Daily Slop – 7 Jul 24: A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch

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

Commanders links

Articles

Sports Illustrated

Battle for the Washington Commanders: Maryland Wants ‘Fair Competition’ To Keep Team

The Washington Commanders have some big moves to make and the state of Maryland wants one of them to be staying in their jurisdiction.

“Maryland is seeking fair competition in the bid to host the Commanders in the future. We’ve had a great run for over 20 years and do not want to see the taxpayers used to alter the playing field,” said Sen. Ben Cardin in reference to the RFK Bill that could determine the viability of the Commanders returning to D.C. “We think the best option is to remain in Landover, but whatever the future holds, there must be binding agreements as to the future of the current stadium property should the Commanders decide to move.”

The bill to grant long-term control of the land old RFK Stadium currently sits on to D.C. needs to pass in order for there to be any real shot at Washington returning to its old stomping grounds in the future.

If that bill passes and the hurdles are cleared to make it happen, even if just for nostalgia, most are going to want to see the new stadium land there.

That would potentially cut Maryland out of the Commanders housing race altogether as Virginia already calls itself home to the team’s headquarters located in Ashburn, in the same county the commonwealth is eyeing to put a new stadium of its own. Doing so would make Virginia the exclusive home to Washington NFL football while D.C. would of course still hold claim to the team name bearing their identity.

Harris has made it clear in the past he’s not tied down to the idea the team needs to have all of its operations located at one site or even in the same jurisdiction, and Maryland clearly intends on doing everything it can to ensure it doesn’t go down without a fight.

If the Commanders do leave Landover, the state wants to ensure it’s not left with a rotting plot of land. The franchise owns not only the building that was once called FedEx Field, but also the land it sits on.

“The Commanders are excited about this upcoming season at Commanders Field, as well as our continued investments in the stadium, which total approximately $75 million in the last year,” the team told WUSA9 in a statement. “We remain committed partners with Prince George’s County and to all the jurisdictions where we live, play and work.”

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Riggo’s Rag

4 Commanders players who could potentially regress in 2024

The Commanders cannot afford these players to regress in 2024.

The Washington Commanders need Tress Way to produce the goods in 2024. He’s one of the team’s longest-serving players and a respected figure within the locker room. That said, the punter faces a make-or-break campaign that could be his last in the famous burgundy and gold if things don’t go well.

Way is one of the franchise’s greatest-ever punters. He’s a two-time Pro Bowl presence and flourished in a leadership role. However, there was a notable drop-off in production last time around that cannot be ignored.

Adam Peters didn’t do anything drastic with Way this offseason. The Commanders are letting him play out the final year of his deal and see where things stand after that. There’s a chance he can bounce back at 34 years old, but there’s just no telling for sure.

Father time waits for no player, punters included. If Way regresses even moderately next season, Peters won’t hesitate to go in a different direction if he feels like it’s the best thing to take the Commanders forward.

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Commanders Wire

Fantasy football: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels is on the ‘must-draft list’ for 2024

Kate Magdziuk of Pro Football Focus recently created a “must-draft list” for the 2024 fantasy football season and named seven players. Daniels was the quarterback she named.

It’s not often that fantasy football managers can spot an opportunity to draft a quarterback with legitimate top-five upside in the eighth-plus round of drafts, but this is absolutely one of those times. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is that dude.

It’s no secret that rushing upside has been a common theme among the league’s top fantasy scorers. After all, the overall QB1 in fantasy football has had 500 or more rushing yards in four of the past five seasons. Now, even as a rookie, it’s difficult to even consider five starting quarterbacks with more rushing upside than Daniels (Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Anthony Richardson, then…?). What those quarterbacks have in common, beyond their rushing upside, is the fact that they’re all being drafted, on average, in the top-four rounds of drafts.

In 2023, Daniels was the only quarterback in college football to post a 90.0-plus PFF passing grade (92.0) and rushing grade (92.4). He ranked second among all quarterbacks with 1,301 rushing yards, adding another 10 rushing touchdowns to the 40 he threw, with an 8.4% big-time throw rate to complement his 1.7% turnover-worthy play rate that ranked bottom 12 in the league. There’s no better value than Daniels for the upside he presents, in a Kliff Kingsbury system that yielded a career-best 819 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns back in 2020.

Barring an injury, it’s hard to disagree here. While Daniels is an advanced passer, he will still be a rookie. He will have ups and downs, even if he is phenomenal at times. Even through his possible struggles, Daniels can still put up massive numbers.

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NFC East links

ESPN

Howie Roseman, Eagles influence on NFL: Why evaluating GMs is so hard

Getting creative with voidable years and salary-cap manipulation

With recently departed deputy Jake Rosenberg, Roseman and the Eagles were on the forefront of structuring deals and using creative methods to free up as much room as possible. That dates back both to Roseman’s time overseeing the cap in Philadelphia during the Banner and Reid days, when they were aggressive in signing players to extensions early in their careers to keep their costs down and create more flexibility.

This isn’t necessarily new. Organizations have been using voidable years since the 1990s. The Eagles were finding loopholes in the cap during the Reid era — ask your local NFL salary cap guy how Dan Klecko became their second-highest paid player on paper sometime in 2008 next time you see them — and teams like the Saints have also gone out of their way to maximize short-term space in the way Philly has at times under Roseman.

The difference between a team like the Eagles and the Saints, instead, is how quickly the Eagles have transitioned based on what they want to accomplish. The Saints were all-in for years during the second half of Drew Brees’ tenure in New Orleans and haven’t taken their foot off the gas in the years that followed, which has led to an old team trapped in mediocrity without much hope of competing for a Super Bowl.

Some of the contracts Roseman handed out after the Super Bowl didn’t age well, and when he needed to trade Wentz and eat nearly $34 million in dead money, the franchise shifted course. Like the Rams last year, they were willing to spend a year getting their cap right, clearing out bloated salaries and doing what it took to be in a better position down the line. And like those Rams, they unexpectedly made the playoffs in the process.

Those decisions and accounting have afforded the Eagles to build a very expensive roster. In 2024, they’ll field the most expensive offense in the history of football, as they have spent more than $213 million in cash on their offensive players. Roseman has players on significant contracts at quarterback (Hurts), running back (Saquon Barkley), wide receiver (Brown and Smith), tight end (Goedert) and at three of the five offensive line spots (Mailata, Dickerson and Johnson). And that’s without considering the addition of Gardner-Johnson alongside two expensive veterans in Bradberry and Slay in the secondary.

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NFL league links

Articles

NFL.com

Vikings rookie CB Khyree Jackson, 24, among three killed in car crash

Minnesota Vikings rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson and two others were killed in a car crash Saturday morning in Prince George’s County, Maryland, according to Maryland State Police. Jackson was 24 years old.

Jackson, who was the front passenger in a Dodge Charger that was part of a three-car collision in Upper Marlboro, was pronounced dead on the scene by emergency medical personnel, according to the MSP news release. Isaiah Hazel, 23, and Anthony Lytton Jr., 24, were also killed in the crash. The three were high school football teammates at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High in Maryland.

“We are devastated by the news of Khyree Jackson’s death following an overnight car accident,” the Vikings said in a statement. “While we work to gather more information, we have spoken to Khyree’s family and offered the support of the Minnesota Vikings. We have also communicated the news to Vikings players, coaches and staff and have offered counseling for those who need emotional support. Our thoughts are with Khyree’s family, friends, teammates and coaches, as well as all the victims of this tragic accident.”

All three of the deceased were travelling in the Charger, which was struck by a silver Infiniti headed northbound on Route 4/Pennsylvania Avenue, according to police. The preliminary investigation indicates that the Infiniti, driven by Cori Clingman, struck the Charger first and and then a Chevrolet Impala after attempting to change lanes at a high rate of speed. The Charger then traveled off the side of the road and struck multiple tree stumps before coming to rest, according to the release.

Hazel, who was driving the Charger, was also pronounced deceased at the scene, according to police. Lytton Jr., who was seated in the rear, was transported to the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead by hospital personnel.

Investigators believe alcohol may have been a contributing circumstance in the fatal crash, which remains under investigation.

“The NFL family is deeply saddened and devastated by the passing of Vikings rookie Khyree Jackson.” the league said in a statement. “Our thoughts and condolences are with his family, loved ones and everybody involved in this tragic accident.”

Jackson was selected by the Vikings in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He spent two years at the University of Alabama before playing his final collegiate season at the University of Oregon in 2023.

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All a’Twitter