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The Washington Commanders release their first unofficial depth chart

2025-08-04T15:30:00-04:00

Photo by John McDonnell/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

The season is almost here

The Washington Commanders have released their first unofficial depth chart of the 2025 season. This list is released every year and coaches claim they have no input on it.

Our first unofficial depth chart of the season:
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 4, 2025

This is the second season with Adam Peters as general manager and Dan Quinn as head coach. It’s also the second full offseason under the new ownership group led by managing partner Josh Harris.

There aren’t many surprises here, but it’s noticeable that Trey Amos is the only rookie listed at the top of their position group. He is joined by 2nd-year corner Mike Sainristil and veteran Marshon Lattimore as the team’s three top corners. Rookie WR Jaylin Lane was labeled the best punt returner in the draft by Commanders GM Adam Peters, but he still sits behind K.J. Osborn at the position...for now.

Washington picked Oregon OT Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round, and he has been working on switching to the right side with newly acquired Laremy Tunsil taking over the left side from last year’s rookie starter, Brandon Coleman. Like Coleman last year, Conerly Jr has been splitting time with a veteran, and Andrew Wylie gets the top of the list for RT.

Jayden Daniels

Marcus Mariota

Josh Johnson

Sam Hartman

Terry McLaurin(PUP)

Michael Gallup

Chris Moore

Michael Strachan

Noah Brown

K.J. Osborn

Jacoby Jones

Braylon Sanders/Tay Martin

Deebo Samuel Sr.

Luke McCaffrey

Jaylin Lane

Ja’Corey Brooks

Zach Ertz

Ben Sinnott

Cole Turner

John Bates

Colson Yankoff

Lawrence Cager

Brian Robinson Jr.

Austin Ekeler

Jeremy McNichols

Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Kazmeir Allen

Demetric Felton

Laremy Tunsil

Foster Sarell

Tyre Phillips

Lucas Niang

Brandon Coleman

Chris Paul

Julian Good-Jones

Tyler Biadasz

Michael Deiter

Sam Cosmi(PUP)

Nick Allegretti

Timothy McKay

Andrew Wylie

Josh Conerly Jr

Trent Scott

Bobby Hart

Defense

Deatrich Wise Jr.

Clelin Ferrell

Javontae Jean-Baptiste

Norell Pollard

Dorrance Armstrong

Jalyn Holmes

Andre Jones Jr.

Daron Payne

Eddie Goldman

Sheldon Day

Ricky Barber

Javon Kinlaw

Jer’Zhan Newton

Carl Davis

Viliami Fehoko Jr.

OLB

Von Miller

Jacob Martin

T.J. Maguranyanga

Bobby Wagner

Jordan Magee

Kain Medrano

Ale Kaho

Frankie Luvu

Nick Bellore

Dominique Hampton

Kam Arnold

Mike Sainristil

Noah Igbinoghene

Marshon Lattimore

Bobby Price

Kevon Seymour

Allan George

Trey Amos

Jonathan Jones

Car’lin Vigers

Will Harris

Percy Butler

Tyler Owens

Quan Martin

Jeremy Reaves

Ben Nikkel

Robert McDaniel

Special Teams

Tress Way

Matt Gay

Tress Way

Tyler Ott

Austin Ekeler

Luke McCaffrey

Demetric Felton

Kazmeir Allen

K.J. Osborn

Jaylin Lane

Demetric Felton

Kazmeir Allen

Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt Jr talk about training camp and the preseason opener

2025-08-04T11:00:00-04:00

Commanders coordinators answer questions after practice

The Washington Commanders held their last practice in Ashburn, VA before they travel to New England to prepare for their first preseason game against the Patriots. Training camp has been going on for the last two weeks, and the Commanders will have a joint practice with the Patriots before playing them on Friday night.

Kliff Kingsbury said Deebo Samuel is highly competitive, and willing to do whatever the coaching staff asks, including working on the inside and outside. He has been connecting with Jayden Daniels on big plays every day, and forming an important bond with his new QB. Kingsbury also talked up a few of his younger players including Bill, Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane. The fourth-round WR from Virginia Tech has really impressed Kingsbury.

Kliff Kingsbury

LIVE: OC Kliff Kingsbury speaks to the media after practice https://t.co/ZNvV9U5NsW
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 4, 2025

Deebo Samuel:

Kliff Kingsbury said Deebo Samuel is extremely competitive and willing to do whatever the staff asks, whether it’s inside or out
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) August 4, 2025

Bill:

Kingsbury said Bill Croskey-Merritt has had some good flashes. Looking forward to seeing how he does against other competition in New England
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) August 4, 2025

Luke McCaffrey:

Kingsbury said Luke McCaffrey has come a long way since last year
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) August 4, 2025

Sam Hartman:

Kliff Kingsbury said Sam Hartman has had an up and down camp. Lotta good throws “but needs to take care of the ball better.” Hartman had shoulder surgery in offseason but Kliff excited to see Sam in preseason. “He’s at his best when the lights are on”
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 4, 2025

Kliff Kingsbury on Sam Hartman's camp: "Up and down, he has all the ability. Smart, good footwork, solid arm. A couple plays he has to take better care of the ball."
Pointed out Hartman didn't throw much in the spring coming off shoulder surgery. "Still getting back in rhythm."
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 4, 2025

Josh Conerly Jr:

Kingsbury calls Josh Conerly "super talented". Also says "still has some fundamental stuff he has to get used to playing on the right side. Studies hard, works hard. He's right where we expected him to be."
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 4, 2025

Kliff on Connerly - “the guy is super talented and does everything you want…He has to get used to playing the right side but he’s exactly where we want him to be”
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 4, 2025

Jaylin Lane:

Kliff Kingsbury on rookie WR Jaylin Lane pic.twitter.com/xO0K6KxbuP
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 4, 2025

Kliff Kingsbury on rookie WR Jaylin Lane, "He's been very impressive, he's a coaches kid, been around the game his entire life. You tell him how to do it one time, he usually nails it, and the if he makes a mistake, he'll come back and correct it. But super, super talented, very…
— COMMANDERS FOOTBALL (@HogsHaven) August 4, 2025

Joe Whitt Jr

LIVE: DC Joe Whitt Jr. speaks to the media after practice https://t.co/W7jM9fdjNB
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 4, 2025

Trey Amos:

Joe Whitt on rookie CB Trey Amos: "Trey has a good day every day."
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 4, 2025

Whitt on the corners: "Trey has had a good day every day."

Marshon is healthy and looking better. Sainristil and Igbinoghene touch the ball every practice.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 4, 2025

Marshon Lattimore:

DC Joe Whitt Jr. said of Marshon Lattimore, "Last year he fought his ass off; he didn't practice very often. But he's a competitor so he was willing to go do that and no be afraid of the result. ...The dog-ass competitor." Said he remains "a really good press player...nice feet."
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 4, 2025

Von Miller

Paired with a great offense:

I had the chance to speak with Commanders LB Von Miller after today's practice.

At 36-years-old, he's hungrier than ever to get another ring.

Von told me, "when you are paired up with a great offense it allows me to do what I do, go chase quarterbacks and defend that lead." pic.twitter.com/WBWser4Dnb
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) August 4, 2025

Pictures, videos, news, and notes from the Washington Commanders Training Camp Day 10

2025-08-04T09:30:18-04:00

Photo by John McDonnell/ for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Washington hits the field for the tenth day of training camp

The Washington Commanders are back in Ashburn for the tenth day of training camp practices. Head coach Dan Quinn spoke to the media before practice and gave some injury updates. Brandon Coleman won’t practice after leaving the field with an apparent leg injury. The team is heading to New England to play their first preseason game against the Patriots. The two teams will have a joint practice in Massachusetts on Wednesday.

Deebo Samuel injured his finger on Saturday, and wasn’t on the field for the first set of 11 on 11s, giving Chris Moore and Luke McCaffrey some snaps with the ones. Samuel was back on the field shortly after for a diving catch from a rainbow pass from Jayden Daniels. Bill also continues to impress at RB.

We play football this week! | Command Center LIVE from Training Camp https://t.co/MJOu8Iqx2W
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 4, 2025

First player on the field:

Day 9 first to the field is … *drumroll* … Deatrich Wise - this he’s got the 2025 training camp first to the field award all locked up pic.twitter.com/U4aOt8xHqi
— Mitchell Tischler (@Mitch_Tischler) August 4, 2025

Deebo Samuel:

Deebo Samuel is on the field, helmet on and stretching today. Samuel appeared to hurt his finger near the end of Saturday’s practice
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) August 4, 2025

Deebo Samuel getting injured finger re-checked or re-taped. But out here is a good sign. @team980 pic.twitter.com/dkisz1RCTl
— Chris Russell AKA the ! (@Russellmania621) August 4, 2025

Deebo’s finger looks just fine pic.twitter.com/WXGkDFJRK2
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 4, 2025

QB/WR drills:

WRs and QBs going through individual drills pic.twitter.com/dqg5NGDBTF
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) August 4, 2025

Zach Ertz:

A quick look at TE Zach Ertz at #Commanders practice. Another player who had a good day. First play of team drills: JD5 to Ertz on the inside, coverage by Wagner and Luvu pic.twitter.com/3kWSlpR2Lu
— Skylar Nelson (@SkyMad03) August 4, 2025

Frankie Luvu & Bobby Wagner:

Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner. Iron sharpens iron. pic.twitter.com/wqsocVryvO
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) August 4, 2025

Players not at practice:

Also haven’t seen Mike Sainristil
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 4, 2025

Dan Quinn and the RBs:

Head Coach Dan Quinn connecting with the RB core this morning before practice pic.twitter.com/7p2fQlV6NG
— Skylar Nelson (@SkyMad03) August 4, 2025

Adam Peters:

Commanders GM Adam Peters on the sidelines for training camp practice number 9 pic.twitter.com/b2vAK9Fs1f
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) August 4, 2025

Marshon Lattimore:

Commanders CB Marshon Lattimore putting in that work pic.twitter.com/gubAdS4cR1
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) August 4, 2025

A look at CB Marshon Lattimore at #Commanders practice today pic.twitter.com/osAuiahcHa
— Skylar Nelson (@SkyMad03) August 4, 2025

1st team WRs without Deebo Samuel:

Chris Moore and Luke with 1st team at WR
— Lynnell Willingham (@Nell_BTP) August 4, 2025

Jayden Daniels —-> Chris Moore:

Jayden Daniels on RPO right to Chris Moore, who makes a leaping catch along sideline that got everyone going. @team980
— Chris Russell AKA the ! (@Russellmania621) August 4, 2025

Really nice catch in stride from Chris Moore working against Lattimore. The vet keeps standing out
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) August 4, 2025

Bill:

Bill with a really pretty run to the left. One cut and he made it into the second level
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) August 4, 2025

Bill Merritt. Making plays. Again.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 4, 2025

Punt returners:

All the usual faces (Lane, Osborn, Felton and Allen) returning punts. Also BRob is back there
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) August 4, 2025

Jayden Daniels —-> Deebo Samuel:

@SeatGeek | #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/J1ChM5S6Iq
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 4, 2025

Deebo is fine. Second play of 11v11, he caught a deep ball from Jayden Daniels with a defender glued to him.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 4, 2025

Wow. Absolutely incredible catch from Deebo. Good coverage from Jonathan Jones, but Daniels put it exactly where it needed to be
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) August 4, 2025

Ohh Deebo is back, baby! A spectacular diving catch along sideline from Jayden Daniels on a rainbow toss. Perfect. @team980
— Chris Russell AKA the ! (@Russellmania621) August 4, 2025

Jayden Daniels just dropped a ball into the bucket for Deebo Samuel on a deep fade.

My God was that a perfect pass. Daniels has been super sharp again today.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) August 4, 2025

Matt Gay:

Matt Gay just drilled 50 and 55 yard field goals to end a kicking period. He’s been nearly automatic all camp.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) August 4, 2025

Trey Amos INT:

omg chilllllll ❄️@SeatGeek | RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/VAZz9IRFkk
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 4, 2025

Trey Amos was in tight coverage against Chris Moore. Jayden Daniels threw a ball slightly behind him and Amos stole the ball from Moore off his back shoulder for a pick.

The rookie continues to flash in the Commanders secondary.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) August 4, 2025

Trey Amos picked off Jayden Daniels earlier and just deflected a pass intended for Luke McCaffrey.

Fans responded by chanting: “We want Terry! We want Terry!”
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 4, 2025

Good finish to the day for CB Trey Amos, defending a fade to McCaffrey. Also picked off a Daniels pass earlier (Moore couldn’t hold onto it; ball was there). In between Deebo Samuel caught one vs him over the middle.
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 4, 2025

Now, Amos with a nice PD on a lob toss down the right sideline. Stride for stride with McCaffrey, but waited until the final moment to turn his head around. https://t.co/ZdHTJaVKFv
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 4, 2025

Fans love Jayden Daniels:

True... #Commanders pic.twitter.com/YDtHw4F2vd
— Chris Russell AKA the ! (@Russellmania621) August 4, 2025

Meet Dominik Tafro, a 3-month-old fan who has been autographed by Jayden Daniels, London Fletcher and Marshon Lattimore. That’s a very valuable onesie now. pic.twitter.com/tpcg7iYAFy
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 4, 2025

Pictures

Next stop New England pic.twitter.com/yc4XKCkzTf
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 5, 2025

Notes

Today’s Takeaways - #Commanders Camp - Part 2:

Bill continues to outrun the defense

QB Sam Hartman made deep pass to WR Ja’Corey Brooks

Players who missed practice: Mariota, Coleman (Injury), Sainristil, Magee, Brown, & Jean-Baptiste https://t.co/a0S5T7oq0O
— Skylar Nelson (@SkyMad03) August 4, 2025

Dan Quinn: Brandon Coleman won’t practice, unsure on availability for New England

2025-08-04T09:00:00-04:00

Dan Quinn speaks to the media before today’s practice

Dan Quinn got in front of the mic before the Washington Commanders returned to practice after a day off. Brandon Coleman won’t practice today and they will evaluate his leg injury before they travel to New England. He left the field on Saturday, but there won’t be any updates until Wednesday. Quinn was also asked about Terry McLaurin getting off the PUP list(ankle), and he said he would need to be ramped up like any other player coming off an injury. Sam Cosmi is recovering from an ACL injury, and Quinn still isn’t ruling out a Week 1 return, but continues to say there is a lot more that needs to be learned and done before he’s cleared. Cosmi has been hitting all the markers as he recovers from the January injury.

LIVE: HC Dan Quinn speaks to the media before practice https://t.co/zRscBRlMIh
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 4, 2025

Last practice before traveling to New England:

One last install session today for the Commanders before heading to New England, and Dan Quinn says there'll be some heavy situational work done today as they get ready.
— David Harrison (@DHarrison82) August 4, 2025

Brandon Coleman injury:

Dan Quinn said LG Brandon Coleman will not practice today (left practice the other day with apparent leg injury). Not sure yet status for rest of the week. Quinn will provide injury updates on Wednesday and availability for the preseason opener Friday.
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 4, 2025

Joint practice with the Patriots before Friday’s game:

Quinn is looking forward to his players seeing different styles during the joint practice with the Patriots
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) August 4, 2025

Terry McLaurin’s PUP/injury status:

Dan Quinn said there is no timetable for Terry McLaurin to be activated off PUP (ankle). That's independent of the contract talks.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 4, 2025

Quinn, asked how much time McLaurin would need to get ready, said the 1st step will be getting him back on field testing ankle (deceleration cuts). will follow process. "We've all seen through the years someone hustles back and they got banged up and didn't follow the process."
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 4, 2025

Johnny Newton:

"What a difference a year makes," DQ says when it comes to Johnny Newton. "To see him fully doing all the things, that's been exciting to me."
— David Harrison (@DHarrison82) August 4, 2025

Bobby Wagner:

Quinn said Bobby Wagner is very disciplined, very structured in his process. “There’s not an off switch either him.”
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) August 4, 2025

Sam Cosmi’s ACL recovery:

Quinn said it’s still too early to call in terms of Cosmi’s availability for Week 1, but he is “busting his ass and doing a lot of field work.” The team likes his progress so far
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) August 4, 2025

Dan Quinn said having G Sam Cosmi (ACL) back in time for Week 1 remains on the table but certainly not a guarantee. Quinn still doesn't want to speculate on a timetable for him. Said Cosmi is working diligently to improve his leg strength and continues to hit all of his…
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 4, 2025

Quinn said Sam Cosmi's availability for the opener "still on the table" but a LOT more to learn. Seems more about not ruling him out yet. Still would be a very fast return; this group has not rushed players back.
"Pleased where he's at," Quinn said. "He's hitting all the marks."
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 4, 2025

Daily Slop - 4 Aug 25: Newly signed veteran OT Lucas Niang leans on former teammates in Commanders training camp

2025-08-04T08:00:00-04:00

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

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

Commanders links

Articles

Commanders.com

Lucas Niang ‘ready to get rollin’’ with Commanders

His arrival to Washington marked a reunion with fellow linemen Nick Allegretti and Andrew Wylie. All three were responsible for protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2021 season. Allegretti and Wylie provide Niang with familiar faces and a sense of comfort most mid-training camp signings don’t have.

“It’s easier to ask questions, I know who to go for,” Niang said of his conversations with Allegretti and Wylie after his first day in Ashburn. “We’ve dealt with each other before, so we know how each other operates.”

Niang is essentially learning an entirely new football vocabulary in joining the Commanders, despite having run the same plays. Allegretti and Wylie’s experience playing in Kansas City has been key to Niang’s quicker-than-usual ability to pick up Washington’s verbiage when it comes to offensive play calling.

“The nice thing is, especially if he may have to play tackle or guard, he’s got both me and Wylie who know how he speaks,” Allegretti added. “We know all of his language from Kansas City, so it’s easy to say, this play is like that play or this play is like that. So just give him the comparison, because football plays are pretty damn similar.”

Niang took snaps during special teams drills during his first training camp practice with the Commanders on Thursday. He spent the majority of the time observing team drills and chatting with offensive line coach Bobby Johnson. The New Canaan, Connecticut, native continued to ramp up for his second full practice Sunday, taking offensive snaps at right tackle with both Sam Hartman and Josh Johnson at quarterback.

NFL.com

NFC’s top three contenders to topple Eagles

Coming off an awe-inspiring victory in Super Bowl LIX, Philadelphia heads into the 2025 season with great expectations. But before the franchise’s fervent fan base starts planning a February trip to Santa Clara, California, for Super Bowl LX, the Eagles need to prove they remain atop the conference.

Despite their spectacular roster and steely focus, the reigning champions won’t have an easy time advancing out of the NFC, thanks to a group of emerging teams built for a title run. Armed with talented quarterbacks, formidable fronts and ball-hawking defenses, a group of conference foes are well-equipped to knock the Eagles off their NFC perch.

Here is my ranking of the top three NFC teams poised to challenge Philly for conference supremacy.

Rank 2 - Washington Commanders - 2024 record: 12-5

If Jayden Daniels can guide the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game without an elite roster in Year 1, he can lead a vastly improved squad to Super Bowl LX in Year 2. The 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year has more playmakers at his disposal, with Deebo Samuel coming over from San Francisco to give Washington a rugged, catch-and-run specialist. The Commanders also acquired Laremy Tunsil via trade to solidify Daniels’ blind side.

If the defense can improve — with veterans Von Miller, Deatrich Wise, Javon Kinlaw, Jonathan Jones and Will Harris joining a disruptive corps that features Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu and Marshon Lattimore — the Commanders could overtake their division rivals as the team to beat in the NFC.

Now, the one thing that gives me pause with this team: The contract dispute with Terry McLaurin has disrupted the offense’s rhythm throughout the offseason. And now the Pro Bowl has requested a trade, heightening the stalemate to a new level. I’m still operating under the assumption that the two sides ultimately work something out, because a parting of ways could deal a serious blow to the 2025 Commanders — and prove quite harmful to Daniels’ development. McLaurin is clearly the straw that stirs the drink in Washington’s aerial attack. The Commanders need to figure this out.

Deadspin

NFL 2025 Division Outlook: Can the Eagles, Chiefs and Others Repeat as Champs?

When we last saw the Chiefs, the humbled heartland heroes were stumbling punch-drunk out of the French Quarter after a 40-22 Big Easy beatdown. Philadelphia led 40-6 with three minutes left, with rookie Cooper DeJean’s pick-six putting as many points on the board for the Eagles to that point as Patrick Mahomes and the AFC champs.

But there have been major changes to the Eagles’ top-ranked defense since February, and it is potentially their largest obstacle to staying on top.

Coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense lost edge rushers Brandon Graham (retired) and Josh Sweat (Arizona Cardinals), secondary standouts Darius Slay Jr. (Pittsburgh Steelers) and C.J. Gardner-Johnson (Houston Texans), and sneaky-good tackle Milton Williams (New England Patriots). Philadelphia drafted Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell in the first round and Texas safety Andrew Mukuba in the second and signed linebackers Azeez Ojulari and Joshua Uche, as well as cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.

How well those new pieces fit — and how quickly — will go a long way in determining whether the Eagles can hold off the ascending Washington Commanders, the desperate Dallas Cowboys and, at least technically speaking, the New York Giants.

Deadspin

Detroit Lions Fumbled the Hall of Fame Game Like It Was January All Over Again

A troubling trend lingered between the Detroit Lions’ most meaningful game of last season and their first exhibition of 2025.

Turnovers, your honor.

Detroit committed five during Thursday’s lopsided Hall of Fame Game loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Canton, Ohio, matching its total from a season-ending, 45-31 defeat in an NFC divisional playoff game against the visiting Washington Commanders in January.

It’s a trope as tried as it is true: You’ve got to protect the football. And while it’s tempting to call this particular preseason game meaningless given the litany of Lions starters who didn’t play, the contriteness of Detroit’s Grant Stuard suggests otherwise.

Stuard is a Lions linebacker who sacked Chargers quarterback Trey Lance, a starter in name only on Thursday, in one of the team’s few defensive highlights.

Of course, it’s tough for any D to gain traction when the opposition is starting so many scoring drives in plus territory.

That happened early and often in Canton. Stuard, an occasional kick returner during training camp, did the honors on the opening kickoff before promptly fumbling on a tackle from Los Angeles’ Caleb Murphy. The Chargers took over on the Detroit 28-yard line and scored their first of four touchdowns five plays later.

While Stuard kept possession on a later kick return and finished with two for 62 yards, he can’t be sure this part-time, special teams ballhandling thing has a future — and he knows it.

Heavy.com

Zach Ertz Gushes Over ‘Grinder’ Kliff Kingsbury After Standout 2024 Campaign

Credit has to be given to Kingsbury, as well, as he made Ertz a crucial part of the offense in order to help out his young quarterback. While Kingsbury has taken some heat in the past, particularly for how his stint with the Cardinals came to an end, Ertz doesn’t think that criticism is warranted, as he shouted out the Commanders’ offensive coordinator for his hard work after the team’s breakout 2024 season.

“I don’t think people realize how much of a grinder Kliff is,” Ertz said via Commanders reporter Ben Standig. “He gives this persona of the cool guy … In reality, he’s here at three in the morning every day. First one in the building. Always grinding film.”

Riggo’s Rag

Mike Sainristil is on course to become Commanders franchise cornerstone entering Year 2

If that wasn’t enough, Sainristil is emerging as arguably the biggest factor at training camp so far. The Commanders have moved him back into the nickel after drafting Trey Amos in the second round. This is where his skills are best suited, and his dominant practice efforts have been an absolute revelation.

This was a sentiment echoed by Zach Selby from the team’s website. He rightfully named Sainristil among his camp standouts from Week 2. The insider also believes the Commanders have a future franchise cornerstone on their hands if the same trend continues.

“It’s not a surprise to the coaching staff that [Mike] Sainristil is producing on the field. They knew he was a talented player last season and expected him to keep developing because of his approach to the game. However, they have also seen him grow as a leader, which head coach Dan Quinn said is the next step for him. Sainristil still has a long way to go in his career, but it looks like the Commanders have found a foundational piece for their future.”

Riggo’s Rag

Jacory Croskey-Merritt should lean on Austin Ekeler before first Commanders campaign

[Austin Ekeler] settled on what is now known as Western Colorado University, a DII school in his home state. This was the only program that said Ekeler could remain at running back.

Croskey-Merritt faced a similar experience, finishing high school with 2,354 all-purpose yards and being All-Metro his senior year, and receiving little interest from colleges. He ultimately also decided to stay in his home state, choosing Alabama State over Alcorn State.

Despite both being seen as skatbacks, their college journeys differed significantly.

Ekeler would go on to become the all-time leading rusher at Western Colorado, finishing with 5,857 rushing yards and 55 touchdowns on the ground. Croskey-Merritt spent four years at Alabama State, finishing with 1,253 rushing yards and 14 scores, before transferring to New Mexico, where he put himself on the NFL’s radar.

Ekeler wound up going undrafted after seeing 27 running backs hear their name called in the 2017 NFL Draft. Croskey-Merritt ended up being picked in the seventh round by the Commanders. No fewer than 24 running backs were selected before him.

Both running backs had similar 40-yard dash times and broad jumps, achieving elite ratings for their Relative Athletic Scores and composite explosion grades. Simply put, they have similar qualities to their game.

Ekeler has made a name for himself with his quarterback protection. Croskey-Merritt is also a willing pass protector, regularly putting his body on the line to keep his signal-caller’s pocket clean.

Both running backs play violently, fighting for extra yards. Despite not amassing a lot of receiving statistics in college, Croskey-Merritt has shown flashes in this key area that can be built upon.

Ekeler will be a good tutor to Croskey-Merritt in this aspect of his game. He’s surpassed 1,500 scrimmage yards three times in his career, using his versatility to carve out a unique niche in the league. And there’s no substitute for experience.

Riggo’s Rag

Commanders place Tyree Jackson on injured reseve, all but ending his slim roster hopes

Zach Selby from the team’s website was among those suitably impressed by Jackson’s playmaking prowess. Unfortunately, this momentum came screeching to an abrupt halt when the Commanders confirmed he’d been placed on injured reserve.

The nature of Jackson’s issue wasn’t disclosed, but it represents a cataclysmic blow to any faint hopes he had of pushing his way onto the 53-man roster. Considering he’s firmly on the fringes, general manager Adam Peters’ next step could even be to waive him with an injury settlement.

A to Z Sports

Washington Commanders Training Camp Observations for Saturday

WR Deebo Samuel left the field on the second-to-last play of practice after he hit his hand in traffic on a slant route in the red zone. He came off the field holding his hand, and the trainers took a good look at it. Reports after practice indicate that he just jammed his finger, and it was nothing worth stressing over.

The second one occurred when projected starting left guard Brandon Coleman limped off the field and never came back to practice. We didn’t see exactly what happened on the play, but he was replaced by Andrew Wylie. The team is off until Monday, and Quinn always speaks to the media before practice and gives health updates when available.

Every DB made a play today. Trey Amos had a nice pass breakup on Deebo Samuel, Noah Igbinoghene had a jumping deflection, Jonathan Jones had a pass breakup, and Quan Martin had a crazy diving interception on an overthrown pass to Ben Sinnott. Mike Sainristil and Marshon Lattimore had pass breakups and stops today, too. The secondary is much improved.
Deatrich Wise is my sleeper for the team. Today, he was being vocal on something he saw presnap, and he jumped the play and went down the offensive line to stop RB Brian Robinson Jr. from behind. It would’ve been a loss of a few yards.
Matt Gay made all of his kicks again!!

Podcasts & videos

Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson are back in the studio to preview the ENTIRE 2025 Washington Commanders season!

POWER HOUR! Ranking All 32 NFL Teams with Nick Wright

(They start talking about Washington at the 24:14 mark if you want to just skip to that)

NFC East links

Bleeding Green Nation

Eagles sign another long snapper

The Philadelphia Eagles are signing long snapper Christian Johnstone, according to a report from Aaron Wilson.

This development is likely related to Charley Hughlett popping up on today’s training camp injury report. The 35-year-old veteran was listed as limited due to a neck injury.

Given that the Eagles play their first preseason game on Thursday night (7:30 PM versus the Cincinnati Bengals), the team is seemingly preparing for the possibility that Hughlett can’t play. If that’s the case, they’ll need someone to be able to handle long snapper duties.

Enter Johnstone, who did not get picked in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Appalachian State alumnus did get a rookie minicamp tryout with the Denver Broncos back in May. That’s his only NFL experience up until now.

The guess here is that Johnstone will be around until Hughlett is healthy again. If Hughlett’s injury was considered to be a serious issue, the Eagles probably would have signed a more experienced long snapper.

Bleeding Green Nation

NFC East Vibes Check

Micah Parsons and Terry McLaurin have requested trades. This is pretty standard stuff before agreeing to a contract extension, see: Garrett, Myles. Parsons will probably be franchise tagged in the offseason because the Cowboys cash flow problems are real and they’re spectacular. McLaurin will be traded to the Patriots for a 2nd round pick and the Commanders will talk about how they want guys who want to be here then win 9 games.

Health will be the only thing that stops the Eagles from ending the decades long no consecutive NFC East winners streak.

NFL league links

Articles

Pro Football Talk

Tyreek Hill’s call for a change at short-yardage tailback had already happened

On Friday, Hill told reporters that De’Von Achane shouldn’t be the short-yardage tailback. On Sunday, coach Mike McDaniel made it clear that this has already happened.

Hill was specifically asked about the reputation of the Dolphins as being a “finesse” team. “The short yardage issues, the running game issues last year. How do you change that identity?” Hill was asked.

“Take De‘Von [Achane] out on third down — what?” Hill told reporters. “That’s my honest opinion. If it’s third-and-short, he’s not a power back. I keep telling him that in the locker room, but he swears he’s a power back. I love De’Von, but if I’m being honest like that’s why you got Jaylen Wright, that’s why you got Ollie Gordon II, for those kind of situations.”

On Sunday, McDaniel was asked about Hill’s suggestion. McDaniel made it clear that what Hill wants has already happened.

“I thought it was genius reporting by Tyreek seeing how we had a short-yardage period that very day that you guys were in attendance for, and his suggestion was I guess congruent with [running backs coach Eric] Studesville — that’s exactly how we repped the backs in that short-yardage period that very day. But we thought it was funny that he reported the news that wasn’t news on that practice day in that short-yardage period that you guys were all there, too, for.”

It’s an odd little conflict that comes at a time when there are simmering issues between Hill and the Dolphins. He capped the 2024 regular season by saying he wants out of Miami. He reversed course with a sudden and unscheduled Super Bowl-week apology tour.

Skepticism is justified. Scrutiny is merited. Especially with McDaniel saying what he said, only two days after Hill said what he said.

It’s not an ideal tone, at a time when the Dolphins generally seem to be trending in the wrong direction. And it makes us wonder whether Hill will still end up getting a one-way ticket out of Miami, if the team struggles early and if Hill decides to revert to his position that it’s time to move on to a team that is more likely to contend.

ESPN

‘Fins Tyreek Hill making hustle plays, rebuilding rapport with teammates

Sunday, Aug. 3

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw his first interception of training camp during goal-to-go drills, when safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (who’s having a stellar camp) undercut Tagovailoa’s pass to Tyreek Hill in the end zone. With nothing but green grass ahead of him, he appeared headed for a clear pick-six.

Except Hill refused to give up on the play, chasing Fitzpatrick down to around the opposite 25-yard line. For a player who routinely hits speeds above 20 mph, that chase-down was arguably the fastest he has run through 10 training camp practices.

Of course, with the Dolphins not tackling to the ground, it’s difficult to ascertain whether Hill would’ve successfully tackled Fitzpatrick after the nearly 80-yard sprint. But the effort could be filed away under “little things” Hill needs to do in order to rebuild his relationship with his teammates.

NFLPA

NFL.com

NFL Players Association announces David White as interim executive director

Former SAG-AFTRA executive director David White was elected interim executive director of the NFL Players Association on Sunday night.

White replaces Lloyd Howell, who stepped down last month amid a series of revelations that created a distraction for the players’ union.

“We have full faith in David to take the union forward and operate in the best interests of our membership,” NFLPA President Jalen Reeves-Maybin said in a statement. “David has spent much of his career fighting for collectively bargained rights in the labor movement and is committed to putting players first in all the union does. We are confident that he will inspire solidarity and provide the necessary stability during this period of transition.”

White was chosen among multiple internal and external candidates. A voting player representative from all 32 teams participated in the Board’s vote, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the conversations were private, said the Board conducted interviews with each candidate over the last two weeks and the process was player-led and voted on by the Board.

aBit o’Twitter

Right here. Right now.

!! pic.twitter.com/47zPlk9Smn
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 3, 2025

I caught up with @Commanders defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw after yesterday’s practice and he gave great insight into what the defense could be this year. The full practice recap https://t.co/Z1tyTJNggq pic.twitter.com/5QbLM4QRVM
— Lake Lewis Jr (@LakeLewisJr) August 3, 2025

JERRY JONES I DONT THINK ITS SMART TO MENTION MY NAME

I KEPT QUIET ABOUT A LOT OF UNFAIR SHIT..

ON SOME G SHIT…

WE CAN HAVE STORY TIME IF THATS WHAT WE ARE DOING
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) August 2, 2025

pic.twitter.com/oxybd6fE5W
— Roc Nation Sports (@RocNationSports) August 3, 2025

I hope Jerry Jones is having a great day. pic.twitter.com/yGuxV9NXwB
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) August 3, 2025

Nicki Minaj's tweet shades Jay-Z and Roc Nation amid their feud. Jerry Jones, Cowboys owner, publicly criticized Roc Nation (Jay-Z's agency) over Micah Parsons' contract dispute, citing past issues with client Dez Bryant. Nicki, who beefs with Roc Nation-managed Megan Thee…
— Grok (@grok) August 3, 2025

The Stark Reality of Wide Receivers in their Thirties

2025-08-04T07:02:00-04:00

Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Just paying Terry might not be as simple as it seems

The hot topic at the top of everyone’s minds during training camp has been Terry McLaurin’s contract situation. That is surprising, given that Terry is under contract and has a $25.5M cap hit with the Washington Commanders this season.

It is also disappointing, because it means the camp battles with the most potential impact on the coming season (DE, WR, RB, OL, S) are not getting the attention they normally would.

Terry has made it known that he expects to be paid like a top wide receiver. What that means, in terms of contract value and guaranteed money has not been disclosed by any verified source. According to Over the Cap, the highest paid wide receiver is 25 year old Ja’Marr Chase, at $40.25M Average Per Year (APY). The median APY of the top five WR contracts is $34M APY. And the median of the top 10 contracts is $32.25M APY. He is probably expecting something somewhere in that range.

We don’t know anything about what offers either side has made. What has been made clear is that the Commanders have not come close to Terry’s asking price. While the team has been playing it cool, Terry has expressed increasing frustration to the media. Most recently, he has requested a trade.

At 30 years of age, this season, Terry is set to be the 17^th highest paid NFL WR by total contract APY. There are myriad ways to look at contract value, but that’s a good starting point. Terry’s salary rank is somewhat below his rank by production at WR. In the 2024 regular season, he ranked 12^th in total receiving yards, 2^nd in TD receptions, and 8^th in both yards/target and Receiving Success Rate. Based on his relative productivity in 2024, and his value to the Commanders as well as their competitors, it is clear why Terry feels he is due for a pay raise in his next contract.

If Terry were 27 years old, as he was when his current contract was negotiated, that would be a no brainer. The challenge Adam Peters faces is managing the risk and achieving optimal value for the team when extending a wide receiver who will be 31 years old in the first season of his next contract.

To many in the fanbase, it is simple. Terry is a franchise player, who embodies the winning culture that new ownership and management is building in DC. He epitomizes the clutch playstyle that is rapidly becoming the Quinn Commanders’ signature. He is a team leader and provides a role model for younger players. And most of all, he has earned it by playing at a top level consistently, through the dark period under Dan Snyder, despite never having a top QB until last season. If any player has earned a big pay check, it’s Terry McLaurin.

The problem, as others have pointed out, is that despite Terry’s undisputed contributions to this point in his career, wide receivers usually experience a drop off in output right around the age of 30. The contract extension that is being discussed would either rework Terry’s salary for 2025, or it would commence in 2026. Assuming it will be at least a two year extension from 2026, it will be paying Terry to play at ages 31, 32 and possibly beyond.

Wide receivers have had productive careers well into their thirties. Jerry Rice led the NFL in receiving yards at age 33 and had an All-Pro season with over 1,200 receiving yards at age 40. Washington’s own Art Monk tallied 1,049 receiving yards and 8 TDs at 34 years young in the team’s last Super Bowl season. But are those two Hall of Fame careers a reasonable basis for setting contract values for Terry’s extension? Is that kind of longevity at the position normal, or were Rice and Monk outliers?

Deciding on a reasonable price point for a 31 year old WR is where things get contentious. It has been suggested that the Commanders are using Mike Evans’ contract as a starting point ($29M guaranteed; 2024: $5.6M; 2025: $25.4M; 2026: $13.1M). I am not aware of any confirmation from a verified source that that’s true. But since Evans was 31 in year 1, it’s not an unreasonable starting point for discussion.

If the Commanders are holding to figures below $30M APY and $30M guaranteed money, are they low-balling Terry? Does he deserve to be paid in the range of $32-40M per year when he turns 31, and should the Commanders pay him?

Everyone wants to keep Terry on the roster. What the team needs to know is, if they pay him top WR money, how likely is he to continue to produce at top WR level throughout the extension contract.

To get a handle on that, I searched the Pro Football Reference for WRs who have had 1,000+ receiving yard seasons past the age of 30 over the past decade. In 2021, the NFL extended the regular season to 17 games. So I used 941 receiving yards as the benchmark from 2015 through 2020, which is equivalent to 1,000 yards in a 17-game season. A 1,000 yd season is not a top 10 mark in today’s game. In 2024, WR10 posted 1,130 receiving yards, and 21 WRs went over 1,000. What the 1,000 yd figure does is set the level below which a top 10 contract begins to look like a significant overpay.

I also added data on players cap hits relative to the NFL salary cap in their 1,000 year season. Since the question of QBs throwing to Terry always comes up, I also included the QBs each WR played with and their league ranks by ESPN’s total QBR. Terry’s 2024 age 29 stats are added for comparison.

In the decade from 2015 to 2024, there were 171 player-seasons recorded by WRs over the age of 30. Out of 171 player-seasons, only the 13 shown in the table featured receiving totals equivalent to 1,000 yards in a 17 game season. In other words, only 7.6% of NFL WRs playing past Terry’s current age posted 1,000+ yard seasons, or the pre-2021 equivalent.

Interestingly, lowering the age cutoff by just one year to 30 doubled the number of player-seasons to 26. That is a reflection of the steep fall off-of WR production right around Terry’s current age which we have heard about. Of course, Terry could be one of the exceptional WRs, who continues to produce through his early thirties. But a rational decision maker will focus on the most likely outcome, rather than hoping that his player will be one of the outliers.

If the Commanders commit to paying Terry top WR money, they should expect to receive top receiving production for the duration of the contract. If they are discussing a three-year extension, starting when his current contract ends, that would require Terry to continue producing at his current level or better to age 33.

In the past decade, only three WRs have produced 1,000+ yard seasons at age 33 or older. Only one of those did so for three years past the age of 30: the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald. Only Fitzgerald and Davante Adams managed to produce more than one 1,000+ receiving yard season in that timespan.

So, extending Terry on top WR money for two or three seasons beyond his current contract would be betting on a once or twice a decade outcome. No matter how productive Terry has been up to now, the chance of him maintaining that productivity for even a single season past the end of his current contract is very low, based on the recent history of players at his position.

What’s That All Mean for the Contract Negotiation?

The forgoing begs the question, how much would be too much to pay Terry?

It would be ideal if we knew how much Terry was demanding. But we don’t, so instead, let’s take a look at three figures which have come up in discussions.

It has been rumored that Terry is demanding to be paid like Justin Jefferson. Jefferson is a 26 year old, four-time All-Pro/Pro Bowler and has topped 1,400 receiving yards in 4/5 NFL seasons. Terry has never come close to those numbers, even when receiving from a top 5 QB in 2024. It would take a miracle for Terry to kick his production up to Jefferson’s level at age 31. Jefferson represents the cap of what an overpay would look like at $35M APY. His average salary represents 12.5% of the 2025 salary cap.

In his best NFL seasons, Terry has placed in the bottom half of the top 10 in most receiving stats. Thinking optimistically, if he can keep that up at age 31, he would warrant a top 10 salary. The median value of the top 10 WR salaries is $32.25M. But that’s a little rich, since it falls between the WR5 and WR6, levels that Terry hasn’t reached consistently.

A more appropriate benchmark would be the 10^th highest paid WR: Tee Higgins, $28.75 APY. Higgins’ receiving totals don’t match Terry’s, but he is WR2 on team with Ja’Marr Chase, and he is just 26 YO. The Bengals might be optimistic in banking on an uptick in production during the extension. But their optimism is more or less equivalent to the Commanders hoping that Terry can maintain his current productivity past 30. The APY of his contract represents 10.3% of the 2025 salary cap.

Rounding up the rear is Mike Evans. We have heard that the Commanders are basing their offers on Evans’ contract, which has been decried by “Pay Terry” proponents as low balling. Evans is a six time Pro Bowler and two-time AP2, including in 2023, when he led the league in TD receptions at age 30, the season before his current extension. He has topped 1,200 receiving yards four times, most recently in 2023. He signed a two year, $20.5M APY extension at age 31 last season, with a peak cap hit of $25.35 in 2025. His 2025 cap hit represents 8.96% of the salary cap.

Of the three contracts, Evans’ is the most directly relevant to Terry’s, since it was signed at the age that Terry’s extension is set to start. Evans is coincidentally one of the ten WRs to have a 1,000+ yd receiving season past the age of 30 in the past decade. If Terry deserves a bonus check for past service to the franchise, Evans’ $25.35M peak cap hit would represent a reasonable starting point for the first year of an extension. The salary cap has averaged an annual increase of 11.25% over the past four years, which would adjust the year one salary up to $28.2M in 2026.

How do those figures relate to the 10 WRs who topped 1,000 yards after the age of 30? To enable meaningful comparisons across the past decade, I converted the salary figures in the table to percentage of salary cap. If the Commanders were to commit to pay Terry $28M in 2026, assuming that represents 8.96% of the 2026 cap, and he rewarded their generosity with a 1,000+ yard season, he would become the second-highest paid WR over 30 to do so in the past decade, in cap-adjusted terms. The only over 30 WR to do so on a higher proportion of cap was Larry Fitzgerald in 2016 and 2017. The other nine teams to get that level of output WRs over 30 did so for 6.6% of cap or less. That equates to $20.5 if the cap rises to $310M next season, o $18.4M if it stays constant.

The peak season of Evans’ contract therefore represents a generous starting point for extending a WR at age 31. The extra $8M to $10M bonus can be considered as an adjustment for the fact that WR salaries have been rising in proportional terms. A $28M salary in 2026 will look like good value if Terry posts a season like last year at age 31. But not so much if his production starts to fall off. Anything significantly higher than $28M is essentially banking on Terry matching or exceeding the best output from WRs at his age in the past decade, and is therefore more likely than not to look like an overpay when the contract is completed.

Where to from Here?

If Terry really is demanding to be paid like young WRs who are still at peak production, the Commanders should allow him to explore trade/extension deals with other teams to allow him to test his expectations against the market. More data points could be what’s needed to get the negotiations moving in a direction for both sides to feel they have achieved appropriate value.

Those fans worried about a contract stalemate impacting the season can relax. Terry is under contract to the end of the season, and the Commanders have no incentive to pursue a trade. The only card left for Terry to play to try to force a deal would be to threaten a holdout. It’s not much of a threat though, because a holdout would undermine his goal of getting paid. Whatever Terry’s market value might be in 2026, it is unlikely that another team would pay him enough at age 31 to make up for losing his 2025 salary.

Hopefully, when all of the posturing is done, rationality will prevail with both sides recognizing it’s in their mutual interests for Terry to be extended on terms that don’t incur undue risks of overpaying him in his thirties.

All aTwitter: 4-Aug-25 - Kliff Kingsbury’s insane attention to detail

2025-08-04T00:36:15-04:00

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

We follow X so you don’t have to

The goal of All aTwitter is to give readers a detailed or quirky look, through the unique lens of Twitter, at the Commanders, the NFL, and sports in general, along with a smattering of other things.

Click here for Washington Commanders Beat Writers Twitter Feed

Click here for NFL News, Rumors & Reports Twitter Feed

Tip: If a tweet isn’t fully visible on your screen, clicking on the date at the bottom of the tweet will open it up individually in either the X app or your browser.

Per @BenStandig, Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury spends each offseason watching EVERY offensive snap around the league.

That's insane commitment and attention to detail. #RaiseHail

Article here: https://t.co/QYko7ZgvgX pic.twitter.com/MXOwGIMRTB
— George Carmi (@Gcarmi21) August 3, 2025

Full clips of Bill running loose at training camp #RaiseHail #Commanders pic.twitter.com/aCIjTX6vET
— HTTC (@WoovieStudios) August 4, 2025

In case there was any doubt, Over the Cap confirms that WR Braylon Sanders, undrafted in 2022 with no accrued seasons, was signed to a league minimum contract by the Commanders with no guaranteed money. #RaiseHail https://t.co/Pg7t0tcSGX pic.twitter.com/FhRDQ4Y6Q8
— Bill-in-Bangkok (@billhorgan2005) August 4, 2025

Washington Commanders WR Braylon Sanders is wearing number 80. Last assigned to Tyree Jackson. #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/F5zihtcgOZ
— NFL Jersey Numbers (@nfl_jersey_num) August 2, 2025

1. Jayden Daniels
...
10. JJ McCarthy

Fantasy QB Rankings entering 2025 https://t.co/9NLahuogYe
— PFF (@PFF) August 3, 2025

Physically Unable To Perform (PUP) List

*As a reminder, a player can be activated off PUP list & return to practice at any time in preseason*

*Once rosters are cut to 53, PUP = Missing at least 4 games*#RaiseHail WR Terry McLaurin (money problems)*#DirtyBirds LB Troy…
— Sebastian Fearon DPT, CSCS, OCS (@TheDegenDoc) August 3, 2025

“This feels like it’s Jerry versus Micah.”@BillSimmons and @DMRussini discuss Micah Parsons’s trade request and the apparent rift between him and Jerry Jones. pic.twitter.com/nyNt7QdG8c
— The Ringer (@ringer) August 4, 2025

Oh no… Caleb
pic.twitter.com/IFwg6QCDHZ
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) August 3, 2025

Ben Johnson gotta be regretting his decision… pic.twitter.com/DZtgfBDXLv
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 3, 2025

The #49ers have signed veteran WR Robbie Chosen after a workout yesterday, releasing WR Marquez Callaway to make room:https://t.co/p7GwHe2St9
— Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors) August 4, 2025

Dolphins, DT Zach Sieler agree to terms on a three-year extension worth up to $67.75M, including $44M guaranteed, per @RapSheet + @TomPelissero https://t.co/451vOzuCUw pic.twitter.com/LVI5clx8eG
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) August 4, 2025

Worth noting that the Rams SB odds (+2200) haven't shifted since early July.

Sportsbooks don't believe Stafford's injury is THAT serious. https://t.co/F9Vozp69cV
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) August 4, 2025

Browns QB Shedeur Sanders is being held out of team drills today due to what the team is calling shoulder soreness. pic.twitter.com/Jvo5LlmK6a
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 2, 2025

Fun times with the #Steelers today. https://t.co/RnE5cYT20z
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 3, 2025

If the top APY of the 2018 Ravens rookie class was ranked among its peers, it produced 12 draftworthy players, including 8 players in the top 100.https://t.co/NoSQYcS3Hz https://t.co/arMPCLxhoG pic.twitter.com/1K4P4lSm6k
— Nick Korte (@nickkorte) August 4, 2025

Star: Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop is knocking down 60-yard field goals with EASE

Looks like Baltimore drafted Justin Tucker 2.0.pic.twitter.com/H0mZtrWNJS
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 3, 2025

: Tom Brady will be at Gillette Stadium this Friday for his statue reveal, per @MikeReiss

“The statue will be unveiled, with a short ceremony, in the hours leading up to kickoff. Fans can watch from the plaza outside the Hall of Fame, with it also broadcast on the… pic.twitter.com/o1kMHOdGRU
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 4, 2025

David White has been selected as the NFLPA interim executive director. pic.twitter.com/OsdKdsjiUg
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 4, 2025

The NFLPA has hired David White as its interim executive director, the union announced.

White is the former national executive director and chief negotiator of the Screen Actors Guild, SAG-AFTRA. pic.twitter.com/kkXcSQbxSF
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 4, 2025

A voting player representative from all 32 teams participated in the board vote tonight after conducting interviews with multiple internal and external candidates over the past two weeks. After a chaotic few months, some stability. https://t.co/zAqXobcFkf
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 4, 2025

The NFLPA announced David White as its interim executive director. White was a finalist for the PA's executive director job in 2023 and was reportedly the preferred candidate by the executive committee by a 10-1 vote.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 4, 2025

the shooter vs. the shots pic.twitter.com/oJ8N5K9MAD
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 3, 2025

DC Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Our Super Bowl XXVI champion team was inducted as this year’s “Team of Distinction” pic.twitter.com/SndnYd8piZ
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 3, 2025

Brewers INF Brice Turang is the little brother of Tress Way’s wife. The team let him fly to DC a day early for the formal adoption of his nephew, who the Way’s officially made a member of the Way family this week.

Now he goes deep in front of family. pic.twitter.com/ZUzlaUBtr8
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) August 3, 2025

Since a bunch of people struggled with this tweet —

Tress Way and his wife adopted a baby in the winter. That baby officially got their last name in a ceremony this week. Brice Turang, the baby’s uncle (and Way’s brother in law), came into town early for the ceremony. Then had a…
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) August 4, 2025

And who is Tress Way?
— Zack (@CactusZack2) August 4, 2025

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Daily Slop - 3 Aug 25 - Ertz, Deebo, Coleman, Bill, McLaurin, Conerly and more as Commanders finish 2nd camp day in pads

2025-08-03T09:30:00-04:00

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

Commanders links

Articles

ESPN

2025 Washington Commanders training camp: Latest intel, updates

Saturday, Aug. 2

Washington tight end Zach Ertz was one of quarterback Jayden Daniels’ favorite targets last season — he caught 66 passes with seven touchdowns. Based on training camp, it appears that will be the case again in 2025.

They have consistently connected throughout practices, especially in the red zone — as happened again Saturday for another touchdown when he blocked out safety Will Harris. Ertz’s consistency as a route runner makes him a valuable target. During one drill Saturday he caught consecutive passes over the middle — first versus a zone and then against man coverage.

More:

Receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. jammed a finger in his right hand after a pass from Daniels hit off his hands. It was late in practice so Samuel didn’t return to the field and was seen rubbing his hand later while spending time with friends and family on the field.
Left guard Brandon Coleman also exited practice early, hobbling off the field and heading back into the facility. Andrew Wylie initially replaced him and Chris Paul also worked at the position with the starters. Coach Dan Quinn will provide injury updates on Monday with the team heading to New England the next day.

Washington Post (paywall)

RB Bill Croskey-Merritt has fans’ attention, seeks Commanders roster spot

After an awkward and abrupt end to his college football career, the rookie running back aims to find a role with Washington.

It’s not uncommon for a late-round draft pick to capture outsize attention from an NFL team’s fan base during the first weeks of training camp. And for Washington Commanders fans, rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt has basked in that affection.

Commanders Coach Dan Quinn said he is looking to see how running backs handle special teams work to find them spots on the team.

“It’ll be interesting to see in this year and the years ahead how many of those returners are running backs, how many are receivers, and it will definitely factor into the final roster,” Quinn said.

Apart from occasional reps higher up on the depth chart, Croskey-Merritt largely has been the fourth or fifth running back in the Commanders’ practice rotation.

Throughout training camp, Croskey-Merritt has gotten work blocking on kickoff and punt returns. After practice Saturday, he spent several minutes off by himself catching punts.

“I haven’t played any special teams before,” Croskey-Merritt said. “This is something that I’ve got to do, but it’s going to work out. I’m loving special teams right now. … If you want to be on that roster, you better be on special teams.”

Last Man Standig

Quinn: No distraction with Terry McLaurin’s hold-in

The Commanders head coach and Terry McLaurin spoke directly about the receiver’s trade request.

“We love Terry,” Quinn said. “I’m really glad he is here and hopefully he is out practicing soon,” Quinn said. “And we also understand there’s the business side of these things that (General Manager)Adam (Peters) and his side and Terry and his reps are working through.”

“I know that time will come,” Daniels said of McLaurin’s return to practice. “Till then, if that’s us getting in the film room and just talking ... we always talk. We talk ball. We talk life. So nothing’s changed at all.”

Washington visits the New England Patriots for a joint practice on Wednesday and its preseason opener on Friday. The Commanders’ next practice is at home on Monday.

“It’s a really cool place to come work and play football,” Quinn said. “And we work hard at that, too, the environment. And so, (Terry is) definitely part of that … Even though he’s not participating, there’s still plenty to do.”

Other notes:

Deebo Samuel hurt his left hand driving for a catch late in practice. Possible finger dislocation (my speculation). He looked fine after practice, holding hands with his young daughter while walking to the building.
Left guard Brandon Coleman limped off the field during practice and did not return. No sense of the severity, and I won’t speculate here. Andrew Wylie replaced him at left guard.
QB Marcus Mariota participated in team drills on Saturday after sitting out recent practice beyond individual work. No injury. Instead, the goal is to help a veteran reach the regular season while providing extra reps for the potential QB3s, Sam Hartman and Josh Johnson.

Commanders.com

Training camp notebook | Conerly taking tips, tricks from both sides of the ball

“Not a lot of people can say they get to go against a defense with Hall of Famers and play alongside Hall of Famers,” Conerly said. “Being in this position and having this opportunity is a blessing, and they’ve taught me a lot, just on-the-field, off-the-field stuff, how to change up my hands, how to do a lot of different things. So, I just take it and run with it.”

With the amount of depth the Commanders have on their offensive line, there’s no need for them to rush Conerly’s development. They are taking a slow approach to the process so that when he is ready to play, the adjustment period won’t be as severe.

But considering how many people are helping Conerly, he may be ready sooner than expected.

“I’m pretty comfortable with the install,” Conerly said. “I feel like I know a great amount. I learn something new every day.”

— Rookie linebacker Kain Medrano showed some progress today as well. He ran through the offensive line on a blitz to take down Austin Ekeler for a loss. Medrano’s athleticism has been evident n several plays, and he has used it to put himself in position for pass breakups. The next step for him is to turn those into interceptions.

— Newcomer Lucas Niang seems to be coming along well in Washington’s system. He had a solid pull block that opened room for Felton, who gained a chunk of yardage on the play.

— Finally, it’s clear that Zach Ertz is still going to be a big presence in Washington’s offense. During a “move the ball period,” three of Daniels’ completions went to the tight end, the last of which was a touchdown.

Riggo’s Rag

Bobby Price is further down the Commanders’ cornerback pecking order than ever

Nothing has been decided as yet. Even so, it doesn’t look especially promising for Bobby Price at this juncture.

Competition for places in the cornerback room is fierce. The Commanders are running with Marshon Lattimore, Mike Sainristil, and second-round rookie Trey Amos as their starting trio. Veteran free-agent signing Jonathan Jones and the ascending Noah Igbinoghene have already cemented themselves as core rotational pieces. That makes it difficult for anyone else to force their way into the team’s plans.

Much will depend on how many corners the Commanders take. But if it’s six as anticipated, that leaves room for one more.

Price joined the Commanders in 2024 but didn’t factor much into their plans. The former undrafted free agent out of Norfolk State received a reserve/futures contract from the franchise this offseason, which was a positive development. But it didn’t come with any assurances about his roster status.

There is one, maybe two, open spots. Kevon Seymour is another strong candidate. There is also hype growing around undrafted free-agent Car’lin Vigers, who team writer Zach Selby recently highlighted as a major standout from the second week of practices.

Podcasts & videos

After a false start at #Commanders camp this week, Jayden Daniels kicked the player out of the huddle. More assertiveness from the franchise QB in Year 2: “That’s something I didn’t do last year.” Daniels with me and @ColleenWolfe on Inside Training Camp Live pic.twitter.com/u0uLip2bfg
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 2, 2025

LIVE at Commanders Training Camp with Deebo Samuel, Dan Quinn, Bobby Wagner | NFL Training Camp Tour

On video wrapping up Commanders’ practice. On Chris Paul, Zach Ertz, Jaylin Lane, Brandon Coleman and Deebo Samuel, Kain Medrano, TE battle and of course Terry McLaurin. https://t.co/abhVl3lZaf
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 2, 2025

Why You Shouldn’t Overreact to Commanders O-Line Struggles & Injury News | Jayden Daniels Analysis

Photos

Commanders.com

PHOTOS | Day 2 of pads

Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders going through practice on July 31.

NFC East links

Blogging the Boys

Training camp injuries have turned the Cowboys’ OL into the walking wounded

The Cowboys offensive line has been absolutely decimated by injuries.

Tyler Smith is the latest Cowboys offensive lineman to come up lame at training camp. Thankfully this doesn’t seem to be anything serious, but will still need to be monitored closely along with the rest of the Cowboys walking wounded injured OL right now.

Smith is simply just the most recent of the Cowboys OL who have sustained some degree of injury since training camp got underway. He joins Terence Steele (ankle), Rob Jones (neck), and Tyler Guyton (knee) in missing some practice time thus far in training camp due to injuries and all will need to be closely monitored. That doesn’t even include some down roster linemen who missed time.

While thankfully none of these injuries have been of the season-ending type, it does raise somewhat of a concern about the cohesiveness of this group and the further development of Guyton. The quicker everyone can get healthy, the better.

Unfortunately, Guyton is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with the fractured bone in his knee and Rob Jones is expected to miss 2-3 months with a broken bone in his neck.

The @dallascowboys signed T La'el Collins and T Geron Christian on Saturday.

The club also made the following roster moves:

Reserve/Injured:
WR Parris Campbell

Waived/Injured:
T Matt Waletzko
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) August 2, 2025

Inside the Star

All-Pro Guard Tyler Smith could be the next Cowboys’ hold-out

The Dallas Cowboys have made contract disputes with their best players a yearly tradition. In 2024, it was Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb; currently, it’s Micah Parsons; next year, it will be All-Pro guard Tyler Smith. This front office regime is stuck in a loop that hurts both their own salary situation and their relationship with the players.

When you wait, and wait, and wait to extend contracts, good young players’ prices skyrocket as the market increases and their accolades stack. This is what happened to every single Cowboy I named over the past two years.

In terms of Smith, Dallas’s first-round pick in 2022, he will enter the final year of his rookie contract next season. Smart teams would extend him before then; the Cowboys likely won’t. Let’s look at the Tyler Smith resume, and what the contract could be when the Cowboys negotiate with him at the last minute in 2026.

Tyler Smith: Blossiming Into Top-Tier, Highest-Paid Guard

When the Cowboys selected the Tulsa guard in 2022, many called it a reach. His tape showed elite traits and flashes of potential, but holes in his actual game. As they’ve done so many times before, Dallas took that framework and built it into an elite guard today.

Smith, 24, has now made back-to-back Pro Bowls, and in 2023 he was named an All-Pro. He has solidified himself as the heir to Zack Martin’s throne. Especially when you add in the youth surrounding him on the offensive line, Smith’s importance doubles, at least. Tyler Guyton, Tyler Booker, and Cooper Beebe will develop seeing Smith as the big dog.

Bleacher Report

Cowboys’ Jerry Jones Not Considering Micah Parsons Trade Amid Contract Hold-In

Jerry Jones speaks on the Micah Parsons trade request.

He sees it as part of the negotiation. pic.twitter.com/Dhpnwk1nAO
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) August 2, 2025

Jones told reporters on Saturday that Parsons’ trade request is just part of negotiating.

“That’s negotiation. I’ve heard that so many times, in my 30 years in the NFL, from not just players but agents... that is old stuff, 30 years of old stuff, some of those issues we’re hearing about trading, hurt backs, all that kind of stuff,” Jones said.

When asked about his meeting with Parsons in March, Jones answered, per DallasCowboys.com’s Tommy Yarrish: “What y’all don’t know is what I offered him, and it’s a hell of a lot more than you think I did. That’s what you don’t know.”

Big Blue View

‘Kudos & Wet Willies’: Who’s up, who’s down after another week of New York Giants training camp

Malik Nabers continues to impress; Deonte Banks, not so much

Wet Willies to ...

Deonte Banks — Entering his third season, it seems that the former first-round pick still has not learned how to turn his head and find the football while he is in coverage. Early in the week, he committed defensive pass interference in the end zone on a long, floating pass from Russell Wilson he should have been able to find and at least knock down. On Saturday, Banks committed a holding penalty and got burned deep by Nabers in one-on-one drills.

Not that it is ‘WW’ worthy, but Banks’ comfort in front of a microphone has not improved, either. His Tuesday session with the media was painful, filled with short, one-sentence answers.

The Big Blue View jinx — We post a big feature on rookie running back Cam Skattebo, and suddenly the Giants’ “carnage creator” is missing practice time with an injury. Shame on us.

Pre-snap penalties — There have been far too many, and I was tired of watching the Giants commit them about two days into training camp.

Discussion topics

Pro Football Talk

ESPN, NFL Media deal raises real revenue questions for NFLPA

The massive deal between the NFL and ESPN regarding various NFL Media assets raises a wide range of questions. For NFL players, it raises one very important one.

What’s in it for us?

The league reportedly will get equity in the deal, receiving up to 10 percent of ESPN. How will that translate into payment for players?

Long-time agent Peter Schaffer flagged the issue, in a Saturday text message to PFT. “Agents and players see major revenue potential in the ESPN–NFL deal, but there’s real concern the league structured it to conceal money from the player pool,” as it relates to, for example, the “value of game packages.”

Among other things, ESPN will get access to the seven regular-season games that the NFL had retained and televised via NFL Network. With the league reportedly getting ESPN ownership in lieu of cash, what does that mean for the broader revenue split?

The players currently receive roughly half of the cash that flows through the overall cash register. With the league getting paper ownership and not paper money from the ESPN deal, what will the players receive via a potential bump to their collective pay?

“This could artificially depress the salary cap, directly cutting into player contracts and earnings,” Schaffer said. “The NFLPA needs to stay on top of this and demand full transparency.”

Because the deal has yet to be finalized, it’s premature for the union to do anything. When the deal is done, the union will have the right to fully explore the details of the arrangement and, if necessary, to challenge it.

aBit o’Twitter

Early in his career, Joe Gibbs was unexpectedly forced to switch from coaching Defense to coaching Offense.

How a conflict with another coaching icon launched Joe Gibbs into a Hall of Fame career.

pic.twitter.com/cg2xtEiEh3
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) August 2, 2025

In 1964, Don Coryell hired Joe Gibbs to serve as a Graduate Assistant at San Diego State, working on the Defensive side of the ball.

Gibbs took to the role quickly and had a great working relationship with the Defensive Coordinator, a young coach named... John Madden pic.twitter.com/PtRlc1TfD5
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) August 2, 2025

John Madden was Coryell's Defensive Coordinator from 1964-66.

He and Gibbs shared coaching responsibilities and hyper-competitive games of racquetball after practice. pic.twitter.com/S1gFYxptXp
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) August 2, 2025

Don Coryell had organized an Alumni Game at San Diego State, where recent graduates would compete against the current roster.

John Madden would coach the Varsity team while Joe Gibbs would coach the Alumni.

That's where their competitiveness took over. pic.twitter.com/hkRzp7Nuwh
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) August 2, 2025

A few days before the game, Madden asked Gibbs to share his plays.

Gibbs refused.

Madden responded, "Look, if you don't give me these plays, you're never going to work for me the rest of your life." pic.twitter.com/bBy4uF4RxQ
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) August 2, 2025

Sure enough... after the game, Madden fired Gibbs.

Gibbs went to Coryell, who found a solution.

Coryell invited Gibbs to the Offensive side of the ball to learn the revolutionary "Air Coryell" Passing System that would go on to take the NFL by storm. pic.twitter.com/8JBf5AN2GY
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) August 2, 2025

John Madden ended up winning a Super Bowl with the Raiders.

Joe Gibbs ended up winning three Super Bowls with the Redskins.

They never did work together again pic.twitter.com/ZSPf2Gny2e
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) August 2, 2025

As Madden transitioned to the broadcasting booth, he would often reference their Alumni Game spat in a good-natured way.

It turned out for the best... Joe Gibbs ended up being a pretty good Offensive Coach. pic.twitter.com/V683LAHTvX
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) August 2, 2025

Success in coaching and in life is not linear.

Sometimes it's the setbacks that are actually the setup for long-term success.

Trust the path and keep going. pic.twitter.com/uK9YWFTtZ5
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) August 2, 2025