Daily Slop – 31 Jul 25 – Kay Adams will be at Commanders training camp on Thursday

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

Front Office Sports

Mayor Calls Commanders RFK Stadium Deal ‘a BFD’ for D.C.’s Future

Eager to secure sufficient political support for a proposed return to the District of Columbia, the Commanders have improved their offer.

The new commitments from the team for the stadium and mixed-use development include:

• Accepting financial responsibility for all cost overruns.
• Investing $50 million in community benefits over 30 years, with $20 million of that money focused on developing a youth sports complex that will be located adjacent to the new stadium. Another $10 million is earmarked for basic services in Ward 7, where the venue will be located, including subsidies for grocery stores in an area that has been described as a “food desert.”
• Committing to a plan to build the new facility to top environmental standards. Ecological concerns were among the most frequently cited issues during a marathon hearing Tuesday lasting nearly 14 hours and centered on testimony from the public.
• Developing open spaces in the RFK campus “with diverse uses in mind, including, but not limited to, a skate park, pole vaulting areas, a dog park, public plazas, and traditional parks.”
• Agreeing to discuss potential collaborations with the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, and that “working with the Spirit … may result in a mutually beneficial relationship.” The soccer team currently plays at Audi Field. Magic Johnson is an investor in both the Commanders and Spirit. This element will mean designing the stadium with hosting soccer in mind, particularly for major matches, Clouse said, but no decisions have been made about that team’s long-term home.
• Maintaining the legacy of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, whose name is used for the stadium property in question.
• Pausing planned development of a third parking structure at the site to further evaluate the need for one, while also promoting greater use of public transportation, including potentially with an additional Metrorail station.

The team’s enhanced commitments generally drew a positive reaction, even from council members who had previously expressed skepticism over the project.

“I think we’ve made progress with this commitment letter,” from the Commanders, said council member Charles Allen, who has frequently spoken out against the stadium agreement.

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The Athletic (paywall)

Commanders await D.C. Council’s stadium vote after sometimes heated hearing

If the D.C. Council’s vote on the Washington Commanders’ proposed new stadium is a fait accompli, one would hate to see what a less certain process looks like.

Over two days, as the Council contemplated its Friday vote on a proposed 65,000-seat stadium for the Commanders, there was discussion — sometimes heated — about parking. About unions. About the Metrorail. More about parking. About jobs, whether union or non-union, and how much they would pay. About how much the Commanders would pay if their promise to construct 5,000 to 6,000 affordable housing units is delayed, or isn’t realized. About the Commanders’ stadium being LEED certified when it’s completed, as are many NFL stadiums. About protecting the nearby Anacostia River. About hotels. Still more about parking.

If the measure passes Friday, a second vote will be needed in mid-September; that vote would require nine yes votes, after Ward 8 councilman-elect Trayon White is sworn in.

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Riggo’s Rag

Commanders are giving Lucas Niang a shot after Nate Herbig’s shock retirement

Niang was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs but decided to opt out of the COVID season. That was his prerogative at the time, even if it dented his chances of firmly establishing himself along the way.

The TCU product played 62 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in 2021. Unfortunately for Niang, he became an innocent bystander after that, even bouncing on and off the practice squad before Kansas City cut the cord entirely.

An injury during the 2022 campaign wasn’t ideal, but Niang was always fighting a losing battle. Now, he gets the chance to stake a claim with another contending team aiming for great things.

If the Commanders deploy Niang at the tackle spot, that could indicate a shift inside for Trent Scott. The savvy veteran was thrust into the right guard role during the playoffs when Sam Cosmi went down with a torn ACL. He performed well, but it didn’t last. Nevertheless, desperate times call for desperate measures after Herbig’s bombshell retirement.

Whether this amounts to anything is debatable. Niang is playing catch-up, although he’ll have some familiar faces to lean on in the form of Nick Allegretti and Andrew Wylie. They were all together on the Chiefs, so it could greatly smooth his transition to a different environment.

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A to Z Sports

The Washington Commanders fill remaining roster spot by signing former third-round offensive lineman during training camp

Niang joins the Commanders at only 26 years old and brings noticeable size as well. The young veteran measures in at 6-foot-6 and 315lbs and has the opportunity to continue his development behind one of the best in the league in Laremy Tunsil. He was drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft, but then he opted out of his rookie season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When he returned in 2021, he was announced as the starter at right tackle and started seven of the first nine games until injuries started to pile up, and his season ended when he tore his pectoral muscle in Week 17.

Since then, he’s only played in 69 snaps since 2022, according to PFF. The Chiefs cut him in 2024 before they brought him back on the practice squad. Niang was also teammates with current Commanders Nick Allegretti and Andrew Wylie in 2021.

Choosing a tackle over a guard

Herbig was projected to be a backup guard this season, so why would the Commanders bring in an offensive tackle instead? That’s how the roster looks with the versatility and valuable depth pieces on the offensive line now.

There’s a lot more depth at the guard position, and Sam Cosmi seems to be coming back sooner rather than later, according to the progress he’s been making. That allows HC Dan Quinn to play the best five guys up front and have a true backup plan in case any of the starters go down with an injury.

Wylie could start at right tackle and rotate time with rookie Josh Conerly Jr., like they did with Cornelius Lucas and Brandon Coleman last season, and Wylie can also move back inside to guard, where he has experience. Trent Scott also played well at right guard when he stepped in for Cosmi.

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Washington Post (paywall)

Hamstrung last year, Marshon Lattimore tries to regain his reputation

Lattimore is either the missing piece or a big misfire for the Commanders, who need him to be a lockdown cornerback.

The widest range of outcomes for any Washington Commanders player this season may belong to Marshon Lattimore. He could reclaim his place as a star defender at a premium position, or he could become General Manager Adam Peters’s most significant misfire.

His track record suggests he could still be a star, the locus of an excellent secondary. His injury-marred performance last year prompts worry that his best days are behind him and the Commanders will lack a lockdown cornerback to build around.

The Commanders need him — he is carrying an $18 million salary cap hit, the sixth highest among defensive backs, according to Spotrac. Lattimore is confident he is the same elite player he was with New Orleans, the four-time Pro Bowl selection who injected swagger into the Saints and neutralized star wide receivers.

“It was just the injuries last year,” Lattimore said. “I know what was going on. Coming here, middle of the season, I just feel way more comfortable right now.”

Lattimore missed four games before he made his Commanders debut. He realizes now that he returned too soon.

“A hamstring takes time,” he said. “I was trying to rush back and play, and I wasn’t doing nothing but re-aggravating it. My burst and my confidence in my legs just wasn’t there.”

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A to Z Sports

Madden 26’s rookie ratings release gives Trey Amos and the rest of the Washington Commanders draft class a whole lot of speed

The Madden franchise feels like it’s finally back with Madden 26 releasing on August 14th. The rookie ratings were released, and Washington Commanders fans shouldn’t be too upset. At least the current team, led by Jayden Daniels, will make playing Madden fun again.

Trey Amos leads the way in ratings, even as the second pick of the draft for the Commanders. Amos came in tied for the third-best overall rating for rookie corners. Josh Conerly Jr seemed to have gotten a low rating, but he’s still the fifth-best rookie offensive tackle behind Josh Simmons by only one overall point. Jaylin Lane getting a 72 overall is a lot better than people realize, and he is the eighth-best rookie WR in the game and ahead of a lot of others that were drafted before him.

Good luck catching these guys on the field

Madden 26 didn’t hold back when it came to giving the Commanders’ rookie class speed, and I can already tell what players I’ll be spamming in certain roles and situations. Other players are going to hate keeping up with these rookies.

• CB Trey Amos – 91 speed
• OT Josh Conerly Jr. – 71 speed
• WR Jaylin Lane – 94 speed
• LB Kain Medrano – 90 speed
• RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt – 91 speed

Having Amos, Lane, Medrano, AND Croskey-Merritt all in the 90’s for speed is going to create problems for opposing teams. Amos will be able to run with a lot of top wide receivers in the league while Medrano covers the middle of the field with his 90 speed rating.

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Podcasts & videos

Commanders camp in full swing: All Ears with JP Finlay | NBC4 Washington

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Quan Martin sees Washington’s defensive backs on the ascent

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NFC East links

Washington Post (paywall)

The Cowboys are more reality show than football team

The business of America’s team seems to matter more to Jerry Jones than where the Cowboys are in the standings.

No one captures more headlines and generates more content (specifically for the morning shows with a never-ending bloodlust for Cowboys headlines) for a perpetually pedestrian football product than Jones. And at 82, ain’t nothing gonna ever change about that. He played all of the hits and checked all of the boxes when the Cowboys arrived in Oxnard, California, for training camp, such as alienating a segment of his locker room by taking shots at players (and their injuries), defending a string of transactional faux pas and riffing on why no one else is better equipped to tend to the roster than he is. And, of course, milking another contract impasse for all it’s worth before that, too, meets an inevitable conclusion with superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons getting a record contract.

“That’s not a playoff team,” said one general manager, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a rival team. “It’s just Jerry being Jerry.”

If nothing else, Jones has guaranteed a top-heavy roster with bloated contracts for his best players. The haves get overpaid, eventually, and the have-nots scrap for every crumb — and Jones’s lust for value leads to him taking risk after risk on players with dubious character or proclivities. (Spotrac ranked Dallas just 16th in cash spent in 2024, 11th in 2023 and 29th in 2022.) If this is supposed to be one of the most profitable teams on the planet being all-in to win a title, the Cowboys have a funny way of showing it — including hiring journeyman coordinator and rookie head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who also works really cheap and comes with an affordable staff.

“They don’t make a lot of sense to me, in general, to begin with as a football operation,” said a high-ranking official of an NFC team who is not permitted to speak about players under contract to other teams, per the NFL’s tampering rules. “So a lot of what they do is head-scratching. Their appetite for lack of character is hard to stomach, I don’t understand why they keep painting themselves in a corner in negotiations, and they regularly push more money into the future [on contracts] than I’m comfortable doing as an operator.

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Bleeding Green Nation

Eagles training camp: 13 winners, 9 losers, and 9 IDKs from the first week

LOSERS

NAKOBE DEAN

Dean is on the active/PUP list. It’s unclear when he’ll be ready to play. If he goes on the reserve/PUP list, he’ll be ineligible to suit up in the Eagles’ first four games. Even if he’s able to play earlier than Week 5, it remains to be seen if he’ll be the same player he was prior to injury. And even if he is, what if his path to playing time is blocked with both Campbell and Trot Jr. currently looking good? There are a lot of hurdles for Dean to clear as he enters the last year of his rookie contract.

JOHNNY WILSON

Wilson just hasn’t had a great offseason. He didn’t participate in the media-attended voluntary OTA practices (though, in fairness, it’s unclear why). In training camp, he’s struggled to create separation, use his size to his advantage, and catch the ball. Perhaps the Eagles value his efforts as a run blocker enough to keep him around. But the aforementioned Cooks is also a big body (though not quite as big as Wilson) and he’s been a much better pass-catching option.

AZEEZ OJULARI

Uche has flashed more often than Ojulari, who’s had a pretty quiet camp.

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Is 2-15 a Realistic Expectation for the New York Giants This Season??? | The Rich Eisen Show

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NFL league links

Articles

NFL.com

Looking at tweaks to kickoff and other rules changes for 2025 season

How about onside kicks?

Teams will still need to declare their intention to try an onside kick because of the different formation. But a new change will allow trailing teams to try one before the start of the fourth quarter after Kansas City had to kick deep while down 28 points in the final minute of the third quarter in the Super Bowl.

Coverage players will also be allowed to line up one yard closer in hopes of increasing the rate of recovery from about 6% over the past three seasons to at least 10%.

How will overtime change?

The league approved a proposal to make the regular season overtime more like the postseason, with both teams getting a chance at a possession, even if the team that gets the ball first scores a touchdown.

In all, teams that won the overtime toss won 75% of the time last season, according to Sportradar, and have a .606 winning percentage in overtime since it was cut to 10 minutes.

Replay assist

The NFL expanded its replay assist system to overturn objective calls if there was “clear and obvious” evidence that a foul didn’t occur. The calls could include facemask penalties, whether there was forcible contact to the head or neck area, horse-collar tackles and tripping. Replay also would be able to overturn a roughing-the-kicker or running-into-the-kicker penalty if video showed the defender made contact with the ball.

The league has been using replay assist in recent years to overturn obvious errors on aspects like whether a pass is caught or where the ball should be spotted without the referee needing to stop the game for a review.

The Competition Committee says there’s no interest in allowing replay assists to call penalties on plays missed by officials on the field.

Other changes

Referees will no longer use the chains to determine first downs, opting instead for a virtual measuring system. This won’t eliminate the officials who manually spot the ball and use chains to mark the line to gain. The optimal tracking system notifies officiating instantly if a first down was gained after the ball is spotted by hand.

There were some procedural rules changed in regards to injured reserve. Teams can place two players on injured reserve with the designation to return when rosters are reduced to 53 players instead of after. Playoff teams also will be granted two additional return from IR designations.

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