Daily Slop – 29 Apr 25 – Former Louisville WR/PR Ja’Corey Brooks signs as UDFA with Commanders per Garafolo

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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Articles

Commanders.com

Mayor Bowser and Washington Commanders announce historic deal to bring the team Home and activate 180 acres of opportunity at the RFK campus

The approximately 65,000-seat stadium, which is expected to open in 2030, will occupy only 11% of the site, and because the stadium will have a roof it will be able to host events year-round. In addition to building the stadium, the Commanders will be responsible for activating and developing multiple parcels of land around the stadium with restaurants, entertainment venues, hotels, housing, green space, and more.

The entire campus is expected to create approximately 5,000-6,000 housing units, including at least 30% affordable housing.

Throughout the construction process, the District will seek to preserve and continue to operate the popular Fields at RFK. Additionally, near the fields, the District will build a new sportsplex that will host year-round sporting events and tournaments for youth in DC. The Mayor’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal includes $89 million for the sportsplex.

Adjacent to the fields, park space, and sportsplex, the District will develop a new Kingman Park District which will include housing, mixed-use development, and open space and recreational space. During the campus planning effort, which includes taking all the development parcels through the DC 2050 Comprehensive Plan update, community members and neighbors will have an opportunity to weigh in on what types of uses would best serve the community. All parcels in the Kingman Park District will go through the District’s RFP process and prioritize local businesses.

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Riggo’s Rag

Stadium timeline revealed for Commanders’ monumental D.C. return

After approval, it’s all systems go.

A timeline for events leading up to the stadium’s grand opening was also revealed. Here’s what fans can expect in the coming years before the Commanders get their new home.

Summer 2025: The plans, which include at least $2.7 billion from the Commanders to fund the project (the largest private investment in D.C. history), are set for council approval. Hopefully, there will be enough support behind the proposals to keep complications to a minimum.

Summer/Fall 2025: Planning will commence for parks, housing, and recreation around the stadium.

Fall/Winter 2026: Stadium site ground-breaking. This will probably be preceded by the RFK Stadium demolition and the great memories this historic building once held.

Early 2029: Plaza site ground-breaking.

Summer 2030: Sportsplex ribbon-cutting, barring any unforeseen delays during construction.

Fall 2030: The stadium will officially open during Washington’s season opener for the 2030 campaign.

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The Athletic (paywall)

Commanders depth chart analysis: How did the NFL Draft help shape the roster?

Let’s review how general manager Adam Peters and his staff performed and tackle any remaining questions ahead of the offseason on-field program.

Running back

Croskey-Merritt showed a spark when he scored 17 rushing touchdowns and averaged 6.3 yards on 189 carries in 2023 for New Mexico. The transfer only played one game for Arizona last season due to confusion over his eligibility. There won’t be seismic expectations attached to the forceful runner with an enticing one-cut burst. Finding a niche that lands Croskey-Merritt on the Week 1 53-player roster is a good start.

Weaving the projected fifth-round pick by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler into the rotation would be a fun outcome, especially since Robinson, Ekeler and McNichols are 2026 free agents. For this season, chunk plays will once again primarily come from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s scheming and Deebo Samuel’s cameo appearances, rather than relying on individual athletic strengths.

Wide receiver

Lane, the incoming fourth-round pick, is a needed adrenaline rush for an offense lacking speed. The receiver who ran a 4.34 40-yard time at the combine was primarily a slot threat at Virginia Tech, where the goal was to get the ball to Lane quickly off the snap.

McCaffrey is a taller, more versatile target who often seemed on the verge of a breakout pass-catching performance that never materialized. Drafting Lane shrinks the possibility of both Gallup and Osborn on the 53-man roster or re-signing receiver/returner Jamison Crowder, unless the Commanders keep seven receivers.

Safety

Martin revealed to reporters at the team’s draft day fan event that he had offseason surgery on both shoulders after playing through separations last season. That’s some toughness, and his play didn’t suffer as a result. Kudos. We’re aware of the strong safety swap — Jeremy Chinn out, Harris in. That’s your primary combo, with Butler joining in three-safety looks. Owens, a raw but freaky athlete who made the roster as an undrafted free agent last year, is the rotation wild card.

Specialists

Washington did its homework with this kicker draft class, but no competition for Gonzalez yet. Expect another kicker to join the team this summer. On the returner front, Newmark said part of Lane’s appeal is his “unique instinct” with the ball in his hands. Expect Lane to enter training camp as the front-runner for punt and possibly kick return duties. [It’s also reported that WR Ja’Corey Booker has been signed as a UDFA and that he is a capable return man.]

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Hogs Haven

Why Josh Conerly Jr. Was the Right Move for Washington

On paper, Washington now should have one of the youngest and toughest offensive lines in the NFL for years to come (hopefully). The projected starting offensive line for Washington next year is: 5x pro-bowler Laremy Tunsil and rookie Josh Conerly Jr. at tackles, Brandon Coleman and Sam Cosmi at guards and Tyler Biadaz at center. The average age of the projected starting offensive line would be 25.5 years old. This plays out well for Jayden Daniels’ future, giving him the time he will need and allowing plays to develop. Knowing you have a young line for the foreseeable future, anchored by a top left tackle paves the way for Washington’s offense to be even more dynamic.

So why did Washington pick a tackle with their first pick? Why not trade back or go with defense? The obvious reason is because Washington wanted to protect their most valuable player, Jayden Daniels. In three of the last four regular season games Jayden Daniels was pressured 37.5% and sacked 10.4% of the time. Although Daniels made amazing plays with his legs, he is a passing quarterback first and running out of the pocket leaves room for injuries with quarterbacks. Also, over the last 7 regular season games, Washington’s running backs only averaged 1.76 yards before contact, which ranked 29th in the NFL during that 7-game stretch.

Conerly Jr. adds an extra brick to the wall that will be protecting the franchise quarterback, allowing him more time in the pocket to showcase his elite passing skills and giving more push for the running game to become more effective.

Conerly Jr. was viewed, by teams, as either a tackle or a guard. He could serve as [either] for Washington. Whether they decide to move Coleman at right tackle or inside, Conerly Jr. [can] fill in whatever position is left. He has the quickness to get to the edge and a great initial “get off” and power when engaging defenders.

This is a pre-draft analysis from ESPN’s Steve Muench on Conerly Jr.:

“Conerly had the fastest 10-yard split (1.71) for an offensive lineman at the combine, and that quickness shows up on tape. His arms are on the shorter side, but he pops out of his stance and pushes out to meet speed rushers. He can plant and power down when defenders try to cross his face. Conerly mirrors well, his hands are big and he rarely loses once locked on. He seals the edge, works up to the second level and cuts off backside defenders on zone runs. He is strong enough to move defenders off the ball, and he is an effective combination blocker. — Steve Muench”

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Riggo’s Rag

4 winners (and 3 losers) from the Commanders’ 2025 NFL Draft exploits

Winner No. 3 – Tyler Owens – Commanders S

After letting Jeremy Chinn walk in free agency for the Las Vegas Raiders, the Commanders had to pivot with their plans at the safety position. Will Harris was brought into the fold when the legal tampering window commenced, but most expected general manager Adam Peters to add another talented prospect from the college ranks to solidify depth.

The Commanders opted not to use any of their draft picks on backend help. Washington signed a couple of undrafted free agents who could emerge as nice surprises in the secondary, but this involves starting from the bottom and working their way into the team’s plans.

One cannot look at this approach as anything other than positive for Tyler Owens. Last year’s undrafted free agent soared onto the 53-man roster after a starring performance over the summer. Injuries derailed his progress, and the Commanders utilized him more on special teams than in the defensive rotation as a rookie.

This was the first step in his development. There is an opportunity for Owens to become a core rotational piece behind Harris and Quan Martin next season. He’s got the size and explosiveness to make things happen, so his progress will be something to watch over the summer.

Owens has a shot. Taking advantage of it is crucial.

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Podcasts & videos

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Commanders Getting NEW STADIUM in Return to Washington D.C.!

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NFC East links

Bleeding Green Nation

Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts [did not attend] Eagles’ White House visit

When recently asked about his intention to attend or not, Hurts declined to answer the question and instead remained silent.

Reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts [did not attend] the Philadelphia Eagles’ visit to the White House to be honored as Super Bowl LIX champions on Monday afternoon, according to NBC News White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor.

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ESPN via Bleeding Green Nation

Eagles News: “We’ll look back on this draft as the spark that continued the Eagles’ NFC dominance”

We’ll look back on this draft as the spark that continued the Eagles’ NFC dominance. The Eagles doubled down on defense, and given the team’s track record of hitting on starters while also developing later-round picks, it’s exciting to think about what guys such as linebacker Jihaad Campbell, safety Andrew Mukuba and defensive tackle Ty Robinson can become.

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Big Blue View

The education of New York Giants GM Joe Schoen

The progression of results over Schoen’s four drafts to date is striking. Schoen takes a lot of heat for the Thibodeaux and Neal picks, but that’s revisionist history – the NFL “intelligentsia” had those players ranked Nos. 3 and 4 heading into the draft. After that, though, there’s clear evidence of reaching for need, poor scouting, or a combination of the two. Every single pick was taken not just sooner, but a lot sooner, than the community imagined them going, anywhere from 50 to 238 places higher than they should have been drafted. Not until the Beavers pick, Schoen’s last, did he get a good buy according to pre-draft wisdom, though after a promising pre-season start, Beavers was never the same after he tore his ACL.

Of course pre-draft wisdom plus $3 will get you a ride on the subway. See Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, and countless others in NFL history. The final column shows where each player ranks today among his classmates in Pro Football Reference’s weighted Approximate Value (wAV) after having been in the league for one or more years. The wAV metric in essence combines production and availability. The only player from that first Schoen class who has clearly outperformed his draft position is Micah McFadden (tied for 34th in wAV but drafted No. 146). Thibodeaux is only a little below his draft position in wAV rank, i.e., while he hasn’t been the dominant player we hoped, he’s nonetheless a productive starter. Neal of course is way below the expectation for a No. 7 pick. A few players who are still Giants such as Daniel Bellinger, Dane Belton, and D.J. Davidson are at least in the ballpark of where their draft slot suggested they should be.

The 2023 draft class is very different in one sense, but more of the same in another sense. Unlike 2022, there were no head-scratching picks. Actually, just the opposite, i.e., lots of green and not much red. Based on pre-draft ranking, Schoen took Deonte Banks just about where he was expected to go, and arguably he got good buys on John Michael Schmitz (taken No. 57, ranked No. 36) and Jalin Hyatt (taken No. 73, ranked No. 38), albeit after sacrificing picks in two trade-ups. All of these players were well-known pre-draft and made sense when the pick was made. Obviously none of them has worked out so far, with their wAV rank much lower than their draft position (not that any fan needs this table to know that).

Now looking at the 2024 class, we see something very different. Every player was drafted fairly close to their position on the big board except for Darius Muasau (and the Giants had no seventh-round pick so if they wanted him, Round 6 is where they had to take him). More importantly, all six draftees finished within the top 100 of the 2024 NFL draft class in wAV. Four of them finished in the top 50, and Phillips and Johnson would have finished higher had they not each missed a few games with injuries, since wAV rewards volume in addition to good play. In other words, by last year Schoen was not reaching on any of his picks, and the picks were seeing the field and performing well enough to continue to see action.

Now in 2025, we see something yet again different from the previous three classes. Abdul Carter was drafted exactly in the position big boards said he’d be. Jaxson Dart was taken a few places higher than had been projected, but that’s par for the course for quarterback prospects in today’s NFL. Every other player was selected later than where they were on the big board, i.e., almost this entire draft was great value in that sense.

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Front Office Sports

Giants Say Team Had ‘No Conversations’ With Trump About Saquon Barkley

The president said Monday he told the Giants not to let the running back join their division rivals. The team says no such discussion ever happened.

President Donald Trump said he told the New York Giants not to let Saquon Barkley walk away in free agency during the Super Bowl celebration for the running back’s new team at the White House Monday.

The Giants deny any such conversations took place.

“I was with the Giants and the head coach and some people and I said, ‘Do anything you have to, but don’t lose Saquon.’” Trump said of Barkley, who he called “a handsome guy.”

Giants spokesperson Pat Hanlon tells Front Office Sports “there were no conversations” between Trump and the Giants about Barkley.

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NFL league links

Articles

Pro Football Talk

President Trump wants tush push to stay, dynamic kickoff to go

During the Super Bowl champions’ visit to the White House, President Donald Trump said he wants the NFL to keep the maneuver in the game.

“The Eagles scored a touchdown on their signature play, the tush push,” Trump said. “You know what that is? . . . I hope they keep that play, Coach [Nick Sirianni]. I don’t know. . . . They’re talking about getting rid of that play. I understand. They should keep it. What do you think, Saquon [Barkley]? I like it. We have guys like this, pushing you around a little bit? I like it. It’s sort of exciting and different.”

“I’d like to go back to the regular kickoff, however,” he said. “We don’t like that kickoff where nobody’s moving the balls in the air, nobody’s moving

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