Daily Slop – 5 Jun 24: Will the Commanders end up staying in Landover when the dust settles on new stadium?

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East and the NFL in general

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Articles

CBS Sports

Commanders find Brandon McManus’ replacement, following kicker’s release, per report

Washington was briefly without a kicker after McManus was let go

The team [signed] Ramiz Ahmed, who most recently played for the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions, according to the Washington Post.

In 2020, Ahmed signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent but was released before the start of the regular season. He was drafted by the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers two years later and during the 2022 season made a league-record 61-yard field goal.

Ahmed made his NFL debut in 2022 as a member of the Green Bay Packers. He didn’t attempt a kick but did have six kickoffs (three of which were touchbacks) in his lone regular-season appearance.

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Washington Post (paywall)

Washington Commanders sign kicker Ramiz Ahmed

The former Nevada kicker, who most recently played for the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions, has one game of NFL experience.

Ahmed went undrafted after making 15 of 20 field goals for Nevada in 2018. He signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bears in 2020 but was released during training camp. After spending the 2021 season in the USFL, where he connected on a league-record 61-yard field goal, he was signed to the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad in 2022. Ahmed was elevated to the Packers’ active roster and handled kickoff duties for their Week 10 game against the Dallas Cowboys, his only NFL experience.

After the Commanders opted not to re-sign kicker Joey Slye, they signed McManus to a one-year, $3.6 million contract in March. By releasing McManus, the Commanders may have to absorb up to $1.5 million in dead money under the salary cap from his signing bonus. That figure could be less, though, depending on the forfeiture language in his contract and whether McManus violated it by not informing the Commanders of the alleged incident before he signed.

The Stallions released [Ahmed] last week to make room for Chris Blewitt, who kicked in two games for Washington in 2021.

NFL franchises cannot contact players on UFL playoff teams until after their season ends. That league’s conference championship games are this weekend.

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Washington Times

LOVERRO: Landover surprisingly back in running for Commanders stadium, thanks to politicking

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen quietly has made it clear he wants the team to stay in his state.

Van Hollen is backing Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s efforts to keep the team in the state, with a new stadium to be built next to the existing one in Landover.

“Van Hollen is the much bigger problem,” said a source familiar with the District’s stadium campaign.

The veteran Democrat’s office issued the following statement: “Maryland has served as the proud home of the Commanders for over 20 years. As the team looks to the future, I hope that they will choose to stay in Maryland and appreciate the efforts of Governor Moore and others working to make that happen. As discussions continue, the priority is to ensure a fair process in the selection of a site and prevent actions that unfairly tilt the scales in favor of one location over another.”

The fight over the future home of the Commanders is about to get ugly.

Under Senate protocols, a single piece of legislation like the RFK transfer can be blocked by one senator who can likely prevent a vote from taking place.

This was why supporters wanted the legislation attached to the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act, which would have made passage easier, sources said.

Van Hollen’s opposition seriously jeopardizes the chances of the bill passing this year, with the Senate scheduled to go on a lengthy break late this month and come back for a short session in September before the November elections.

This is why I believe that ultimately, the team will wind up in a new stadium next door to Commanders Field. It is the path of least resistance. The Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans are both building new stadiums next to their existing ones.

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Riggo’s Rag

Mike Sainristil tipped to make significant Commanders’ impact in 2024

The second-round pick could have a big future ahead.

The Commanders will give Sainristil significant responsibilities straight away. He’s expected to be the team’s starting slot cornerback – a role in which he thrived during Michigan’s memorable run to the college football national championship in 2023. It won’t be nearly as easy against NFL-caliber opposition, but his skill set and work ethic give him a fighting chance.

Chris Trapasso from CBS Sports lent further weight to these claims. The analyst named Sainristil as a potential sleeper for the Commanders next season. This was thanks to his coverage capabilities and the potential to deploy his explosiveness in blitz packages within Dan Quinn’s creative defensive scheme.

“The former receiver turned slot defending annoyance will be a welcomed addition to a Commanders secondary that only snagged eight interceptions all season in 2023, which tied for the third-lowest in football. Sainristil had six alone as captain on Michigan’s national title-winning campaign, and tested like an elite-level athlete for the increasingly valuable slot corner spot at the combine. He will be a most frustrating element of Washington’s defense for every offensive game plan and a portable piece for Quinn. With his smaller size, extreme explosiveness, and speed — not to mention a blue-collar work ethic through blockers and through the whistle, Sainristil will be an instant asset as a blitzer. He generated a pressure on nearly 30% of his 38 pass-rushing snaps last season for the Wolverines.”

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Podcasts & videos

Jordan Magee wants to earn EVERYTHING | Raising Hail with the Rookies

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Washington Commanders Jamin Davis the Micah Parsons from Dallas Cowboys Defense | Emmanuel Forbes

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NFC East links

NFL.com

Cowboys LB Micah Parsons skipped OTAs ‘as a time for my body to heal’

Parsons, seeking a new contract, reported for mandatory minicamp this week and defended his decision to work out independently and rest his body.

“Yeah, you know, I think the more years you have, the more you understand that there’s also like the business side to it,” Parsons said, via NFL Network’s Jane Slater. “You know, and I think that’s what camp is for. I mean, there was a time where Aaron Donald didn’t even go to camp and he won Defensive Player of the Year and then went to the playoffs. Like, are we forgetting these times? Like we wasn’t talking about the best defensive player wasn’t even in camp. And we’re in minicamps. Voluntary at that. So you know, (mini)camp was something that is mandatory. So, I’m just looking at it as a time for my body to heal. I’m playing as an undersized rusher who is banged up every year. So I’m just letting my body heal. I’m just trying to grow, strengthen, and really just get ready for the year.”

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Blogging the Boys

A tough path lies ahead for the Cowboys in 2024

One of the things the Cowboys have benefited from over the years is playing in a division that only has one tough opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles. If you removed the dreadful 2020 season when Dak Prescott was lost early in the year, the Cowboys have gone 30-6 (83%) within the division since 2017. At the same time, they’ve gone 33-30 (52%) outside their division. They count on those divisional wins like a Christmas bonus.

And here lies another problem. The New York Giants and Washington Commanders have been doormats for the Cowboys in recent years. In that same time window, the Cowboys are a perfect 12-0 against the Giants and 10-2 against the Commanders. That’s a 92% success rate against those two teams.

Both the Giants and Commanders are expected to get better. Washington has Dan Quinn as their head coach as well as several former Cowboys players joining them in free agency. Both teams have questions at quarterback with the Commanders drafting No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels and the Giants still rolling with Daniel Jones. How these Daniels do will go a long way in determining how much of a challenge they’ll pose, but even if they sneak in a win or two, that could be damaging to the Cowboys.

A tougher schedule could mean more losses and more losses could mean a tougher path in the playoffs for a Cowboys team trying to find a way to get over the hump. And even if they emerge victorious against these improved teams, those 20+ cakewalk blowout wins aren’t likely to be so plentiful this season. Tougher games mean more reps for the starters and could create more difficult health issues than they’ve had in previous seasons.

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Big Blue View

Report — Giants’ TE Darren Waller expected to retire

Waller has been mulling his football future throughout the offseason

ESPN is reporting that New York Giants tight end Darren Waller is expected to announce his retirement from the NFL before the Giants hold their mandatory mini-camp June 11-12, which is next week.

Because of pro-rate signing bonus money remaining in his contract, the Giants would carry a $2.458 million cap charge this year and a $4.916 million cap charge in 2025.

Waller caught 52 passes for 552 yards and a touchdown last season, but missed five games with a hamstring injury.

He has been unable to shake leg injuries since 2022. Waller also went through a public, messy divorce from Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum recently, and has been using the divorce to find inspiration for material to help the music career he is trying to build.

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NFL league links

Articles

CBS Sports

Christian McCaffrey agrees to reported two-year, $38M extension with 49ers

McCaffrey is staying put in San Francisco

The superstar running back and reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year award recipient agreed to a two-year contract extension with San Francisco, a source confirmed NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio first reported the agreement was for two years and $38 million.

McCaffrey originally was under contract with the 49ers through the 2025 NFL season, and his extension now will keep him in the Red and Gold through the 2027 season while making him the league’s highest-paid running back at an average annual value of $19 million per season.

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