Daily Slop – 26 Feb 25 – Commanders plans for Jon Allen, McLaurin, Brandon Coleman and free agents like Josh Sweat, Paulson Adebo, or Harold Landry

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

Commanders links

Articles

Over the Cap

Washington Grants Jonathan Allen Request to Seek a Trade

Allen is due $17 million in cash for the 2025 season as part of the last year of his player contract.

Allen requesting a trade would logically mean that Washington is not willing to extend his current contract or that the two sides cannot agree on the numbers for an extension. Any team that trades for Allen should be prepared to complete a contract extension immediately after the trade is completed.

Most teams will likely wait for Washington to release Allen, and then attempt to sign him to a favorable contract as a street free agent. This path will lead to a lower-value contract.

With an incoming strong draft class of defensive linemen, Allen may have difficulty finding a trade partner for Washington.

---

Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

Commanders Free Agent Fits: Defensive End

Taking a look at some defensive ends that the Washington Commanders could potentially target in free agency

High Profile: Josh Sweat, 27

The top pass rusher on the market is Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat. Sweat has quietly developed into a very effective pass rusher in Philadelphia after being drafted there in the fourth round back in 2018. He has been overshadowed there by the sheer depth of that defensive line and the stars like Jalen Carter, but Sweat is a strong rusher in his own right. He offers great speed, explosiveness and bend around the edge and combines that with good hands to make him a threat to any tackle he faces.

Despite being a good athlete, Sweat isn’t a one-dimensional rusher. Lots of rushers with his explosiveness rely on that to win on the edge and don’t add enough variety to their game. The use of the cross chop move from that play suggests he does have more to his game, but study him for any length of time and you’ll see a rusher with multiple ways to win.

Here, Sweat works against Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley. Initially, he looks to use a similar rush we just saw him use against Coleman, rushing with speed to the edge and attempting to clear Stanley’s hands by chopping the outside hand down with his own outside hand. However, Stanley takes the chop and keeps his outside hand on Sweat to cut off his path to the edge, so Sweat has to transition to plan B.

Sweat manages to get his inside hand placed on Stanley’s chest, so once his path to the edge us cut off, Sweat transitions from an outside rush into a long-arm rush. He extends his inside arm and begins to shift his weight inside to drive Stanley back. Once Stanley opens up to try and adjust, Sweat attacks the open space and gets inside to pressure the quarterback.

For the Commanders, Sweat would add a dynamic and explosive threat off the edge that they currently lack. He’s the type of athlete that head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. could move around and generate matchups for as well as just leaving him on the edge and trusting him to generate pressure that way too. He would, however, come at quite a significant cost. Sweat is one of the top players in this free agent class and is likely to demand a large contract. The Commanders do have the cap space for him and taking a good player from the Eagles wouldn’t be a bad thing, but based on what Adam Peters has done so far, I’m not sure he’ll want to go all out for Sweat.

Good Value: Dayo Odeyingbo, 25

Odeyingbo is a name that not many people are talking about. He’s not a flashy edge rusher with great burst like Sweat, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t an effective rusher. Odeyingbo is a different body type. He’s listed at 6-foot-6, 286 pounds, which is very big compared to a typical edge rusher. Sweat, for example, is more of a prototypical edge rusher and he’s 6-foot-4, 265 pounds. That 20 pound difference is significant and almost pushes Odeyingbo into undersized defensive tackle territory rather than defensive end. As a result, Odeyingbo doesn’t offer the same explosiveness off the edge, but he offers more flexibility.

When I profiled what the Commanders were looking for in a defensive end, I spoke a lot about their desire for flexibility. Quinn and Whitt love to move guys around to generate matchups that expose offensive lineman in pass protection. Odeyingbo is very flexible as a piece that can line up all over and be effective.

---

The Athletic (paywall)

Commanders 10-step offseason plan: Extend Terry McLaurin, re-sign key vets, draft pass rusher

The NFL universe may have Washington aggressively pursuing headliner trades. Doing so may compromise the longtime personnel executive’s desire to build through the draft and use free agency for supplemental help.

“There’s always going to be tradeoffs if you do something like that,” Peters said during a side scrum with local reporters. “It always goes back to doing what we think is best for the team.”

That sentiment is why this offseason is fascinating. Washington’s situation has Rorschach test qualities. With ample salary-cap space, seven draft selections — three in the top 80 — and palpable momentum, there’s logic in bold action. That’s even without considering a two-year window before sensational quarterback Jayden Daniels is eligible for a contract extension.

There are also 28 free agents Washington must re-sign or replace. How do you assess a roster when only one team — the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs — has fewer players under contract? This 10-step plan attempts to address that question.

2. Extend Terry McLaurin

McLaurin’s three-year extension in 2022 for over $68 million ends after the 2025 season. Peters said on Tuesday that any conversations about an extension for the newly married McLaurin “will probably remain private … and we’re really looking forward to having him again next year.” No doubt they are after McLaurin set the franchise record with 13 regular-season touchdowns and added three more in the playoffs.

5. Move Brandon Coleman to G, restructure Andrew Wylie’s contract, sign Alaric Jackson

The offensive line could return five starters once right guard Sam Cosmi recovers from an ACL tear, or it could have four changes for Week 1 of the 2025 season. That process begins with where the staff sees Coleman going forward.

Peters said Coleman “did a really, really admirable job” considering the steep adjustment curve for rookie left tackles. “He’s tough, athletic and only going to get better,” he added.

Believe what Peters is saying. Now, some context: When pass rushers quickly hit Daniels off the snap, they often came from the blindside. Coleman allowed 10 sacks, the third highest, according to PFF, with six QB hits and 25 pressures.

One year doesn’t make a forecast, but some draft evaluators pegged Coleman at right tackle or guard. Washington should be looking for an upgrade over Wylie, but not as desperately as some suggest. He tied 14th for most pressures allowed (28) among tackles. His cap charge ($10.42 million) is high for a swing tackle, but the salary ($6.5 million) isn’t preposterous after finishing as one of four tackles not to allow a sack (minimum 369 pass-blocking snaps).

What happens if Washington prefers Coleman battling Nick Allegretti at left guard or Wylie filling in at right guard with Cosmi out? Jackson is interesting based on his age (27 in July), size (6-foot-7, 345 pounds) and starts (29 since 2023). Jackson needs more coaching in pass protection but can bolster the run game and allowed only three sacks and 18 pressures last season. PFF projects a contract of $14.5 million annually over four years.

None of this should preclude Washington from selecting a tackle at No. 29. Suddenly, the line would have three youngsters to go with Tyler Biadasz and Cosmi. Daniels would take that.

7. Acquire an outside CB

Peters expressed “high” confidence in Marshon Lattimore despite the cornerback’s performance and physical struggles following a midseason trade with the New Orleans Saints. The fundamental angle here is whether Quinn prefers Mike Sainristil at his natural slot corner role or outside, where he shined over the second half of the season.

Re-signing Igbinoghene is a no-brainer if Sainristil remains on the perimeter. Regardless, Washington has no depth beyond the two outside starters and cannot address all needs with its first three picks. Paulson Adebo, The Athletic’s No. 43 free agent, is another prove-it player following a fractured femur last season. Putting Adebo opposite Lattimore — teammates in New Orleans — would allow Sainristil to move back inside.

---

Commanders.com

Five takeaways from Adam Peters’ combine press conference

5. Perception doesn’t change the process.

Things are different for the Commanders in 2025. They are no longer considered to be a team in a rebuild, although Quinn has always been quick to use the term “recalibration” when talking about turning the franchise into a championship contender. Regardless of the verbiage, the outside perception has changed for the Burgundy & Gold.

Peters felt the shift last year and gave a shoutout to the DMV fanbase for supporting them, but the outside perception hasn’t affected how they intend to build the roster. Their parameters for finding new Commanders remain the same, no matter what people outside the building think of them.

“Our principles are the same,” Peters said. “We want to bring in great people and great Commanders that are going to help us win.”

But the Commanders are proud of the way the fanbase rallied behind them last season. The players feel it, he said, and people reached out to Peters to express how happy they were that the team was having so much success.

The way Peters sees it, that’s just encouragement to stay consistent with the process he and Quinn built last year.

“We’re gonna do whatever we can to keep making those people proud,” Peters said.

---

Commanders.com

Martin Mayhew retires after 26 NFL seasons

Mayhew spent 26 seasons in the NFL, the last four of which were spent in the Commanders’ front office. He was hired as the team’s general manager ahead of the 2021 season — a position he kept until Peters was hired in the same role. In his current role, Mayhew provided guidance and helped mold Washington’s 2024 draft class, which included instant contributors like Jayden Daniels, Mike Sainristil, Johnny Newton, Brandon Coleman and Ben Sinnott.

As a general manager, Mayhew played a pivotal role in the Commanders drafting players like Sam Cosmi and Dyami Brown, both of whom had strong 2024 campaigns. Cosmi received a contract extension from the organization prior to Week 1, while Brown set career highs in receiving yards and touchdowns.

Mayhew played nine seasons in the NFL and was originally selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 10th round (262nd overall) in the 1988 NFL Draft. During Mayhew’s nine-year career, he appeared in 118 games (107 starts) for Buffalo (1988), Washington (1989-92) and Tampa Bay (1993-96) and notched 473 tackles, 21 interceptions, 1.0 sack and four forced fumbles. He started at cornerback for the Super Bowl XXVI champion Washington Redskins.

“Just wanted to thank him for all he’s given to this franchise and this league,” Peters said. “He will be missed … He’s a true [Redskin].”

---

Podcasts & videos

GM Adam Peters Speaks to the Media at the NFL Combine | Washington Commanders

---

---

NFC East links

Blogging the Boys

How the Jonathan Mingo trade could complicate things at running back for the Cowboys

Not having a fourth-round draft pick makes things a little bit difficult for the Cowboys.

Things weren’t any better for the Eagles and their dice roll on Jahan Dotson. Similar to Cooper, Dotson’s production was low. His per-game averages were just a third of what he was doing in Washington, despite already putting up unimpressive numbers with the Commanders. Philadelphia made a lot of good moves last year, but the Dotson trade wasn’t one of them. The only saving grace is that they have him under contract for one more season so he still has a chance to do something.

And that is all the Cowboys have with Mingo because his production in Dallas was horrid. The Cowboys still have a chance to save face as Mingo has two more years left on his deal and they gave up a fourth compared to third. That’s something, we suppose.

If you look at the talent distribution layout for the 2025 NFL Draft, the running back group looks like this (draft rankings courtesy of NFL Mock Database):

• 1st Round – Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
• 2nd Round – Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
• 2nd Round – TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
• 2nd Round – Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
• 3rd Round – Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
• 3rd Round – Dylan Sampson, Tennesee

That’s six running backs projected to go by the time the Cowboys pick in the third round. The answer could very well lie with one of those players. However, the position gets a jolt of participants if you look at the players projected in the late third/fourth round of the draft.

Because the Cowboys don’t have a fourth-round pick, their third-round pick is their last chance to secure a potential starting running back. This means they might have to bite the bullet and take their best guy left with their third-round pick, or finagle some trade back to acquire some draft capital that puts them into the hot zone of this group of running backs.

---

Big Blue View

Is trading into the top three to get a quarterback ever worth it?

[R]ightly or wrongly, Cam Ward’s arrow has been pointing upward in recent weeks while Shedeur Sanders’ ship be sinking a bit in the eyes of draftniks:

At No. 3 the Giants are in a very precarious position, behind two teams that could easily justify drafting the two top-ranked QBs and leaving the Giants on the outside looking in. There could also be one that drops to them, but not the one they want.

It’s entirely possible that the Giants will just sit tight, let the board come to them, and then take a more developmental QB in Round 2 if both top ones are off the board. Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, though, have to feel that they are on the hot seat this year after two failed seasons out of three. That may cause them to be more aggressive than they might ordinarily be and seek to move up.

Not a single one of the trade-ups into the top three this century discussed above has obviously been a big win for the team trading up to date. Some of them have worked out well – the Giants do not regret trading up for Eli, perhaps the Rams are satisfied with what they got from Goff, especially when they eventually turned him into a ring in the Stafford trade, the Bryce Young trade may eventually work out well for Carolina, and Washington just had bad luck with RGIII.

None of these has been a clear win for the trading-up team, though, and a few have been downright disasters (Trubisky, Darnold, Lance). Yet fans continually implore their team to trade up and “get their guy.” The evidence many will present for that is last season when the Giants were not able to trade up for either of the picks that became Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, both of whom played well as rookies.

How should we interpret that? Here’s a thought. It’s really difficult to tell who is and who isn’t going to succeed in the NFL. That tells you it’s a huge risk to trade up for a quarterback. We on the outside don’t know in general, though, about all the attempted trade-ups that were turned down by the GMs holding the No. 1, 2, or 3 cards. The exception is the 2024 Giants, who we know from Hard Knocks were interested in both Daniels and Maye but were rebuffed by Adam Peters and Eliot Wolf. Perhaps some prospects are good enough that good GMs know not to pass up their chance to get them.

---

Barstool Sports

Joe Schoen Is Starting To Sound Like A Man Desperate To Save His Job By Trading For Matthew Stafford (He Should)

It’s no secret that Joe Schoen (and Brian Daboll) are entering this season on the hot seat. John Mara (an idiot) came out and said that when he decided to bring them back for another season. Made it known they need to win games this year to keep their jobs. At the same time, it’s no secret that Matthew Stafford is potentially available and Malik Nabers is begging for him:

I’ll go ahead and say it, Matthew Stafford is awesome. I know he’s old. I know he has a big value for his contract, but he was also a play or two away from being in the NFC title game again last season. You’re telling me he can’t do that with the Giants at some point? Yeah, we have a million other problems, but you need a quarterback. Plus, Schoen and Daboll need to win. That’s why this is also out there:

A rookie quarterback likely means we’re not winning a bunch of games. We’re not getting Jayden Daniels. Get the vet, start finding the quarterback in the future. There’s no such thing as a window being open. Football has too much weird shit happens, one injury can ruin a season. Look at Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Dude had the best year of his career and they couldn’t make the playoffs. Take a shot, whenever you can.

This is also the problem when you tell guys they need to win this year or they are fired. Of course they don’t care about the future. Who would? You care about your own ass and keeping the job. Whatever, just don’t suck. That’s all I want. I want to care again. Stafford makes me care again for a year at least.

---

NFL league links

Articles

Front Office Sports

Ravens GM Calls Justin Tucker Allegations ‘Serious’ as Harbaugh Seeks New Kicker

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and GM Eric DeCosta spoke to reporters at the Combine about Justin Tucker’s future.

[T]he Ravens kicker has faced a number of allegations of sexual misconduct from Baltimore-area massage therapists, first reported in a series of stories in the Baltimore Banner. Tucker has called the claims “unequivocally false,” and the NFL is investigating the matter.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh addressed the Tucker situation publicly for the first time at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis Tuesday.

“It’s not what you want to wake up and read,” Harbaugh said. He added that the team would make determinations on Tucker’s future with the team at the conclusion of the NFL investigation.

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta also spoke to media at the Combine and called the allegations “serious” and “concerning.”

---

Front Office Sports

Bengals Ready to Make Ja’Marr Chase Highest-Paid Non-Quarterback

Cincinnati has several key deals to work on this offseason.

The Bengals are ready to make Ja’Marr Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL—and they’re up for the “tall task” of re-signing their other top-earning players, too.

Chase is set to make $21.8 million in 2025 playing on his fifth-year option from his rookie contract, but he’s likely in line for a huge raise.

Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson is currently the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, under a four-year, $140 million extension he signed last offseason that pays him an average annual salary of $35 million. So, Chase will be set to surpass that mark with an extension of his own.

Chase’s counterpart in Cincinnati’s passing attack, receiver Tee Higgins, is set to be a free agent unless the Bengals place the franchise tag on him again, which appears unlikely. “Our preference with Tee Higgins is to do a long-term agreement,” Tobin said. “Always has been. It continues to be.” Higgins played the 2024 season on the franchise tag, which paid him nearly $22 million.

---

Discussion topics

Bengals Dick Tobin:

As the Eagles have garnered praise for their use of void years to manipulate the salary cap, Tobin said he prefers to play things more straightforward[ly].

“We’ve managed our cap well,” he said. “We’ve got low dead money. We want a high payroll, and low dead money so that the people that are in Cincinnati playing for us can get all the money.”

---

All aTwitter

---