bowser and the Commanders want it open.

The council will be on recess in August, but voted this week to amend its rules to allow the Committee of the Whole — which has oversight of the RFK deal and includes all council members — to take votes during the recess. Mendelson said that will give the committee flexibility on RFK, though he acknowledged that for now, the next full legislative meeting where the D.C. Council could take a formal vote on legislation, including a final deal, is not until Sept. 17.

Commanders.com

Fred Smoot ‘flabbergasted’ by Jayden Daniels’ development

“The best thrower of the ball in the NFC East is Jayden Daniels,” Smoot said. “The best runner of the football is Jayden Daniels. That makes him the No. 1 quarterback.”

Daniels is coming off arguably the best rookie season in NFL history while leading the Commanders to their first NFC Championship since 1991. He recorded 5,416 combined yards in the regular and postseason — a rookie record — including 891 yards on the ground (also a rookie record). That doesn’t even mention all the highlight moments he created along the way, like the touchdown throw that won the game against the Cincinnati Bengals and the Hail Mary throw against the Chicago Bears.

But it isn’t just the heroics on the field that made Smoot believe Daniels is the best signal-caller in the division; it’s the way he proved himself as a leader on a roster that is now the oldest in the NFL. He earned veterans’ respect because of how hard he worked during the offseason. Now, players like Zach Ertz, who has been around his share of talented quarterbacks, are bought into Daniels and his skill set.

“That’s why I’m just so flabbergasted by what Jayden Daniels has done,” Smoot said. “He doesn’t go reaching for leadership; he goes asking for it … It’s so easy when you got that guy in the room.”

Commanders Wire

Washington Commanders training camp preview: Wide receivers

Depth and reserves

  • Luke McCaffrey
  • Jaylin Lane (R)
  • K.J. Osborn
  • Michael Gallup
  • Ja’Corey Brooks (R)
  • Jacoby Jones (R)
  • Chris Moore
  • Michael Strachan

There are lots of interesting names here. McCaffrey and Lane would appear to be the only locks of the bunch. Gallup is trying to revive his career after an injury and brief retirement. Perhaps he could play a similar role as Olamide Zaccheaus did last season for the Commanders if he makes the team. Osborn signed late last season, but barely saw the field. Washington re-signed him this offseason. Osborn has NFL experience and is still young. Brooks is one of the NFL’s most intriguing undrafted free agents. He offers size and excellent ball skills.

It will be interesting to see which of Washington’s receivers stand out this summer. McCaffrey looks ready for a big leap, and Lane looked good this offseason.

Outlook

This should be a pretty solid group. The Commanders need McCaffrey to take a step forward. If that happens, this group suddenly looks much more formidable. Washington knows what it’s getting in McLaurin and has a pretty good idea of what Samuel will bring. Noah Brown was called upon to be the No. 2 receiver during the first half of last season, and he played well. Brown is Washington’s biggest receiver and is excellent at drawing flags. Whether he starts or not, he will play significant snaps.

Podcasts & videos

Terry McLaurin deal COMING SOON w/ Ian Rapoport

NFC East links

Big Blue View

NFC East previews

Over the past few ‘Valentine’s Views’ podcasts, I have been speaking with folks who cover the Giants division rivals. Here are those shows, if you are interested:

Washington Commanders with DC sportswriter Rick Snider.

Dallas Cowboys with RJ Ochoa of Blogging The Boys.

Philadelphia Eagles with Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation.

NFL league links

Articles

Pro Football Talk

Lions lose defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike for season with torn ACL

Lions defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike suffered a torn ACL and will miss the entire season, head coach Dan Campbell announced today. Onwuzurike opened camp on the reserve/physically unable to perform list but it was only today that Campbell explained why.

“Levi is out for the year. Levi’s surgery, it was significant, but it needed to be done. Out of his control but it needed to be done, so he will miss the season,” Campbell said. “It was a knee, ACL, so he got that taken care of.”

Onwuzurike has spent his entire career with the Lions, who drafted him in the second round in 2021. Last year he was one of the few Lions defenders who stayed healthy, missing only one game and playing in 61 percent of the Lions’ defensive snaps.

All aTwitter

From April: