The Daily Slop
Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles 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, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy!
Commanders links
Articles
Bullock’s Film Room
Where does WR Luke McCaffrey stand entering critical year 3?
They say it takes three years for wide receivers to develop into reliable targets in the NFL. That trend has changed somewhat in recent years due to a number of very strong and deep wide receiver draft classes, but McCaffrey was considered a very raw
prospect coming out. He entered college playing quarterback and switched positions, so he was very new to the position when the Commanders drafted him. That has caused him to take a little longer to develop, which makes this almost a make or break year for him.
So where exactly does McCaffrey stand going into this important third year? With the current state of the receiver room, there should be opportunities for everyone to claim their spot in training camp. McLaurin is a lock as the top receiving option, but after him it’s a bit of a free for all. I don’t expect McCaffrey to establish himself as the second receiver or anything crazy like that, but I do think he can offer plenty as a fourth or fifth receiver on the depth chart and if everything goes well, could develop into the third receiver.
Looking back at last season, the stats aren’t amazing. McCaffrey only played in nine games before breaking his collarbone and missing the rest of the year. As a result, he only had 11 catches, but he did pick up 203 yards and three touchdowns. 11 catches isn’t a huge sample size to go off, but when you watch McCaffrey you can see signs of development from him.
The obvious place to start with McCaffrey last year was his 50-yard catch against the Chargers. It was his longest catch of the season and indeed his career to date, which showcased not only his speed to threaten down the field, but also his ball skills.
Heavy.com
Commanders warned about yrusting Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Croskey-Merritt still looks like RB1, but the team has been warned about the risk of putting too much faith in the 25-year-old, as well as the dangers of not letting him develop crucial aspects of his game.
The two-edged sword of how much to get Croskey-Merritt involved in this season’s running game was discussed by Danny Rouhier and Grant Paulsen on 106.7 The Fan’s “Grant & Danny Show.”
Rouhier explained why the Commanders still have some doubts about JCM carrying the load as an every-down back: “I like him. It seems like they don’t as much. And here’s my evidence for that. It basically took Chris Rodriguez getting food poisoning or like a last-minute injury for them to finally give him double-digit carries. (In) nine of his 17 games, he averaged less than four yards a pop.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
ESPN
2026 Washington Commanders training camp preview
Linebacker: Washington will use a 3-4 base look this season and signed/drafted five players for those roles — to pair with several holdovers. The Commanders will rotate players in, but there will be a question as to who will start, particularly on the inside. They have Luvu, free agent signee Leo Chenal and Sonny Styles. One won’t play as often — but do they use either Chenal or Styles in a nickel role at times to get all three on the field? And how will the outside rushers rotate? They have Dorance Armstrong, coming off a torn ACL, and free agent signees Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson as well as fifth-round pick Joshua Josephs.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders Wire
Will Commanders’ defensive overhaul be effective in 2026?
Suffice it to say that between the departures and additions, the Commanders’ defense looks very different in 2026 than it did in 2025. But will what Peters did actually pan out this season? Under new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, one of the biggest storylines is whether this defense can get all of its new faces on the same page, something that NFL.com’s Grant Gordon wrote about earlier this week.
When you fall from being everyone’s NFC Championship Game darling to a 5-12 struggle bus, you can run out of fingers to point. The Commanders put a massive UNDER CONSTRUCTION sign in front of a defense that finished dead last in yards allowed. They used the No. 7 overall pick on Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, an athletic marvel who will draw plenty of hype as a preseason Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. General manager Adam Peters opened the check book before turning in the card to get Styles, too. Washington broke the bank to sign pass rusher Odafe Oweh, while adding plenty more veteran starters elsewhere: nickel Amik Robertson, safety Nick Cross, pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, linebacker Leo Chenal and defensive tackle Tim Settle. The Commanders added veteran depth, as well. Binging on free agents isn’t always a winning formula, of course. How quickly new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones and Washington’s cast of fresh faces get on the same page will be crucial in camp.
The biggest problem the Commanders will have here is the number of new faces on the roster. It’s one thing if you bring in a handful of new players to join an otherwise stable unit, but it’s another beast altogether when you add a dozen or more new faces.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders.com
Commanders 2026 opponent breakdown | Jaguars
- What will the offense look like without Etienne? It was widely expected for the Jaguars to not retain Etienne this past offseason, but there’s no doubt that he has been a key piece of their offense over the last four seasons with three 1,000-yard seasons. He had arguably his best campaign in 2025 with 1,107 yards and 13 total touchdowns. Now Etienne is with the New Orleans Saints, and the Jaguars have to find a way to replace him. For now, it seems like it’ll be a committee approach. They signed Rodriguez from Washington and seem eager to give him a shot at being their lead back after a solid season out of the former sixth-round pick. There’s also Bhayshul Tuten, who had limited opportunities in his rookie year but also had seven total touchdowns on 93 total touches. LeQuint Allen Jr., a seventh-round pick last season, was more of a special teams contributor, and Ameer Abdullah is an established veteran with 11 years of experience. Will one of these players emerge as a go-to option? Perhaps, but the Jaguars don’t seem to be in a hurry to figure that out. They like all their options, and each player will get their opportunities.
- How does the defense replace Devin Lloyd’s production on defense? Similar to Etienne, Lloyd was a key cog for the Jaguars’ success last season and has been an important fixture on their defense as a 2022 first-round pick. He didn’t hit 100 tackles like he did in the previous three seasons, but he made up for that with improvements in coverage and grabbed five interceptions, which helped him earn a Pro Bowl and Second Team All-Pro selection. However, also like Etienne, Lloyd left the team in free agency and signed with the Carolina Panthers. There are currently just six linebackers on the roster, most of which are young players with limited years of experience. They will have to rely on Oluokun, who enters his fifth season in Jacksonville, to be a veteran presence in the room. Oluokun is certainly capable of being a dominant voice on defense. He has at least 100 tackles in each of the last six seasons and had a career-high 11 pass breakups. But the Jaguars will still need players like Ventrell Miller, Jack Kiser and Parker Hughes to step up to fill the void Lloyd left behind.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Last Man Standig
What exactly is Amik Robertson’s role?
Going with a 3-4 or 4-3 as the base defense means having only four defensive backs on the field. That’s how the Vikings primarily operated under coordinator Brian Flores and Daronte Jones, Minnesota’s passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach.
At a minimum, this suggests a diminished workload for any slot corner, which is Robertson’s best role. There’s good reason, also based on Minnesota’s scheme, to think that Washington could go with a third safety instead of a third CB when needed.
Washington’s recent signing of Rasul Douglas seemingly drops Robertson on the boundary CB depth chart.
So where does that leave this seventh-year pro with 86 career games played and 35 starts? At the moment, your guess is almost as good as mine.
For more from Ben Standig, click here
ESPN
Ranking NFL teams by under-25 talent: Pats, Texans lead list
25. Washington Commanders
Last year’s rank: 3
Blue chips: OT Josh Conerly Jr., LB Sonny Styles
Notable graduated players: QB Jayden Daniels, CB Mike Sainristil
The Commanders fall far down our list now that Daniels doesn’t qualify. Sainristil, Brandon Coleman, Luke McCaffrey, Jordan Magee, Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Leo Chenal also don’t count.
That still leaves some young talent from the past couple of drafts. First-rounder Styles doesn’t turn 22 until November, a few days after Conerly will be 23. Safety Nick Cross, recently signed from Indianapolis, will turn 25 on Sept. 10. Defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton will be 24 on Aug. 31. Cornerback Trey Amos and wide receiver Jaylin Lane are both 24, while third-round slot receiver Antonio Williams just turned 22.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Podcasts & videos
Mark Bullock is live with Ben Standig on Substack now: “Live with Ben Standig”
Due to some difficulties, this live chat opens with Standig talking to Doc Walker, then filling time by answering typed questions for about 20 minutes.
- The conversation with Bullock begins at the 30:15 mark.
- A useful discussion of Daronte Jones’ expected defense begins around the 38:25 mark (Bullock’s answer to the lengthy question begins at 39:31).
- Interesting comments on Jayden Daniels’ play in early 2025 begins with a question at 51:25 (Bullock’s surprisingly upbeat answer begins at 53:14 — Standig actually uses the phrase “yada, yada, yada” in the course of his 2-minute question).
Click this link to watch the live chat:
NFC East links
The Athletic (paywall)
It’s becoming clear what John Harbaugh’s biggest challenge with the Giants will be
The Giants were 13-38 over the last three years, and Harbaugh’s Ravens were 33-18. The Giants were 60 games under .500 over the last nine years, and Harbaugh was 41 games over .500 with Baltimore. The Giants have won only one playoff game over the last 14 years; Harbaugh had claimed eight of his 13 postseason victories, including a Super Bowl, in that time.
It seemed the perfect union of a coach who adored NFL history and a flagship franchise that had completely forgotten how to win.
The coach has answered questions about football and non-football concerns that he wished were never in play.
Football: The Giants’ best player, Dexter Lawrence, forced his way out of town. Three players suffered Achilles tendon tears in the spring. Malik Nabers criticized Harbaugh’s NFL Draft picks while his return from a serious knee injury remained a mystery.
Non-football: Co-owner Steve Tisch’s disclosed ties to Jeffrey Epstein blitzed Harbaugh before he’d even settled into the job. Jaxson Dart’s decision to introduce President Donald Trump at a Rockland County, N.Y., rally (without properly informing his employer of his role) [led] teammate Abdul Carter to criticize his quarterback on social media and moved Harbaugh to extinguish a spreading fire.
The bad news? The Giants’ young, talented players have become high-profile figures without winning games. Rookies Dart, Skattebo and Carter, who didn’t exactly produce a clean sheet as the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft, all contributed to a 4-13 record a year after Nabers, the No. 6 pick in 2024, was a big part of a 3-14 team.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Big Blue View
I am giving this season a pass, probably the next one too
Why?
The answer is John Harbaugh. The logic is the new head coach doesn’t have the full, complete team that he wants. There is no way he can. Not after one draft and one offseason. He inherited a team of players and is giving them an audition to see who stays for his program. A good bunch will be wearing new uniforms next year or no uniforms at all.
I truly don’t care about anything else than Harbaugh’s program and plan for this team. It’s close to the same feeling when they signed Tom Coughlin. We got a no nonsense head coach with a proven winning record. There is no better a time in his career for a fresh start with a storied franchise.
To read the comments on this article, CLICK HERE
Blogging the Boys
Are you a QB “Purist?”
I don’t love this new breed of QB. They are necessary because college systems just don’t run pro systems much anymore, so the league was literally running out of good QBs. Enter kaepernick, the wildcat, and some rule tweeks we have a league of runners.
Yeah, it’s exciting to such lamar break off an insane run. But i can’t stand how much they protect the passer… even when not passing. It’s annoying to see a defense play perfect coverage on third down just to see the QB run for a first. If you could hit em when they ran, i would have no qualms.
Don’t you think it’s unfair to defenders having to decide whether to pull up or tackle when a QB is past the LOS? I feel like i would hurt myself trying to prevent hurting him. And big bodied ones like allen and hurts are basically running backs that can also throw far (gross oversimplification i know).
I think there should be some sort of rule change where after 5 yards the QB is no longer a QB but a basic runner and subject to getting hit the same way
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
NFL league links
Articles
ESPN
Tyreek Hill posts workout video, says still ‘no power’ in leg
Tyreek Hill says he still has “no power” in his recovering left leg, indicating the free agent wide receiver could still be a long way from returning to the NFL.
Hill posted a YouTube video Wednesday night that showed him working out as he discussed the dislocated knee and multiple ligament tears he suffered in Week 4 last season against the New York Jets.
“So it’s about 10 months after doing two surgeries,” Hill said. “My left leg is the one that I injured. I have no power in my left leg, so I’m trying to regain all the power back in my left leg. But it’s one day at a time.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Front Office Sports
World Cup proved afternoon games can rate; will more leagues follow?
the two World Cup semifinals and Sunday’s final each started at 3 p.m. ET, far outside of the traditional primetime slotting in the U.S. for such high-stakes competitions. Much of that scheduling by FIFA was a deliberate move to help retain European television viewers, many of whom are five and six hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast, as well as others around the world.
While there was some initial grumbling about those non-traditional broadcast slots, the matches ultimately performed at historic levels with U.S. viewers. In particular, Spain’s win over Argentina in the World Cup Final averaged 66.4 million viewers within the match window, representing the largest U.S. audience of any type since February’s Super Bowl LX, and the most-watched non-NFL sporting event since the 1994 Winter Olympics.
So that begs the obvious question: will U.S. pro and college sports and network rights holders embrace more daytime starts, even on weekdays?
“I think it’s definitely safe to say we’re going to see more movement into these afternoon windows, and earlier windows overall,” Crakes Media president and former Fox Sports exec Patrick Crakes tells Front Office Sports. “You can do that now without sacrificing attendance or sacrificing viewership. The World Cup is an extreme example, but it’s a different world now, and it’s not strictly limited to primetime anymore.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Wouldn’t it be nice?
SB Nation
61 NFL predictions ahead of the 2026 season
From Week 1 to the Super Bowl and beyond, we give a comprehensive layout of what the 2026 season will look like
Jayden Daniels lights up the Eagles in Week 1
The Commanders begin their season on the road in Philadelphia in the late-afternoon window on Fox, and man doesn’t that just feel right? Few things make me feel as nostalgic as the NFC East getting America’s Game of the Week. I feel like it’s 2007 again, and I’m sitting with my dad in the living room with a lovely view of the tree in our yard as the bright colored leaves fall off one-by-one with the smell of cinnamon in the air while Tony Romo and Donovan McNabb squared off.
Memories of yesteryear aside, Jayden Daniels enters this season with a point to prove after an injury-riddled 2025 campaign, and he makes a statement in Week 1. The LSU product throws for 284 yards, three passing touchdowns, and adds 64 yards with a rushing score on the ground as Washington defeats Philadelphia 34-27.
Eagles start season 0-2
After the back-and-forth shootout with the Commanders in which they fall short, the Eagles travel to Tennessee to face the Titans. In terms of survivor pools, many pick the Eagles with such hubris, but are stunned to see that Robert Saleh’s defense does what it did to Hurts in the divisional round this past January. Hurts struggles, throwing a pair of interceptions, including the game-sealing pick to Kevin Winston Jr which locks up a 20-17 win for Tennessee, putting the Eagles in an early 0-2 hole.
Myles Garrett has massive night vs. Giants in Week 2
On the Week 2 edition of Monday Night Football, the Rams host the Giants in what ends up being the second consecutive colossal Myles Garrett performance to begin his tenure as a Ram. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year sacks Jaxson Dart three times and earns a half sack on another takedown. And just to poke fun at the offseason activities of the Giants’ quarterback, several Rams players are seen wearing blue hats with the phrase “Make America Garrett Again.”
Giants finish last in NFC East again
Despite the addition of John Harbaugh, the Giants end up being the 2026 version of the Las Vegas Raiders – a team that hires a Super Bowl-winning head coach in hopes of taking a leap forward, but performs poorly. That’s not to say the Giants will finish with the No. 1 overall pick, but 6-11 or 7-10 is likely where they’ll fall.
Tackles
- Carson Schwesinger: 181
- Sonny Styles: 175
Interceptions
- Jalen Pitre: 6
- Derek Stingley: 6
- Xavier Watts: 5
- Sonny Styles: 4
Jayden Daniels wins Comeback Player of the Year
Daniels reminds everyone that he is one of the best young quarterbacks in football, throwing 26 touchdowns and adding seven on the ground to just nine interceptions as he leads Washington back to the playoffs.
Sonny Styles wins Defensive Rookie of the Year
Styles is the key to Dan Quinn’s defense getting back on track. The Ohio State product will be a top five tackler in the NFL, as well as pick off four passes to help Washington’s defense improve from finishing 28th in success rate.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
