Daily Slop – 8 July 25 – Analyst ranks Commanders as the 5th most fatigued team in the NFL in ‘25

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

CBS Sports

Ranking offseason traded players in terms of situation

With all the notable trades that occurred this offseason involving veteran players, which players will have the best fit with their new team? Basically, which player and team will get the most out of their acquisition.

9. Deebo Samuel to Commanders

The Commanders bought low to add Samuel as a playmaker to complement Terry McLaurin on offense, and it will be intriguing to see how offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury utilizes him. The key question regarding Samuel? Is he still the Swiss Army knife, game-changing player he was in San Francisco?

Samuel had a career low in scrimmage yards per game (53.7) and yards per touch (8.7) last season. The fresh start in Washington may get Samuel back to the 2019-2023 version (11.6 yards per touch), as he needs to showcase he’s still the yards-after-catch merchant he was with the 49ers.

2. Laremy Tunsil to Commanders

The Commanders badly needed an upgrade at left tackle after getting blown out in the NFC Championship last season. They were able to get one of the better ones in football with Tunsil, a five-time Pro Bowler at the position who is still in his prime at age 30.

The goal is to protect Jayden Daniels and keep him upright, and the Commanders found that with Tunsil. He solidifies the left side of the offensive line.

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Commanders.com

Commanders 2025 training camp preview | Linebacker

The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect those of the team.

• Can Jordan Magee make a meaningful contribution? The Commanders had plans for former fifth-round pick Magee last season. He was making waves in training camp, and the team was developing packages for him to be used against certain offensive personnel groupings. Magee’s injury, which kept him sidelined for a significant portion of the season, ruined all those plans, and he was mostly limited to special teams. Flash forward to this year’s OTAs, and Magee is once again making waves with his coaches. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said Magee has shown a strong command of the scheme and looked impressive in practice. The coaches are hoping he can stay healthy, because they have high hopes about what could be not just for this season, but for the future, too. Wagner, as good as he is, will not be with the team forever, and it would solve several upcoming issues if Magee could fill that role.
• What progress has Dominique Hampton made with his development? We didn’t see much of Hampton during his rookie season. He was a healthy scratch for most of the year and a special teams player whenever he was active on Sundays. Most of that is because of him switching positions from safety, where he was the most utilized player in Washington Huskies history, to linebacker. Linebackers coach Ken Norton said Hampton has come a long way since his rookie season. He’s changed his body, improved his speed and increased his strength. He’s also improved his knowledge of the scheme, which will obviously be useful if he is to have a role in his second year. There are other players who will get more attention during camp, but the Commanders would certainly love it if both Magee and Hampton made meaningful progress to stabilize the position for years to come.
• What exactly is Kain Medrano? Medrano is going to be a long-term project for the Commanders, and part of that will be to figure out what role he is going to play on defense. Medrano is still relatively new to the position after spending his high school career as a receiver. He switched positions once he got to UCLA, and with help from Norton, he drastically improved to the point where he was one of the Bruins’ top tacklers. Medrano has the potential to be a unique player, as he was one of the most athletic linebackers at the combine, but Whitt mentioned during OTAs that he could operate as more of a hybrid/safety because of that skill set. Medrano will likely be a core special teams player as a rookie, but if the Commanders can put him on the right path this summer, he could take on a larger role later in his career.

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Commanders.com

2025 opponent breakdown | Chicago Bears

• Can the new-look offensive line protect Caleb Williams? Pressure was one of Williams’ biggest problems during his rookie season. The Bears allowed 68 sacks last season, which led the league, while Williams’ passing grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 49th while under duress. The Bears knew that could not continue, which is why they traded for two-time All-Pro Thuney as well as Jackson, a former Pro Bowler who spent last season with the Los Angeles Rams. Add Dalman to the mix, and that should make for an upgraded offensive interior that could make life easier for Williams. Of course, Williams will still need to adjust his game to the NFL — his scrambling and improvisation contribute to him holding the ball for an average of 2.92 seconds, which tied for ninth in the league — but the combination of Thuney, Jackson and Dalman should give him plenty of time to make decisions. Either way, the improved protection should be a welcome change for the Bears, who have ranked in the top 10 in terms of sacks allowed every year since 2020.
• Can Ben Johnson get the most out of Williams? Johnson has been one of the most coveted offensive minds in football because of how he elevated Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions’ offense. The Bears hired him with the hopes that he could do the same with Williams, who had a solid rookie season with 3,541 yards (that was the fifth best single-season performance in franchise history) and a 62.5% completion rate. Johnson’s resume is a promising sign; Goff had his best years with Johnson as his offensive coordinator, while the Lions have boasted one of the league’s most innovative and productive offenses. Williams has more natural talent than Goff, but he needs to fine tune some of his mechanics. If Johnson can get Williams out of some of his college habits, the Bears could have a fun offense in 2025.
• How will the offensive weapons work together? On paper, the Bears have a stacked offense with Moore, Rome Odunze and Burden at receiver with Cole Kmet and Loveland at tight end. Swift is not quite what he was earlier in his career, but he was the Bears’ workhorse last season and nearly reached 1,000 yards for the second time in his career. Of course, the Bears had several of those weapons last season and had the last-ranked offense with a 285.6-yard average and scored just 18.2 points per game. Loveland and Burden were some of the best offensive weapons available in the draft, so it’s possible Johnson can figure out ways to get them open and create more opportunities for the other pass-catchers. There is plenty of potential on Chicago’s offense, and it could make them a potent team when it gets in stride. It will be on Johnson to maximize that talent.

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Sportsbook Review

2025 NFL Fatigue Index: Ranking All 32 Teams by Travel, Rest & Schedule Quirks

Our proprietary metric relies on scientific research and schedule data to identify the most taxing spots across the NFL season.

If there’s one unassailable truth about football season, it’s that every team will eventually succumb to the brutal nature of an 18-week grind. Yet not all 32 teams will be impacted in the same way – especially with the deep inequities of the NFL schedule.

So what if you could predict those gaps ahead of time? That’s what we’ve done with the NFL Fatigue Index, a first-of-its-kind metric that measures the cumulative effects of fatigue across the entire NFL season backed by scientific research and schedule data for every team.

Our model calculates a weekly fatigue score for every team based on travel distance, rest days, time zone changes, circadian misalignment, altitude, and progressive wear and tear before adding it up across all 18 weeks to determine which teams face the most grueling schedules in 2025.

Here’s a look at every team ranked by our NFL Fatigue Index across the entire season. Read on for our full methodology; the best and worst schedule spots to target for your NFL picks; and team-by-team breakdowns for all 32 teams.

Tough schedule spots for top teams

While the Kansas City Chiefs (78.97) have earned the spotlight with an NFL record seven games in prime time, that comes at the cost of four games on short rest. The only teams with more short weeks? The Philadelphia Eagles (75.37) and Washington Commanders (89.25), who are tied with five such games in 2025 – including their Saturday Week 16 clash in D.C.

How we measured fatigue (and why it matters for NFL teams)

The research is clear: fatigue has a material impact on and off the field, and that’s only been exacerbated by the NFL’s quest to own every day of the week. Yet even with more data available than ever before, we’ve lacked a clear and quantifiable way to capture those compounding effects across the NFL season.

So we studied the science behind player performance and built a proprietary data-driven formula to measure the total and weekly fatigue for each team based on the 2025 NFL schedule with a focus on the following factors:

Games played: This is the fundamental unit of the Fatigue Index and the most consistent source of fatigue for every NFL player – including the ones who don’t suit up on Sundays. Studies show even weekly practice without game reps can generate progressive fatigue on pace with those who play regularly.

Rest days: It takes roughly 72 hours for an athlete’s body to functionally recover after a game, and it takes even longer in a physical sport like football to fully heal and return to peak force and velocity – a luxury the NFL schedule doesn’t always afford.

✈️ Travel fatigue: Off the field, nothing wears down athletes like constant travel, which studies have shown can impact win percentages by roughly 1.3% per 100 miles. Our model accounts for total miles, time zones crossed, and travel duration with reduced penalties for short, local road trips.

Road weariness: It takes a toll to live out of suitcases and hotels, and that’s only magnified by extended road trips. It’s why the NFL schedule-makers generally limit teams to no more than three straight games on the road … though not always equitably.

⏰ Circadian misalignment: Don’t sleep on the body clock. Decades of research show that athletes perform better within their “circadian peak” – typically in the late afternoon or early evening – with performance affected by up to 25% when playing even a few hours outside that window.

⛰️ Altitude change: Studies show athletes tire faster in altitude by roughly 4% faster for every 1,000 feet of elevation gain, which can result in a 20-25% reduction in recovery rate when playing in a high-altitude environment like Denver. The thinner air negatively impacts oxygen delivery and muscular endurance – even after the game ends.

Wear and tear: With every team playing 17 games in 18 weeks, the hits add up over time. Even the bye week only partially resets cumulative fatigue from the entire season – especially if it comes early in the year, when the most taxing weeks are still ahead.

With all of this in mind, we applied linear weights to the various “fatigue factors” in order to rank every team by aggregate fatigue in 2025 – as well as identify key spots that may not yet be fully baked into the latest NFL odds.

Bookmark this page and check back each week during football season as we break down the best and worst schedule spots based on weekly and total fatigue across the 2025 NFL season.

READ MORE: We ranked all 272 games by excitement score

Washington Commanders (89.25, 5th)

The Commanders drew the short end of the schedule stick with a bottom-three net rest differential, the most games on short rest, and the fourth-most games against a more rested opponent – including four coming off a bye week. Even the total travel miles don’t tell the full story for a team that will make the trip to Madrid to face the Dolphins just before a Week 12 bye.

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Podcasts & videos

LTN Presents: SUMMER SERIES | Interview with ESPN Insider & Commanders Beat Reporter John Keim

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NFC East links

Bleeding Green Nation

Jahan Dotson leads 5 Eagles players ready to make “the leap” in 2025

The Eagles finally have a No. 3 receiver Jalen Hurts seems to trust.

Acquired in a trade just before the start of the 2024 season, it took Dotson a little bit of time to learn the playbook and garner the trust of Jalen Hurts. Hurts has his favorites, and it’s understandable he would focus in on A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith and Dallas Goedert when throwing the football, or to simply dump it off to Saquon Barkley when the heat is on.

Dotson caught only 12 passes for 122 yards prior to hauling in seven for 94 in the season finale against the Giants as the No. 1 receiver and with Tanner McKee under center. He was relatively quiet throughout the postseason, too, although his lone catch through their first three postseason games was the team’s first touchdown of the playoffs.

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Pro Football Focus

2025 NFL offensive line rankings

1. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles boast the NFL’s best offensive tackle duo, featuring two players who rank at the top of their respective positions. Left tackle Jordan Mailata’s 95.2 PFF overall grade in 2024 led all offensive tackles, while right tackle Lane Johnson’s 88.9 mark placed fifth.

There is some uncertainty along Philadelphia’s interior following right guard Mekhi Becton‘s departure, but Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens remain to make this the best offensive line in football entering the 2025 season.

19. Washington Commanders

The Commanders’ offensive line was a pleasant surprise in 2024, and the unit should only get better with Laremy Tunsil now in the fold. The veteran left tackle is still a pass-blocking menace, earning an 89.1 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2024 (fourth best among 80 qualifying offensive tackles).

This unit’s true standing will depend on how quickly right guard Sam Cosmi can return after suffering a torn ACL in January.

23. Dallas Cowboys

Considered a team strength not long ago, the Cowboys’ offensive line is full of question marks. Left tackle Tyler Guyton’s rookie season yielded just a 49.4 PFF overall grade, which ranked 73rd at the position.

In addition to Guyton, Dallas will play two other starters who are either early in their NFL careers: center Cooper Beebe and rookie first-round pick Tyler Booker, who is expected to replace Zack Martin.

28. New York Giants

The only thing keeping the Giants’ offensive line from sinking further down this list is left tackle Andrew Thomas, who ranked third among offensive tackles in 2022 with a 90.3 PFF overall grade and has posted 75.0-plus marks in each of the past four years. However, the former Georgia player logged fewer than 1,000 snaps over the past two seasons. If he cannot stay on the field in 2025, New York might end up with the worst offensive line in the league.

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NFL league links

Articles

ESPN

NFL free agent tracker: Ranking the best unsigned players

1. Rasul Douglas, CB

2024 team: Buffalo Bills | Age entering 2025 season: 30

Douglas is a physical corner with the length to disrupt the ball and the willingness to set an edge against the run (five tackles for loss last season). He’s an easy fit in a zone system that allows him to reroute underneath and attack the ball from the outside third of the field. Douglas returned one of his five interceptions for a touchdown in 2023, and he had five pass breakups last season.

2. Amari Cooper, WR

2024 team: Buffalo Bills | Age entering 2025 season: 31

Cooper’s tape is beginning to show signs of decline, but he is still a detailed route runner who can uncover at multiple levels of the field. In 14 games with the Browns and Bills last season, Cooper caught 44 passes for 547 yards and four touchdowns. In nine full seasons, he has topped the 1,000-yard receiving mark seven times and caught 64 career touchdown passes.

3. Asante Samuel Jr., CB

2024 team: Los Angeles Chargers | Age entering 2025 season: 25

Samuel has a playmaking mentality at cornerback, with the foot quickness and sudden closing speed to break on the ball. A shoulder injury limited Samuel to four games last season, but he has six interceptions and 26 pass breakups in his four years with the Chargers.

4. Mike Hilton, CB

2024 team: Cincinnati Bengals | Age entering 2025 season: 31

A slot corner who plays with a sense of urgency, Hilton had 12 tackles for loss and eight pressures last season. He has a natural feel for playing in space as a coverage defender with the aggressive mentality to tackle and blitz on the edges. In eight seasons, Hilton has 13 interceptions, 11.5 sacks and 34 pass breakups.

6. Brandon Scherff, G

2024 team: Jacksonville Jaguars | Age entering 2025 season: 33

Scherff’s game should age gracefully given his movement skills and the ability to displace defenders at the point of attack. The 2015 top-five pick had a pass block win rate of 93.8% last year, which ranked 14th among guards and was the second highest of his 10 NFL seasons. Scherff can help a team in a need of a quality starter on the interior.

7. Za’Darius Smith, Edge

2024 team: Detroit Lions | Age entering 2025 season: 32

Last season — with both the Browns and Lions — Smith had nine sacks and 38 pressures. He’s a speed-to-power rusher who can also align as a standup nose or 3-technique to get interior one-on-ones. Smith could help a contender looking for a rotational edge with scheme versatility.

8. Jadeveon Clowney, Edge

2024 team: Carolina Panthers | Age entering 2025 season: 32

Clowney had 5.5 sacks in 2024 after posting a career-high 9.5 the previous season. With his straight-line speed and power, Clowney can still impact the pocket (35 pressures last season), and he can close the distance to the quarterback off stunts and loops. Going into his 12th year as a pro, he can be signed as a designated pass rusher in sub packages.

9. Matthew Judon, Edge

2024 team: Atlanta Falcons | Age entering 2025 season: 33

Judon had 15.5 sacks in 2022, but the tape shows a player who is starting to decline. He had 5.5 sacks last season, his first year with Atlanta. He’s a savvy pass rusher with counters and the occasional speed-to-power rush, but he’s not likely to be an every-down player in 2025.

11. Justin Simmons, S

2024 team: Atlanta Falcons | Age entering 2025 season: 31

Simmons, an excellent communicator in the secondary, had two interceptions last season, and he has 32 in his career. I see his best fit as a veteran addition for a split-safety defense.

12. Julian Blackmon, S

2024 team: Indianapolis Colts | Age entering 2025 season: 27

Blackmon had three interceptions in 2024, and he has seven over the past two seasons. There’s post and deep-half range on his tape, which fits in every system. He also has 85-plus tackles in each of the past two seasons.

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