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Daily Slop – 9 May 25 – Jayden Daniels ranked top NFL QB on a rookie contract

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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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Commanders.com

3 things to watch during Commanders’ rookie minicamp

[M]inicamp is set to begin May 9. Here are some things to watch over the next few days.

The offensive line is not normally the main attraction during an NFL practice, but most of the media’s attention will be focused on No. 29 overall pick Josh Conerly Jr. and how the rookie looks learning the Commanders’ offensive scheme.

General manager Adam Peters did a good job of hyping Conerly up in his press conference at the end of the first round. The Commanders could have traded back and acquired more picks — something many analysts predicted they would do — but passed on those opportunities because they believed Conerly was too good of a prospect.

Although the Commanders have one of the smallest draft classes in the league this year, they aren’t lacking raw athletic talent. Each player had top 25 Relative Athletic Scores (RAS) for their respective positions, and some of them outperformed their peers at the NFL Scouting Combine.

While contact in practice isn’t allowed this time of year, the athletic skill sets of players like cornerback Trey Amos, linebacker Kain Medrano, wide receiver Jaylin Lane and running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt should be enough to get fans excited about the potential roles on the team.

There will also be several tryout players at the Commanders’ facility looking to get noticed by either Washington or another NFL team. Gabriel Taylor, the brother of the late former Washington safety Sean Taylor, is reportedly going to be among the group of players trying out for the Commanders this weekend.

NFL.com

Jayden Daniels out to ‘eliminate’ tendencies to avoid Year 2 slump

Last season, Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud struggled through Year 2. In recent seasons, other OROY winners have similarly taken a step back. Garrett Wilson, Ja’Marr Chase, Saquon Barkley and Dak Prescott, to name a few, each earned a statistical regression in their second season.

It’s a list that Washington Commanders QB and reigning OROY, Jayden Daniels, is out to stay off.

“I’m sitting down and watching film and trying to eliminate some tendencies, as much as possible,” Daniels told Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports this week. “Talking to the coaching staff on areas that they feel like I need to improve on and having conversations so we can all hit at full speed.”

NFL.com

Ranking the NFL’s top 15 quarterbacks on rookie contracts

It’s May, the draft is behind us and a new collection of rookie quarterbacks are taking their first steps into the NFL. There’s no better time than now to take stock of the league’s quarterbacks playing on these economically friendly deals.

Some are speeding toward a massive pay day. Others still have plenty to prove. Let’s dive into the top 15 quarterbacks entering 2025 on rookie contracts.

Rank 1 – Jayden Daniels – Year 2 · Age 24 – Washington Commanders

Daniels’ rookie season was transformative for Washington. After decades of frustration, Commanders fans have reason to be optimistic about the future. That alone is an immense value for the franchise. Jayden’s a calm, composed passer with a live arm and excellent accuracy, a true weapon as a runner, and he attacks every opportunity with a remarkable sense of confidence typically seen only in more experienced passers. He’s built for adversity, having engineered four fourth-quarter comebacks in his debut campaign, and has already proven he’s capable of elevating a team to new heights. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year is also entering Year 2 of his rookie deal. Expect Daniels to be around for a long, long time, and to eventually be paid handsomely.

Rank 2 – C.J. Stroud – Year 3 · Age 23 – Houston Texans

I had a difficult time separating Stroud and Daniels. Stroud’s own Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign in 2023 was scintillating, but the issues with protection and his resulting struggles in 2024 demonstrated just how important the full situation is to a young passer’s chances of success. Houston has since attempted to remedy those problems, but with one less year remaining on Stroud’s rookie deal and an evolving situation around him, his success isn’t guaranteed. Look, Stroud is an excellent quarterback with an incredibly high ceiling. He’ll be an elite passer if he’s protected properly, and if I’m choosing a young quarterback to build around, he’s on the short list. But unlike Daniels, he tends not to unleash his full dynamism unless it’s absolutely necessary. That’s the difference between first and second place — though a bounceback season under a new coordinator (with Nick Caley replacing Bobby Slowik) could make me look foolish nine months from now.

Podcasts & videos

Command Center LIVE from D.C.: Rookie Minicamp, Commanders 2025 Draft Class, Draft in D.C.

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Washington Post (paywall)

Most D.C. residents favor using city funds on a new NFL stadium, poll finds

A 55 percent majority of D.C. residents favor using about $850 million in D.C. money to help finance development around a new facility on the RFK Stadium site.

A 55 percent majority of D.C. residents favor using about $850 million in District funds to help finance the development around a new stadium on the RFK Stadium site, while 39 percent oppose the idea, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.

That compares with 47 percent of D.C. residents who supported city funding for a stadium project when asked in 2024 and 30 percent who did so in 2022. Those prior polls did not specify how much city money would be used or where a prospective stadium would be located.

Current support for funding the football stadium is lower than the 64 percent of D.C. residents last year who supported the city paying $500 million for improvements to Capital One Arena.

A majority of the D.C. Council would have to approve such a deal; Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) said that a deal to bring a stadium to RFK is likely to go through in some form but that he expects the council will make significant changes to it with the aim of saving some taxpayer money.

“My initial sense is that the deal is very, very, very favorable to the Commanders,” Mendelson said during a news conference Monday. “The end goal should be, what is the best deal for taxpayers? That is not stadium at any price. That would be stadium at a reasonable price.”

Sports fans in the District who are not Commanders fans narrowly oppose funding the stadium — 51 percent to 44 percent — while a 63 percent majority of those who say they are not sports fans oppose using city coffers to fund the football stadium.


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