Daily Slop – 24 May 24: Lots of critiques and opinions about the Washington roster during OTAs

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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Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

State of the Roster Update: Commanders Defense

Breaking down where things stand with the Commanders defense after the draft.

Defensive End

On the roster: Dorance Armstrong, Clelin Ferrell, Efe Obada, Dante Fowler Jr., K.J. Henry, Andre Jones, Jalen Harris, Javontae Jean-Baptiste.

Short term need: Medium.

Long term need: High.

Analysis: Prior to the draft, I set the draft urgency for the defensive end position at medium. The team did a lot to help fill out the position in free agency after they inherited a roster with the defensive end spot stripped to the bare bones. Dorance Armstrong was perhaps the most obvious free agent signing, following head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. from Dallas. Dante Fowler followed the same path. General manager Adam Peters also brought Clelin Ferrell over from the 49ers, even only on a short term deal, to give the team another steady veteran that could be relied upon to at least help stop the run if not offer much as a pass rusher. They rounded off free agency by re-signing Efe Obada too, which gives them a flexible rusher with some pass rush juice to add into the rotation.

If they had to play tomorrow, that group would be a solid but unspectacular rotation. I felt they lacked a real threat off the edge that could help drop everyone else down a spot in the rotation and make it look a lot stronger. Combine that with the fact that a lot of these guys are on short term contracts and I felt medium was a good place to set the need at. The draft didn’t do much to change that. The Commanders were linked with a bunch of second round pass rushers but ended up waiting until the seventh round to draft Jean-Baptiste out of Notre Dame, who doesn’t move the needle at this point in time. So with that in mind, I still feel the need is medium as they lack a real rush threat off the edge.

However, they have a bunch of versatile guys that can be solid role players as part of a rotation. Quinn and Whitt are also very committed to moving guys around, finding good matchups and sending extra rushers to help generate pressure and force the ball out of the hands of the quarterback early. If this was the Rivera era where they essentially lined up with the same front four and trusted them to create pressure, this rotation wouldn’t be good enough, but Quinn and Whitt won’t do that. They will mix and match personnel, move guys around, make use of guys like Frankie Luvu as a roaming rush linebacker or defensive backs like Jeremy Chinn blitzing from the secondary. I’m confident they will still be able to generate pressure as a unit, even if this position group lacks a star talent. It just means that pressure will come from the depth of the interior defensive line and the added rushers from the linebackers and secondary.

In the long term though, the need is more than medium. Armstrong signed a multi-year contract but just about every other defensive end in the top end of the rotation is a free agent after this season. That would leave the Commanders with just Armstrong and the likes of Henry, Jones and Jean-Baptiste going into next offseason at the defensive end spot. Perhaps one of those young guys breaks out and develops into something, but at this point it would be a big position of need. The roster Peters inherited was in need of an overhaul, so not every position could be stocked out the way he would have liked. I think he did a good job building up the defensive end position in the way he has, where the rotation could play right now and be solid, but looking two or three years down the road, I’m sure he’ll want to add more young talent to the room.

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ESPN

2024 NFL offseason: NFC teams’ best, worst deals, picks, more

Washington Commanders

The superlative: Team least likely to make headlines

In the post-Daniel Snyder era, the new ownership and front office in Washington has generally shied from doing splashy things or making the sort of high-profile decision the former team owner seemed to make and regret time after time during his two decades in charge. Whether that meant big-name free agents, coaches and executives or outlandish contracts, the Commanders seemed to operate in their own universe at times.

It’s always a big deal when a team drafts a quarterback in the top five — Washington’s offseason will be made on how Jayden Daniels pans out — but what was otherwise striking was how normal and understandable so many of their moves seem. The new regime hired a well-respected but untested general manager in San Francisco’s Adam Peters, then flirted with other coaching options before eventually hiring Dan Quinn, a culture-builder who took the Falcons to Super Bowl LI and dramatically improved the Cowboys’ defense within his first two years of joining those organizations. (Don’t ask about what happened in between.)

The Commanders hope quarterback Jayden Daniels, whom they drafted at No. 2 overall, can lead them back to being NFC East contenders. Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

When it came to personnel, the Commanders didn’t take a big swing and instead invested in bargain deals for a handful of veterans. Their biggest signing was former Quinn charge Dorance Armstrong, who had 21 sacks over the past three years in a situational role in Dallas. They plumbed the depths of the Panthers’ defense for Frankie Luvu and Jeremy Chinn, players who looked like potential Pro Bowlers at different times over the past few years. Running back Austin Ekeler and corner Michael Davis were meaningful parts of a playoff team in Los Angeles as recently as 2022. Their highest-profile signing was Bobby Wagner, whose one-year deal is as much about reestablishing the team’s culture as it is landing a valuable middle linebacker.

Trying to hit singles isn’t a guaranteed path to success, and some of Washington’s other moves raised more questions. The decision to hire Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator after his teams failed to launch in Arizona seems questionable, and we’ll have to see how his offense melds with new O-line coach Bobby Johnson’s running game. Quinn’s defenses have been great only when he has had stars such as Earl Thomas and Micah Parsons, and he doesn’t have that sort of player in this lineup. And to some extent, the Commanders’ moves were defined by their limitations: This hasn’t been an organization in which players have wanted to come play, and they weren’t one star away from meaningfully contending for anything. In the big picture, though, it’s worth appreciating the contrast between the old Commanders and the new ones.

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Commanders.com

Jayden Daniels earning respect from veteran teammates

[T]here are several players with elite talent who have either washed out of the league or devolved into career backups. More is required of quarterbacks, particularly Heisman Trophy winners who are taken with one of the first two picks. They must fulfill all the old cliches of being the first in the building and last to leave, developing relationships with every position group and putting in the extra work to know the playbook better than anyone.

Daniels has checked off all the boxes through the first month of his NFL career. Ertz said Daniels does “a lot of work behind the scenes” to make sure he’s prepared for the upcoming season, and the tight end isn’t the only one who’s noticed.

“I think he really moves well, throws the ball well and for a young guy that’s coming in, seems to really like command the offense and I think that’s important,” Mariota said. “I think that’s very important in the quarterback position to be able to like stand in front of these guys, especially older players, and kind of nail it and say, ‘I got this, I got it figured out.’ So, I think he’s done a great job of that.”

Linebacker Bobby Wagner also sees the potential. He’s been impressed with the throws Daniels has made in seven-on-seven drills, but what’s stuck out to him more is the other work the quarterback is doing to prepare himself. Whether it’s working out or studying in the film room, Daniels has made sure to spend extra time in the building to make sure he’s ready to start, whenever that may be.

“That’s the thing you look for as a vet, somebody that wants it,” Wagner said. “He’s definitely that guy.”

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ESPN

Projecting top five NFL rookie leaders by stat categories

Of the 41 QBs drafted in the first round since 2011, 10 reached 3,500 passing yards, and 10 reached 20 TDs through the air as rookies.

Daniels is looking to become only the fifth quarterback in NFL history to rush for 575 yards as a rookie. That might suggest this projection is too high, but his elite rushing ability — 488 career rushes for 3,990 yards and 34 TDs — and strong likelihood of starting right out of the gate in Week 1 have him well positioned to get to the mark. In fact, Robert Griffin III’s rookie QB record of 815 yards is certainly in jeopardy. Cam Newton (706), Lamar Jackson (695) and Josh Allen (631) are the others who reached 600.

One quick fantasy note here: Since 2011, nine QBs have finished 13th or better in fantasy points as a rookie, and that group averaged 411.2 rushing yards and 6.0 rushing TDs. C.J. Stroud is one of the nine, and he accomplished it with the fewest rushing yards (167) and TDs (three) of the group, which adds to the impressiveness of his feat. Daniels’ rushing prowess very much supplies him with QB1 upside in Year 1.

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The Athletic (paywall)

Sando: The move from each NFL team’s offseason that I liked the most

Washington Commanders

Good coaches can learn from experience if they have growth mindsets and sufficient time between jobs for reflection. Dan Quinn fits that profile, which is what I like most about his hiring, apart from whatever concerns were raised by the hiring process itself. Quinn experienced both success and failure in Atlanta, then had a successful three-year run as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, before getting a second chance.

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Sports Illustrated

What to Read Into Washington Commanders Offensive Line Reps in OTA Practices So Far

The Washington Commanders have some important decisions to make on their offensive line, specifically at left tackle.

The biggest question there is about who will start at left tackle, as the left guard spot seems likely to belong to Nick Allegretti who comes over from winning back-to-back Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs.

If Allegretti is cemented there, which he may not be necessarily, then we can count 80 percent of the line set. But that 20 percent is still a massively important job to figure out with two candidates, veteran Cornelius Lucas and rookie Brandon Coleman, vying for the job.

“The competition is at a lot of spots, and at that position specifically, it’s going to take more time,” head coach Dan Quinn said about the left tackle job ahead of Wednesday’s OTA practice session. “And the reason being is you’ve seen where we haven’t done a lot of team together, we haven’t done in padded spots together. So, we’re going to be really strategic as it gets to training camp and finding markers and moments to say, ‘Okay, you’re getting the first reps today, next one you get the first reps.’ And we’ll take that process through the preseason and through that process it’ll emerge. But what we’re looking for mainly is just the execution honestly, of the offense.”

So when you hear about Coleman lining up next to presumed backup guard Michael Deiter, don’t jump too quickly to the conclusion that the rookie has lost the job to Lucas.

At the same time, when you hear about Lucas doing combo block drills with tight end Cole Turner who many believe could slip all the way down to the fourth spot on the depth chart this preaseason, don’t crown Coleman either.

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Podcasts & videos

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Special TEAMS, Special PLAYERS☝️| Command Center | Washington Commanders

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NFC East links

ESPN

2024 NFL offseason: NFC teams’ best, worst deals, picks, more

Philadelphia Eagles

The superlative: Team with the most unlikely free agent signing of the offseason

Howie Roseman spending nearly $13 million per season on a veteran running back in free agency? In the past, that would have had me worried Chip Kelly had stolen access to the team’s fax machine and surreptitiously retaken control of operations in Philadelphia. A general manager who has spent as much as anybody on offensive linemen over the past decade while being perfectly happy to play midround picks, low-cost free agents and low-risk trade acquisitions at running back isn’t exactly the person I expected to sign Saquon Barkley, the top running back available.

When the deal was signed, I wrote about how signing a running back made more sense than it did in years past. The massive increase in the salary cap combined with the stagnation of the RB market makes a deal of this size — it’s really two years and just over $25 million — far more reasonable. Advanced metrics such as rush yards over expectation (RYOE) are beginning to create a better handle on splitting the impact of backs versus offensive linemen in the run game. It does seem telling the NFL’s three most analytically inclined organizations — the Browns, Eagles, and Ravens — either already had a highly paid back (Nick Chubb) or added one (Barkley and Derrick Henry) in March.

And yet, even acknowledging those facts, this still seems shocking. Barkley averaged 3.9 yards per carry last season and has a significant injury history, including a high-ankle sprain last season. The hit rate on second contracts for running backs, even without considering how much they cost, is remarkably low. And for an Eagles team that lost center Jason Kelce (retirement) and had bigger holes elsewhere on the roster, was paying up at running back really more likely to give them a reliable solution than trusting their prior plan at the position and using that money somewhere else?

The Eagles now field what might be the most expensive offense in NFL history. [Note: per Warren Sharpe, the Eagles rank 22nd in the NFL]. They have players on significant veteran contracts at quarterback, running back, both starting wideout spots, tight end, left tackle, left guard and right tackle. The only place they have players on rookie deals now, ironically, is up front at center and right guard.

So much of what Philadelphia has done this offseason feels like a reaction to what went wrong down the stretch during its brutal end to 2023, when it lost six of their final seven contests. The Eagles replaced both coordinators. Barkley has come in to give them a more reliable runner between the tackles and to take some of the rushing load off quarterback Jalen Hurts. (I still think Barkley is going to get some of the Tush Push work.) They signed linebacker Devin White, brought back defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson on a multiyear deal after being unwilling to give him that sort of contract a year ago and used their first two draft picks on cornerbacks after seeing their pass defense melt down in December and January.

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Deadspin

Eagles sign WR John Ross to 1-year deal

The Philadelphia Eagles signed former first-round pick John Ross to a one-year deal Thursday as the wide receiver attempts to make an NFL comeback.

Perhaps best known for being selected one pick ahead of Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft, Ross took part in a tryout for the Eagles at a rookie minicamp last month.

The speedy wide receiver initially retired prior to training camp last season with the Kansas City Chiefs and has not played in a game since 2021.

The ninth overall pick in 2017 by the Cincinnati Bengals, Ross’ high selection was partly due to running the then-fastest 40-yard dash time (4.22 seconds) in NFL Scouting Combine history.

Production didn’t follow as Ross caught just 51 passes for 733 yards and 10 touchdowns in 27 games (20 starts) over four seasons with the Bengals.

Ross requested a trade during the 2020 season that didn’t come to fruition and later sustained a season-ending foot injury. He played in just three games that season.

In 2021, Ross played in 10 games (one start) for the New York Giants and caught 11 passes for 224 yards and one score.

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NFL league links

Articles

Over the Cap

QB Market Growth

2016 seems to be the year that the NFL seemed to give up on the concept of benchmarking to the best player and instead just agreed that every player with some leverage, whether from performance or free agent status, should result in a market setting contract.

When looking at the growth rates for the QB contracts I think we can separate QB’s into two buckets of players. One is the true superstar players. These are players that have statistical success, playoff success, and are generally regarded as top players due typically to combinations of draft status and play. Those players have been Rodgers, Mahomes, Luck, and to a lesser extent Allen, Ryan and Stafford. Those players averaged 10.6% in contract growth from the previous high.

On the flip side we have the players whose contracts are based more on circumstance. These players may not have had the great playoff success or draft status and there may be some questions about their game but not to the point where teams are comfortable walking away from the player and/or getting into a fight about the contract. Those players were Jackson, Garoppolo, Cousins, Carr, Hurts, Prescott, Herbert, and Flacco. They averaged just 1.3% growth and really are the guys just playing contract leapfrog.

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Barstool Sports

Michael Mayer Is The Latest Raider To Imply Playing For Josh McDaniels Sucked – Admitted There Were Days He Didn’t Want To Show Up Last Year

I’m pretty sure we’ll just never hear the end of people alluding to the fact Josh McDaniels fucking sucked. This is just the newest example.

Look, Raiders players could basically say anything at this point and I’d assume it’s true. That’s how the Raiders were under Josh McDaniels. Every story comes out from different players and everyone just agrees with it. Gotta think the next time will be the lucky charm for head coach McDaniels. But think about it, Mayer was a rookie and admitted he didn’t want to show up some days.

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All a’Twitter