Daily Slop – 24 Feb 25 – DE Za’Darius Smith could be a Lions cap casualty with Washington as a landing spot

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders

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Articles

The Athletic (paywall)

Expect Adam Peters, Commanders to gauge trade and free-agent market at NFL combine

This year, the Commanders’ roughly 30 free agents mean Peters and company face a heavy transactional lift again — which may begin with releasing two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen.

Perhaps Peters and coach Dan Quinn will offer insight during their media availability sessions at the combine, but don’t bank on it. The same applies to public comments from any of the team’s main decision-makers.

Beyond [QB Jayden] Daniels, Washington lacks core pieces at other primary positions, including offensive tackle and edge defender. The latter is among the deeper position groups in the draft. Public big boards project several defensive end prospects available in the first three rounds, including the Texas A&M duo Shemar Stewart and Nic Scourton, Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku and Michigan’s Josaiah Stewart. There’s no guarantee the defensive lineman Washington prefers will be on the board when it picks at 29.

Trading for the 29-year-old Garrett — if the Browns change their no-trade stance — would eliminate the uncertainty and bolster Washington’s defense with elite talent. That pivot also comes with a new contract for Garrett, which is expected to average north of $30 million annually and cost the acquiring team a hefty trade package.

Teams can re-sign their free agents at any time, but it’s a no-no to negotiate with external free agents before March 10. Would that block teams from gathering intel on the injury recovery for Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin or gauge the early marketplace for edge rushers Khalil Mack and Josh Sweat? Probably not. Face-to-face conversations have advantages, not to mention clarifying Washington’s intentions.

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Last Word on Sports

Former Ravens Three-Time Pro Bowler Zadarius Smith Likely Cut Candidate – 5 Teams May Emerge as Suitors

Former Ravens three-time Pro Bowler defensive end Zadarius Smith will likely be a cut candidate this offseason. According to a few reports, the Lions may release Smith but be open to bringing him back on a new contract. Originally selected in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the former Kentucky product came into the Lions lineup in a trade to help become another pass rusher when star Aidan Hutchinson went down with a season-ending injury. Detroit could release him to save more than $5 million in savings with no dead cap after becoming a temporary defensive help in Hutchinson’s absence.

They probably don’t need him anymore since Hutchinson will return to his starting role unless they desire to keep him in the fold. However, the Lions are one of the several teams that could pursue Browns defensive star Myles Garrett so if this happens then that should put the icing on the cake. Despite that, Smith should have a market either way as Smith is still capable enough to be an efficient disruptor in the trenches. He won’t earn a long-term but a safety net deal for a team that needs some insurance on the defensive front.

The Washington Commanders are probably in a better position than anyone in the league. With another offseason to pour money out, they could look to improve the pass rush further. While they may bring back Bobby Wagner, they might need to find a replacement for Dorance Armstrong. He had a decent season but nowhere near the level that Smith could provide.

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NFL.com

2025 NFL free agency: Derek Carr, Tyler Lockett among 21 notable cut candidates on NFC teams

Marshon Lattimore is a four-time Pro Bowl cornerback … but those four Pro Bowl seasons all came between 2017 and 2021. Since 2022, he’s missed 25 games with a variety of injuries. Washington traded for him at the 2024 deadline, sending a package of picks but only getting two regular-season games and the three playoff contests out of him. And notably, he was awful in the postseason, earning a horrific 29.6 coverage grade from PFF and allowing 10 catches for 172 yards and a 136.6 passer rating on 14 targets. With a release, his entire $18 million cap hit would become savings in 2025, and while the Commanders are in superb shape (projected to be $75 million under the cap), they might rather spend those millions elsewhere as they seek to build around Jayden Daniels and become a lasting powerhouse in the NFC. It would be a bit surprising to trade for a player of Lattimore’s career caliber and then cut him a few months later, but it might make too much sense, given all the variables.

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Podcasts & videos

The Offseason Review with Al Galdi

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Commanders OLine Offseason Preview: Filling in for Sam Cosmi and Upgrading at Offensive Tackle

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NFC East links

Blogging the Boys

Report: Cowboys negotiating with Osa Odighizuwa, plan to be more aggressive in free agency

Late Sunday night The Dallas Morning News published a story about a conversation they had with Stephen Jones and in it Jones noted that the Cowboys have begun contract negotiations with defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Cowboys have begun negotiations with free agent defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.

Talks of an extension for Micah Parsons will follow.

Club officials hope to retain free agents Jourdan Lewis and Rico Dowdle while getting a feel for whether or not veteran defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence wants to continue his career.

And outside free agents? The Cowboys intend to be more aggressive on that front than last off-season.

Before the weekend began it was reported that Dallas had yet to begin contract negotiations with Micah Parsons. The report here regarding the Stephen [Jones] conversation tracks with that as it appears that Dallas is focusing on Odighizuwa first.

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The Athletic (paywall)

What we’re watching at 2025 NFL combine: Myles Garrett trade rumors, QB carousel and more

Dallas Cowboys

Do team owner Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones plan to be more aggressive in veteran free agency or with trades? Where things stand with Micah Parsons and his contract situation is important, but Parsons isn’t going anywhere. Not being more aggressive in building around Parsons would be an issue. Both Joneses will be around most of the week in Indianapolis. It shouldn’t be difficult to get a feel for their roster-building plan under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer. Dallas clearly didn’t do enough to add quality veterans to fill roster holes last year. The Philadelphia Eagles are probably the NFL’s best in this area. For the Cowboys to close the gap, the roster-building strategy needs to change and be more aggressive. But will it? — Jon Machota

New York Giants

Can you be sick of asking about a nonexistent quarterback? We’re about to find out when it comes to the Giants, who don’t have a viable starter let alone an option at the position on their roster. We’ll be monitoring trade rumors (uh, hello Matthew Stafford), free-agent targets and how the top of the draft class (Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders) perform. It’s a quarterback-driven league, and the quarterback conversation will dominate the Giants’ combine experience. — Charlotte Carroll

Philadelphia Eagles

How Nick Sirianni fills out his coaching staff and explains his decisions so far. Sirianni hasn’t yet talked about promoting Kevin Patullo to offensive coordinator — an internal hire after Kellen Moore, an external hire, helped supply the concepts needed to reach Super Bowl LIX. In terms of personnel, Philadelphia’s offense should look almost the same in 2025. But how many defensive standouts do the Eagles intend to retain? And, if not, who will fill their spots? Linebacker, edge rusher and interior defensive line are all in play for a franchise that can at the very least draw confidence from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio not going anywhere. — Brooks Kubena

Washington Commanders

Big swing alert. The Commanders’ surprise run to the NFC Championship Game accelerates Washington’s rebuild timeline — as does sensational quarterback Jayden Daniels. The Offensive Rookie of the Year has two years on his rookie contract before becoming eligible for a contract extension. Does GM Adam Peters attack this significant opportunity or keep the methodical building plan heading into his second season with the franchise? Trading for Myles Garrett would significantly improve a limited defense while signing a free-agent wide receiver would give Daniels another playmaker. Given the significant salary cap space and their draft picks, it’s doable but also goes against Peters’ preferred roster-building route. The roster had holes beyond 28 free agents, but significant salary cap space and seven draft picks are available. — Ben Standig

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NFL league links

Articles

Washington Post (paywall)

NFL competition committee begins mulling possible tweaks to kickoff format

Changes to the spot of the touchback on kickoffs or the spot of the kick — as well as potential adjustments to the onside kick — are being discussed.

The NFL will consider modifying its year-old kickoff format this offseason by moving the spot of the ball on a touchback or by moving the spot of the kick itself, the co-chairman of the league’s competition committee said Sunday.

The kickoff format must be reapproved this offseason by the NFL’s team owners, who ratified it last offseason on a one-year basis. That is expected to happen. The alignment fulfilled its dual mandate by raising the percentage of kickoffs being returned while bringing the injury rate on the play more in line with that of a running or passing play.

Those changes would be designed to promote even more returns. The spot of the touchback on a kickoff could be moved from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line to further discourage kicks into the end zone. Or the kick itself could be moved five yards back, making it more challenging for kickers to reach the opposite end zone. It’s also possible both changes could be enacted.

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Front Office Sports

NFL Combine’s Future: Indianapolis ‘Fighting’ to Remain Long-Term Host

The NFL Scouting Combine has always been held in Indianapolis, but the league is considering new options. Some cities are intrigued, while others are passing, for now.

The NFL Scouting Combine takes place this week in downtown Indianapolis, where the event has been held every year since 1987. Indianapolis wants to keep it that way long-term—but as the annual gathering of top draft prospects continues to grow, that’s no longer a guarantee.

[E]ven though Indianapolis is popular among almost all regular combine attendees, anything is on the table for 2027 and beyond.

For Indianapolis, the reluctance to host from other cities, especially amid crowded sporting slates, may be enough to help it keep the combine from moving at all. “The experience of hosting it makes us comfortable with it,” Talty said. “If you haven’t ever hosted that before, you might not be as comfortable with it to deliver.”

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Discussion topics

The Athletic (paywall)

How crucial is free agency to eventual Super Bowl success?

[M]ost of the teams that are ready to go to the Super Bowl have the pillars.

They just have the foresight of, “OK, we need to plug this hole. Not with some fancy $20 million signing to go and get the best guy. But just a guy who can give us enough here and make sure that he’s going to do his job.”

Usually, as we look at the way free agency is weaponized by teams to get to the Super Bowl, it’s by hitting on those guys on shorter-term deals that just vastly outperform expectations. What is your version of Zack Baun (in 2024), or Patrick Robinson (in 2017), or Michael Oher (in 2015), or Donovan Smith (in 2023)? Finding that right piece to make the rest of the unit make sense where you’re just getting tons of surplus value from that sort of signing. Those are the ones that ultimately are going to shape Super Bowl-caliber seasons.

We’re going to talk a lot in the next couple of weeks about these big-money guys and the guys that are going to get paid at the top of the market. There are plenty of examples of one guy in that sort of tier helping a team that’s trying to win a Super Bowl. But just as often, or more often, it’s the guys that you’re getting for cheap that for whatever reason, in your system, surrounded by your talent, at that stage of their careers, hit at the right time. Those are the ones that are probably going to be more important in the long run.

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Pro Football Talk

Will the Tom Brady effect help the Raiders in free agency?

With the Scouting Combine a/k/a Tampering Central starting this week and with free agency starting roughly one week later, the question becomes whether and to what extent Brady will be involved in the recruitment of free agents to Las Vegas. And whether it will help.

Consider this tweet from Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Something to keep an eye on, per sources: the persuasiveness of Tom Brady as a recruiter for the Raiders. It will make things interesting during free agency. And maybe even in the trade market. It’s why you can’t rule out Matthew Stafford as an option.”

On one hand, Brady’s presence didn’t deliver Ben Johnson to the Raiders as head coach. On the other hand, John Elway’s status as a Hall of Fame, GOAT-level quarterback helped deliver quarterback Peyton Manning to the Broncos 13 years ago when Peyton had many suitors.

The key to free agency is winning the jump balls without having to sweeten the pot. Typically, the “bad” teams need to pay extra. Brady could change that.

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All aTwitter

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