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Cleveland.com

Browns could likely pry Jacoby Brissett away from the Commanders before the trade deadline, and they should try: Mary Kay Cabot

Brissett knows the Browns offense and personnel as well as any quarterback in the league, and would make enormous sense as the backup to his close friend Deshaun Watson for the rest of this season.

A league source told cleveland.com the Commanders are listening to trade offers on various players who are free agents this offseason — including possibly pass rushers Montez Sweat and Chase Young — and Brissett falls into that category.

With his base salary of only $3 million, the Browns would only be on the hook for the final 11 games of the season totaling $1.833 million.

But the Commanders also value Brissett highly and wouldn’t just give him away. He’s been a tremendous help to starter Sam Howell, the Commanders’ 2022 fifth-round pick, and the Browns would likely have to fork over a decent draft pick to get him if they’re interested.

But if they’re truly concerned about Watson’s strained right rotator cuff, a mid-round pick would certainly be worth it.

Brissett signed with the Commanders in the offseason, in part, for a chance to start. The $8 million was obviously the key factor, but now that Howell is starting, Brissett would undoubtedly welcome a return to Cleveland and a chance to start more games here. He’s also a great friend and mentor to Watson, and would be great for his psyche as he works his way back from the strained rotator cuff.

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Commanders.com

Practice notes | Commanders looking for options at LG, weighing possible changes to O-Line

Some…changes could come on the offensive line. One of the positions was already guaranteed to see some shuffling with Charles’ injury, and there are a few options on the roster that could replace him.

Of the candidates, **Chris Paul** is the most likely to earn the job. Paul, a seventh-round pick from Tulsa in 2022, was competing with Charles in August and had extended reps with the starting offensive line while Charles was out with an injury. Paul had some solid moments, particularly as a run blocker, and has been praised for his strength by players and coaches alike.

Paul also felt during training camp that he had grown in the year since he joined the team.

“Definitely better prepared,” Paul said. “And that just comes with being a veteran now at this point and continuing to improve and knowing the scheme and knowing the terminology.”

Another possible candidate is third-round pick **Ricky Stromberg,** who has played in relief for Charles and Sam Cosmi at various points earlier in the season. That was the case last Sunday when Charles left the game, and Bieniemy thought the rookie “did a heck of a job.”

“It’s always fun to see your young guys get in there. Like I said, you always want to have the opportunity to evaluate your young guys and evaluate your talent and see exactly where we are and keep it moving from there.”

After originally being drafted as a center, the Commanders moved him over to guard near the end of the preseason to give them more depth and flexibility at two positions. That versatility is part of the reason why Stromberg has been on the gameday roster since Week 1, while Paul has been a healthy scratch.

Rivera was also asked about Tyler Larsen, who is currently listed as the backup center on the depth chart. However, the head coach didn’t reveal much.

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Washington Post (paywall)

The Commanders’ struggling offensive line could be due for a change

Although Howell has been at fault for many of the 40 sacks he has taken, Washington’s line is the only one in the NFL with three starters who have allowed at least 15 pressures and three sacks each through Week 7, according to the website TruMedia. Gates, Wylie and Charles have combined to allow 12 sacks and 60 pressures.

Against the Giants on Sunday, Gates gave up a sack on Howell’s first dropback and, according to Pro Football Focus, allowed six pressures. New York had been among the more blitz-heavy teams in the league in the first six weeks of the season. Against the Commanders, the Giants turned up the pressure even more, sending five or more rushers on 55.1 percent of dropbacks to generate 26 total pressures, according to TruMedia. Nose tackle Dexter Lawrence accounted for eight of them, including four against Gates.

The team drafted center Ricky Stromberg in the third round and tackle Braeden Daniels in the fourth. But the team placed Daniels on injured reserve before the start of the season, and Stromberg has played only 26 offensive snaps — at guard.

Benching Gates would come with more significant implications. His contract includes $8 million guaranteed. Should the team look to move on after the season, it would save only about $133,000 and carry about $5.3 million against its salary cap whether he’s on the roster or not, according to the website Over the Cap.

Gates would also become the Commanders’ second offseason acquisition to be benched this season. The team sat first-round rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. during its loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 6 after he allowed multiple big completions and missed key tackles. Forbes didn’t play against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7 and played only five snaps against the Giants.

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Commanders Wire

Will Tyler Larsen start at center in Week 8?

During Thursday’s practice, veteran Tyler Larsen was snapping to quarterback Sam Howell. Nick Gates was snapping to backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

Larsen, 32, is a 10-year veteran and has been with Washington since 2021, following Rivera to the Commanders from Carolina. Over the past two seasons, Larsen replaced injured center Chase Roullier, starting 11 games. In 2021, Larsen started three games before a leg injury ended his season, too.

In 2022, with Roullier out again and Nick Martin struggling, Larsen was healthy enough to return to the lineup in Week 6. Larsen made eight starts, and during that time, the Commanders went 6-1-1 before dislocating his kneecap and ending the year on injured reserve.

If Larsen is indeed the new center, that could be good news for Howell. If the Commanders make the change, it’s more bad news for Rivera. Gates, who signed a three-year deal to be Washington’s new center, would be benched after seven games.

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Sports Illustrated

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Commanders Preview: Another Divisional Test

The Washington Commanders hope to grab their first NFC East win on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Hurts was running with an obvious limp on Sunday night and added a knee brace in the second half. Hurts said he feels “fine,’’ and when asked about any knee issue going forward said, “I hope not.”

Hurts pushed through to finish with 279 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, along with 21 rushing yards on 11 attempts and another touchdown.

Marcus Mariota is the Eagles backup, if Hurts cannot play vs. the Commanders.

Watch for Philadelphia receiver A.J. Brown. In Week 7, Brown had 10 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown … marking his fifth straight game over 125 yards, matching the NFL record set by former Detroit Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson.

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Commanders.com

Five things to know about the Eagles for Week 8

3. An outside weakness on their defense could rally the Commanders offense.

While the Eagles have a sound defensive line, their secondary hasn’t been as consistent. Returning to last week’s Miami game, James Bradberry and Terrell Edmunds’ attempts at double covering Tyreek Hill were inconsistent, as the Dolphins’ No. 1 receiver was held to his third lowest total this season but still put up 88 yards and a touchdown.

Granted, Hill is currently the NFL’s best statistical receiver, but the Eagles’ inability to limit passing yards has been a problem all season. They rank in the bottom half of the league (18th) with 227.4 yards through the air. It should be noted that the Eagles did recently acquire Kevin Byard from the Tennessee Titans in a trade, which should alleviate some of those issues.

The Dolphins often looked outside to the defensive perimeter to make plays, and perhaps that is a strategy Washington can adopt this week. Washington has wideouts like Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson with remarkable speed to help them build their edge; the inconsistency from the Eagles’ secondary could make for a Washington offensive advantage on the outside.

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Washington Post (paywall)

Commanders bolster analytics department with hire of senior VP

A hallmark of Josh Harris’s sports ownership has been his investment in sports science and analytics, using advanced treatments and data to try to give his teams advantages, no matter how small.

“Wherever we can create an edge — if we can make our players feel better, if we can accommodate their lives a little bit better, if we can set up for training better — we’re going to look at all that stuff,” he said in July. “… It takes time, and it takes investment.”

Harris wasted little time investing in the Commanders. Washington hired Eugene Shen as its senior vice president of football strategy to oversee all analytics and software development for football operations; he will start Nov. 6 and report to Coach Ron Rivera.

The hire, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter, was a months-long process that began during training camp, shortly after Harris finalized his $6.05 billion purchase of the Commanders. The final decision, that person said, was discussed and reviewed across football operations, business operations and ownership, and all were aligned.

Currently a derivatives analyst for the alternative investment management firm Millennium, Shen has a deep background in both finance and football. He was previously the vice president of football analytics for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2021-22) and a director of analytics for the Miami Dolphins (2019-21) and Baltimore Ravens (2014-19).

Doug Drewry, [is the] football analytics coordinator. The team also hired football data scientist Preston Biro in June.

Drewry will remain on the headset during games, and he and Biro, along with director of football solutions Seenu Tulluri and football solutions developer Gayatri Nambiar, will report to Shen.

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ESPN

Commanders hire Eugene Shen to bolster analytics department

Harris, also the primary owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils, made it a point of emphasis to bolster the analytics department in both franchises. Harris spoke at the 2020 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.

In a 2021 ESPN study, Washington was named one of the least analytically advanced teams — tied with the Cincinnati Bengals and ahead of only the Tennessee Titans.

Washington coach Ron Rivera said this summer that he was aware of how much Harris’ other teams used analytics but added that, “We’ve done it; we’ve used it.”

“Bringing Eugene’s level of expertise to lead our analytics and software development enables us to build on our data capabilities to help inform decision making,” Rivera said Thursday in a statement. “Eugene brings a great deal of practical NFL experience, and we look forward to bringing him into our conversations about the vision of our team going forward. The willingness of our ownership group to follow through on their pledge to allocate resources to data and analytics is exciting for the future of the franchise.”

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Podcasts & videos

Daron Payne Answers Who is the BEST Interior Duo in the NFL | Next Man Up | Washington Commanders

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Mitch Tischler and Craig Hoffman talk Commanders’ offensive line changes, NFL trade deadline

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Getting Ready for Round 2 vs. Philly at FedExField | Command Center | Washington Commanders

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Photos

Commanders.com

PHOTOS | Commanders practice, 10/26

Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders during their second day of prep for the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8.

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NFC East links

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NFL league links

Articles

Pro Football Talk

Dalvin Cook says he’s frustrated, and trade talks “might be a good thing”

Jets running back Dalvin Cook has been a flop of a free agent signing, and he wouldn’t mind a fresh start.

Cook repeatedly said “it’s frustrating” when talking to reporters today, and he added that trade talks might be beneficial for everyone involved.

“It’s something I can’t control, that my name is being floated around in trade rumors,” Cook said. “It might be a good thing, might be a bad thing.”

Realistically, it’s hard to imagine any team wanting to trade for Cook. He’s averaging 2.8 yards per carry, and he’s set to make more than $3 million for the rest of the season. The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, and barring some team getting desperate because of a running back injury this week, it seems unlikely that Cook will be traded.

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