Daily Slop – 3 Jun 25 – Bullock’s Film Room studies FS Quan Martin’s 2024 film to analyze his long-term value

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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Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

Should Quan Martin be the Commanders long term FS?

Breaking down the play of FS Quan Martin ahead of a critical third year

One player flying completely under the radar for the Washington Commanders this past season and throughout the offseason has been free safety Quan Martin. With all the issues in the secondary, particularly at cornerback last season, the Commanders focused their attention on fixing the cornerback position. They traded for Marshon Lattimore during the season, signed Jonathan Jones during free agency and then drafted Trey Amos in the second round. They also lost starting strong safety Jeremy Chinn in free agency, replacing him with Will Harris.

With all that happening in the secondary, Martin has been overlooked. But he’s entering a critical third year in his rookie contract. This time next year, he’ll be eligible for an early extension, so this season could be huge for his career in Washington. He could cement himself as a foundational piece of Dan Quinn’s defense, or potentially become a piece that needs to be replaced long term.

So how did Martin play last season and what can the Commanders expect out of him going forward? Before the season, Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. heaped praise on Martin throughout the offseason, highlighting his ball skills and tackling ability frequently. In a defense that wants to play aggressively and take the ball away, those are two fundamental traits for any defensive back in this system.

The praise wasn’t just hot air either, Martin backed up what Quinn and Whitt had said during the season. Martin’s ball skills were on display in the playoffs against the Lions.

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Commanders.com

Brian Robinson ‘really focused’ ahead of Year 4

The Commanders’ offense and its third-ranked rushing attack were at their best when Robinson was a focal point of the game plan. The team was 7-1 in the regular and postseason when Robinson got 15 or more carries and 3-0 when he rushed for 100 yards. Four of the Commanders’ top six offensive outputs also saw Robinson carry the ball at least 16 times and rush for at least 60 yards.

Robinson has yet to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, but the 2022 third-round pick had his best season in Kingsbury’s system. He rushed 799 yards with eight touchdowns and averaged 4.3 yards per attempt, all three of which were career-highs, while getting just nine more carries (187) than he did in 2024 (178). Three of his top four single-game performances came last season, including 133 yards in the team’s Week 2 win over the New York Giants.

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Pro Football Talk

Kliff Kingsbury: Brian Robinson knows what this year means to him

“B-Rob’s a guy who has played an incredibly high level,” Kingsbury said, via a transcript from the team. “I thought early in the year when he was really healthy, he was what we expect him to be and the focus this offseason has been great. He knows what this year means to him and can mean to us when he plays at that level.”

Ekeler and McNichols are also out of contract after the 2025 season, so there could be a very different look in the backfield if this year’s approach fails to meet expectations.

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ESPN

Why Commanders expect to see a better Jayden Daniels in 2025

Daniels’ on-field talent was obvious last season — namely his accuracy and running ability. But what also impressed teammates was the work he did on his own to prepare and improve. Last spring, he showed up at 5:45 a.m. each day. He continued the practice during the season, when he added walkthroughs with Kingsbury and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard three days per week to perfect the game plan for the upcoming opponent.

But while Daniels’ focus and preparation has remained the same, his body has changed. Daniels looks more muscular than last season and has added weight, though he declined to say how much. There wasn’t a directive for him to bulk up or add muscle, he and others have said. They’ve called it a natural byproduct of working out, saying that last season, while preparing for the draft, there wasn’t as much time to work on his physique.

Another big difference in Daniels, said those around him, has been the velocity on his throws.

“I don’t think it was anything that we really said, ‘Hey, you’ve got to be this weight or that weight,’” Kingsbury said, “I mean, he knows what he has to do to protect himself and where he feels comfortable playing, but the arm strength, it looks better and you can tell he’s stronger, there’s no doubt.”

[W]hile defenses try to figure out ways to defend Daniels, Washington — which Quinn says didn’t show all of its playbook last season — can’t wait to see what new it has in store for those opponents.

For Kingsbury, it’s about Daniels’ ownership of the offense. He said playing in the same system will allow Daniels to grow but also to, in some ways, coach it himself.

“You look traditionally through the NFL, the guys who’ve had a ton of success have been able to stay in those long term,” Kingsbury said, “just the comfort level and then being able to take ownership of it and understand it inside and out, where now you’re correcting people, you don’t even need the coaches. And he’s kind of getting to that point.”

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Washington Times

LOVERRO: They say 90% of success in life is just showing up

Apparently every member of the Commanders roster felt their best option was to show up for the workouts, except for three players — receiver Terry McLaurin, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

For them, OTAs meant Other Teammates Attending.

McLaurin is seeking a contract extension, so the assumption is that’s the reason he wasn’t there. He would seem to earn a pass based on his standup track record with the organization since he arrived as a rookie in 2019. He has banked plenty of goodwill.

The other guys, though? Lattimore, with his spotty performance last year after he came to Washington in a trade with the New Orleans Saints, is overdrawn on his account.

Tunsil? He hasn’t even opened an account yet, having arrived in a deal in March with the Houston Texans for four draft choices. Reportedly, he wasn’t a fan of OTAs in Houston, but still performed as one of the top left tackles in the NFL and was named to five Pro Bowls. He was a valuable contributor to a Texans team that went 41-51 in the six years he was in Houston. So I guess he can make a deposit when he feels like it.

This doesn’t exactly fit in with the narrative that everyone in the league wants to come to Dan Quinn’s football camp. We’ve heard one testimonial after another from Washington players about how great it is to be here and how others are knocking down the door to be part of it.

How important are OTAs? Let’s let former Washington receiver DeSean Jackson speak to that:

“That’s when Super Bowls and championships are won.”

That was 2014. Next year Jackson didn’t show up because he was filming his new BET reality television show — “DeSean Jackson Home Team.”

Some team activities are more important than others.

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PFWA

Commanders PR staff selected as PFWA 2025 Pete Rozelle Award winner

The Rozelle Award is given to the NFL club public relations staff that consistently strives for excellence in its dealings and relationships with the media. The award is named for Rozelle, NFL commissioner from 1960-89, who started his distinguished career in sports PR roles as a student at both Compton (Calif.) Junior College and the University of San Francisco. After two more years as USF’s assistant athletic director after graduation, he broke into the NFL as the PR director of the Los Angeles Rams from 1952-55. Rozelle used his PR principles as commissioner to build relationships with the media during a period of unprecedented growth and challenge for the league.

“The greatest strength of Washington’s football PR staff is its ability to build trust. Sean’s group is honest, transparent and fair, and has a keen understanding of the jobs of media, players and team executives,” said PFWA president Nicki Jhabvala, who covers the Commanders for the Washington Post. “It works with media instead of against them, often seeking reporters’ input to try new things, such as off-record roundtables with the head coach, and using feedback to adjust its schedule when needed. Pitches may not always be fulfilled, but they’re always fully considered.

“It’s fair to assume no NFL club PR staff has dealt with more crises and franchise-altering news in recent years, but never has the group seemed rattled and never has it treated media with anything other than respect. It’s about time Sean’s staff got its due.”

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Podcasts & videos

Rookie WR Jaylin Lane is a “DAWG” | Raising Hail with the Rookies | Washington Commanders | NFL

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NFC East links

Blogging the Boys

The Bryce Huff trade highlights an example of the stark contrast between the Eagles and Cowboys

The heavy use of void years allows the Eagles to spend money like crazy. They aren’t a team that is making “all the right moves,” they are a team that is making all kinds of moves, hoping enough of them will stick to create a talented football team. And it’s working. The Eagles are loaded with talent all over their roster.

And because the Eagles are throwing money around left and right, some of their purchases won’t be good ones. This was revealed in a rather costly fashion on Friday when we learned the team is waving the white flag on free agent edge rusher Bryce Huff and trading him to the San Francisco 49ers.

[W]hile this will quickly become another mistake that Howie can sweep under the rug, it won’t be forgotten by those who are paying close attention. That’s because this move was really bad. The Eagles gave Huff $34 million in guaranteed money with his new deal.

The Eagles won the Super Bowl, so is it fair to pass judgment on any move they make, regardless of how terrible it looks? When you take a lot of swings, you’re going to miss sometimes. Howie’s not perfect.

The problem with this type of logic is that it’s evasive. There is no world where the Huff trade should be looked at in a favorable light. It was bad. Really bad. Sure, no one in Philly is feeling the sting because the Eagles invested in so many other players that compensated for their mishaps.

And they didn’t make these investments with smart, calculated moves. They do it by making an abundance of moves, some good, but also some very bad. The Huff signing was bad. Trading a third-round pick for Jahan Dotson was bad. The Cowboys make mistakes, but not to that level. They get dragged through the mud for moves like the Trey Lance or Jonathan Mingo trades (which were bad), but those were Day 3 draft picks, and they are never tending to wounds from bad free agent signings.

[The Eagles] paddle through those mistakes by pushing out a ridiculous amount of money and reloading the clip. That is the Roseman way.

Watching the Eagles win the Super Bowl makes everyone think a little differently about what the correct path is to get there. When you lay everything out on the table, it becomes easier to see that the Eagles make a lot of mistakes, but their willingness to keep swinging by borrowing extra hacks from future seasons affords them a lot of forgiveness. The Cowboys get no forgiveness. Until they win the big prize, anything they do will always be seen as not good enough.

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Big Blue View

Deion Sanders defends Shedeur’s preparation for meeting with Giants

Sanders’ father, NFL Hall of Famer and Colorado football coach Deion Sanders, has hit back at the idea that Shedeur would not have been prepared for a meeting with any NFL coach.

“When you sit up there and say something like he went into a meeting unprepared, like, dude,” continued Deion. “Shedeur Sanders? Who has had six different [offensive] coordinators, who has still functioned and leveled up every time we brought somebody new in, and you’re gonna tell me he was unprepared? You’re gonna tell me he had on headphones? Anybody who knows my son understands he’s a professional.

“You got to understand my kids are built for everything… We’ve always been in front of the camera, so they know how to navigate, they know how to handle themselves. You’re not going to catch them in no foolery or no mess. You’re not going to do that whatsoever.”

Todd McShay of The Ringer was the first analyst to discuss a difficult meeting between Sanders and Daboll.

“Shedeur didn’t have a great interview with Brian Daboll in a private visit,” McShay said.

“An install package came in. Preparation wasn’t there for it. [He] got called out on it. Didn’t like that. Brian didn’t appreciate him not liking it.”

The Giants ended moving from No. 34 to No. 25 in the draft to select Jaxson Dart. Sanders went in the fifth round to the Cleveland Browns, a monumental fall for a player who thought he would be selected in the top three.

Honestly, the more all of this stuff swirls around the more I am glad it’s not the Giants having to deal with it.

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NFL.com

Saquon Barkley on Eagles chasing back-to-back Super Bowls: ‘We know the recipe’

Repeating as Super Bowl champions is a daunting task. Only the 2022-23 Kansas City Chiefs and 2003-04 New England Patriots have done so this millennium.

Backing up a 2,000-yard rushing campaign with a similarly productive season is also a tall ask. Of the previous eight backs to complete the feat, none hit the 1,500-yard rushing mark the following season, none averaged more than 4.5 yards per carry, and two missed at least half the season due to injuries (Terrell Davis, Derrick Henry).

Year after 2,000-yard rushing season: O.J. Simpson, 1,125 yards (4.2 YPC); Eric Dickerson, 1,234 (4.2); Barry Sanders, 1,491 (4.3); Terrell Davis, 211 (3.1); Jamal Lewis, 1,006 (4.3); Chris Johnson, 1,364 (4.3); Adrian Peterson, 1,266 (4.5); Derrick Henry, 937 (4.3).

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NFL league links

Articles

Pro Football Focus (subscription)

NFL teams are calling more screens. It isn’t working

“It’s an extension of their run game.”

You’ve likely heard that line when watching an NFL game — the broadcaster referencing how an offense uses quick passes or screens to pick up “easy” yards. And if you’ve heard it more often recently, that’s because teams are turning to screens at a higher rate.

More than 10% of total dropbacks across the NFL have been screen attempts in each of the past three seasons. The 2022 campaign was the first time the average sat above that threshold, and it has only continued to rise over the past two years.

One might assume screen usage is going up for the obvious reason: NFL teams are having success with it. But that hasn’t necessarily been the case.

Eric Eager, my former colleague and the current Vice President of Football Analytics for the Carolina Panthers, wrote about the value of perfectly blocked runs for PFF in 2021.

Eric wrote, “If a run play is perfectly blocked up (using PFF grades), the running game itself is more efficient than the most efficient offenses in the NFL … a perfectly blocked-up running play is more effective than a perfectly blocked-up passing play on average, and the results are ‘smooth,’ as there isn’t the equivalent of an incompletion in their world.”

Offensive coaches in the NFL have an innate belief in their ability to call the right plays and execute at a high level. In other words, they believe their team can beat the averages of roughly one in three plays being perfectly blocked. That’s relevant in this piece because, in theory, screens are the pass-game extension of a run call.

On average, offenses were more efficient when running into blitzes than when calling a screen pass during the 2024 season.

A well-executed screen thrown into a void left by a blitzing defender is one of the more beautiful plays in football. But some parallels can be drawn between that and perfectly blocked run plays. The numbers indicate that it happens less than we would like to believe.

This all points to a world where a rising screen rate makes sense; it’s a compromise between the more efficient pass plays and the “safer” runs, where a well-executed play still offers some upside. The issue is that screens, on average, aren’t any more efficient than running the ball and still carry more downside.

In the cyclical nature of football, it seems like we’re reaching a point where run rates could increase with teams playing more two-high coverage shells due to trying to take away explosive passes. That was, in many ways, the story of the 2024 NFL season, with veteran running backs Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs as key components on new teams.

It’s worth watching next season whether that trend pushes screen rates down from the 11.0% clip in 2024, or whether that number continues to climb despite falling efficiency.

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Discussion topics

ESPN

NFL offseason signings, trades who could break out — or flop

Dyami Brown, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Signed from Commanders as unrestricted free agent

A 2021 third-round pick who had fallen down the Washington depth chart, the arrival of Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator last year and the trading away of Jahan Dotson helped revitalize Brown’s career. He saw regular snaps throughout the season and was an able blocker on the outside, but he didn’t start amassing meaningful production until the postseason. After a career-high 308 receiving yards during the regular season, he had 229 more during the postseason, including games with 89 and 98 receiving yards during the Commanders’ two playoff victories.

Did Brown turn into a different player during that playoff run? I’m not sure I see that on film. Several of his big plays over that stretch came on blown coverages and scramble drills. Those yards count, but they’re a product of scheme as opposed to Brown getting himself open. He had a 24-yard catch-and-run on a screen and a 42-yard completion against Lions backups who failed to pass off a route concept correctly. Brown did have a 38-yard gain on a seam route running past rookie corner Terrion Arnold out of the slot, but that was the exception for his production during the playoff run. He also fumbled twice, losing a key fumble early on against the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

Over the regular season, Brown averaged 1.4 yards per route run, which ranked 68th out of the 114 wideouts who ran at least 200 routes. While he saw steady work, there were few wideouts who ran routes less often when they were on the field than him. He ran routes on 50.6% of his offensive snaps, the sixth-lowest rate for any wideout.

On one hand, the limited usage suggests Brown’s modest regular-season numbers were deflated by a lack of opportunity. On the other, it seems telling the Commanders didn’t prioritize targets for Brown despite Terry McLaurin being the only imposing option. Don’t be surprised to see more of that in Jacksonville, where the throws will go to Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. Instead of reaching his January form, Brown is likely to make more of an impact as a blocker and clear-out receiver.

Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, Washington Commanders

Acquired from 49ers via trade

Samuel is the YAC god. Samuel has ranked first (2021), first (2022), first (2023), and second (2024) in ESPN’s YAC score over the past four seasons. While he benefited from playing around other star playmakers and for Kyle Shanahan, he exhibits a generational ability to break through tackles and run away from defenders.

That’s a great trick, but it hasn’t led to spectacular seasons. Samuel’s 1,405-yard campaign in 2021 was three full years ago now, and it’s the only time he topped 900 receiving yards in a single campaign. Samuel had five plays of 50 or more yards that season, which is more than he had over the other seasons of his career combined (four). Even for a player with his talents, that sort of performance was unsustainable.

Samuel also had a wild rushing efficiency in 2021, scoring eight touchdowns on 59 carries. That hasn’t stuck around either, although the 29-year-old still managed to score nine times on 121 rush attempts over the ensuing three years. Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury might not be as inclined to use Samuel at running back, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Commanders lined him up there as window dressing for some of their quarterback run concepts.

Leave that 2021 season out of the analysis and there’s a relatively consistent player here. Samuel will create a few big plays out of nothing and run through a few defenders. He’s going to drop a few more passes than you would like and miss a couple of games each season, but that’s perfectly reasonable for a WR2. He will do well with the high quantity of screens and RPOs the Commanders ran last season, but don’t expect his production to reach the 2021 heights.

Laremy Tunsil, OT, Washington Commanders

Acquired from Texans via trade

There’s an interesting thing happening here, right? The Texans want to protect quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was beaten up and eventually injured by the end of the playoff loss to the Chiefs. There’s no doubt they needed to address their offensive line this offseason, and their method was moving on from their cornerstone left tackle. Clearly, Houston prefers trying out several draft picks while hoping Cam Robinson will be its short-term solution on Stroud’s blind side.

The Commanders, meanwhile, have their own young quarterback they want to protect. And while it looked like they were comfortable keeping Brandon Coleman along as their left tackle of the future, general manager Adam Peters clearly thought Tunsil wasn’t a liability or on the downswing when he traded a pair of Day 2 picks to acquire the five-time Pro Bowler.

The numbers suggest Tunsil was solid last season — as a blocker. NFL Next Gen Stats credits him with 2.5 sacks allowed, which is a good number for a left tackle playing a full season. His quick pressure rate was right around league-average (2.2%). He had some trouble with speed around the edge, as Will McDonald IV and James Houston were able to go outside him and create sacks of Stroud, even if they didn’t finish the job themselves.

The problem was what happened before and after the snap. Referees flagged Tunsil a league-high 19 times, including for 12 false starts. He was penalized three times for illegal formation as part of a six-penalty game against the Vikings early in the season. Later in the year, a 77-yard Nico Collins touchdown was wiped off by Tunsil getting downfield prematurely. A veteran tackle of Tunsil’s stature shouldn’t be making those sorts of mistakes.

Serving as his own agent, Tunsil has done a masterful job of creating leverage for himself and negotiating a series of player-friendly contracts. He’s coming up for another one after this season, and it’s entirely possible the Texans didn’t think the 2024 version of him was worth a raise to whatever the top of the left tackle market is after Rashawn Slater soon signs his extension with the Chargers.

The Commanders, on the other hand, probably see a player who has another contract or even two ahead of him. The illegal formation penalties were all in one game, suggesting they might have been from an overzealous officiating crew. Tunsil has had issues with flags in the past, but 2024 was the first time he led the league in penalties or came close since 2019. And frankly, in an offseason when Dan Moore Jr. and Jaylon Moore signed for at least $15 million per season to play left tackle, Tunsil making $21 million per year in 2025 and 2026 might feel like a bargain.

Benjamin St-Juste, CB, Los Angeles Chargers

Acquired from Commanders as an unrestricted free agent

The Dan Quinn revolution made a lot of guys look good in Washington last season. One of the few exceptions was St-Juste, who was the Commanders’ top cornerback to begin the season. Noah Igbinoghene emerged in the slot, though, which pushed rookie Mike Sainristil outside. St-Juste was already struggling when the Commanders traded for Marshon Lattimore, and when the former Saints corner was finally healthy enough to play regularly, St-Juste got bumped to the bench. He played just 24 defensive snaps during Washington’s run to the NFC Championship Game.

It was no surprise to see the Commanders let St-Juste leave in free agency this offseason, and his landing spot makes all the sense in the world. Jim Harbaugh and Jesse Minter were the league’s cornerback rehabilitation factory a year ago. In addition to getting excellent seasons from Day 3 rookies Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still, the Chargers coaxed a solid year from Kristian Fulton and a career season from Elijah Molden, who shifted to safety on a full-time basis with glowing results.

Fulton and injured incumbent Asante Samuel Jr. left the Chargers this offseason, opening up an opportunity to take another chance on rebuilding a cornerback’s confidence. St-Juste was probably expecting to sign a much larger second deal heading into last season, but his one-year, $2.5 million contract is a relative bargain for L.A.

The Chargers focused on size and physicality across the board this offseason, which should hardly be a surprise given their coach. When St-Juste has been at his best, he has been able to leverage his 6-foot-3 frame to challenge receivers at the line of scrimmage and on contested catch opportunities. He has a solid missed tackle rate (8.4%) as a pro, and while he entered the league as a 24-year-old, the Chargers might feel like there’s more refinement to come to his game with better coaching.

St-Juste won’t have a guaranteed starting role with Hart and Still returning. L.A. also signed Donte Jackson to a two-year, $13 million deal, which should bump him ahead of St-Juste on the depth chart as training camp begins. St-Juste could end the season as a key starter on a potential playoff team or buried in a fourth or fifth cornerback spot. I’d argue he has more upside than most of the other cornerback signings this offseason.

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