The Daily Slop – 6 June 2026
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
Commanders Wire
Myles Garrett shows ultimate respect to Commanders’ Laremy Tunsil
In the latest edition of “Chasing 10 with Randy Moss,” Garrett and Texans star edge rusher Will Anderson were guests. They asked Garrett which player was the first person to give him problems in his NFL career. He answered former Packers All-Pro left
tackle David Bhaktiari.
Then, Garrett mentioned Tunsil.
“Last time I felt like I was frustrated with somebody was probably Laremy,” Garrett said. “I’m excited about that matchup. I’ve got a ton of respect for him.”
Commanders Roundtable
Stat Explains Why Commanders Rank Among Highest Defensive Payrolls
Washington ranked third in the NFC and sixth in the league in defensive spending in 2026 with $165.8 million tied up. Only the New York Giants, who spent just shy of $9 million more, and the Chicago Bears eclipsed the Commanders’ in spending while the Pittsburgh Steelers’ $193 million beat out the Baltimore Ravens, who committed $187.4 million under first year head coach Jesse Minter.
Per Overthecap.com, returning defensive lineman Daron Payne enters 2026 accounting for nearly $28 million against the cap, leading the entire Commanders roster ahead of the final year on his contract, while defensive linemen Javon Kinlaw and Dorance Armstrong join linebackers K’Lavon Chaisson and Frankie Luvu as eight-figure cap hits this upcoming season. While Chaisson looks to live up to his billing as an underrated addition, Luvu is looking to entrench himself in the rotation with the added athleticism now on the roster. Meanwhile new edge rusher Odafe Oweh’s near $100 million contract accounts for a $9.2 million hit in year one.
Commanders Roundtable
Two Commanders players were present but not participating during last week’s OTAs
The good news is cornerback Trey Amos was officially back out on the field with his teammates once again, though he was not participating after being seen in a hat while on the field during stretching and early drills. Yet it’s an encouraging sign for the second year cornerback, especially at a position where the Commanders have also been questioned for doing enough this offseason.
The former second-round pick out of Ole Miss played in ten games and started in eight in 2025 where he proved to be a strong boundary cornerback before suffering a fractured fibula in the week ten loss against the Seattle Seahawks, capping off a frustrating end to a promising season.
Washington is not required to announce injury designations at this point in the offseason, meaning an official update on where Amos is in the recovery process still remains unclear, but it marks the latest encouraging sign after Amos provided encouragement on his recovery during an Instagram live earlier this offseason.
Commanders.com
ESPN’s Jordan Reid lists Antonio Williams among five ‘underrated’ rookies who could stand out in 2026
“Outside of Terry McLaurin, the Commanders don’t have a dependable threat in their receiving corps,” Reid wrote. “That should leave Williams with a lot of opportunities in the team’s new look under offensive coordinator David Blough.”
The Commanders don’t currently have a clear answer for who could be their No. 2 receiver, as players like Treylon Burks and Dyami Brown battle it out to claim the role. Williams could be a contender for that as well, although he doesn’t have the frame (he was 5-11½ and 187 pounds at the combine) of a typical No. 2 wide receiver.
Williams makes up for that with an advanced route-running nuance for his age. In his four seasons at Clemson, it helped him rank in the 88th percentile against single man coverage and put himself among the better wide receivers in program history. It’s also helped him move around the Tigers’ offense and make plays on the outside as well as in the slot — a key selling point for the Commanders when they decided to draft him.
Heavy.com
Commanders in concerning RB drought that could be broken by “most exciting” undrafted rookie
The Commanders haven’t had a player rush for over 900 yards in a single season since Antonio Gibson rushed for 1,042 yards in 2021, and haven’t had a player rush for over 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons since Alfred Morris did it from 2012 to 2014.
That means jobs are up for grabs, and Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport singled out Henry as the NFL’s “Most Exciting” undrafted free agent.
The Commanders’ leading rusher in 2025 was rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt, a 7th-round pick who rushed for 805 yards and 8 touchdowns but also struggled with fumbles.
“Henry was a wildly productive player at UTSA last year — he topped 1,000 yards on the ground,” Davenport wrote. “He averaged almost seven yards per carry and scored 11 total touchdowns while peeling off five runs of 70 yards or more. However, he is also a 24-year-old rookie who is just 5’9″ and 196 pounds, which led to his going undrafted … The Washington running back room isn’t exactly loaded—the team’s lead back is a second-year pro who was a seventh-round pick last year. Henry has a realistic shot to earn a roster spot if he carries his college burst and elusiveness into camp.”
Commanders Roundtable
Returning WR May Determine Commanders’ Interest in Kayshon Boutte
The decision to re-sign Burks in early March should speak for itself after bringing back the former first round pick following his 130 yards on ten catches in 2025, including a highlight-worthy redzone touchdown in the primetime loss against Denver. It marked a sign of confidence after an inconsistent three seasons with the Titans, amassing just shy of 700 receiving yards on 53 catches and just one touchdown, yet that has as much to do with injuries as it does poor quarterback play.
For Burks, the confidence still sits in what he can become because his ability as an impact receiver aren’t supported by his body of work thus far. Burks was targeted three or more times in just four of his nine appearances and registered just three multi-catch games – two of including games with exactly two receptions. Yes, that includes the one-hand snag, but it also includes contested catches over the middle of the field as the 6-foot-2 receiver shows signs of being a threat in a David Blough offense that features slants and crossers along with the vertical attack.
Similar could be said for Boutte, who was limited to five games his rookie season and missed a pair of games due to a hamstring injury in 2025. Yet after former sixth round pick drew at least five targets in nine of his last ten games in 2024, Boutte saw an inconsistent target volume in 2025. After opening the season with six catches for 103 yards in the season opener, Boutte drew three or more targets in just eight games through the Patriots’ Super Bowl run. He finished the season with just 551 yards and six touchdowns on 33 catches, yet maybe most impressive about the limited production is all but six of his catches resulted in a first down, adding intrigue to his fit opposite of McLaurin.
Could day three draft capital in 2027 or beyond be enough to add a possible weapon to the wide receiver room? It might, but maybe the more pressing question is whether the Commanders opt to make a move.
Stadium-related
Commanders.com
Behind the Build Q&A: Barbara Mullenex, Principal Perkins Eastman
Q: How would you describe the stadium site on the roughly 355 days a year where there isn’t a Commanders home game?
A: “I think it will be really activated as a community hub for the Capitol Hill neighborhood. People need outdoor space, and it’s going to be a great place for families. It’s going to have more amenities that people in Capitol Hill and Ward 7 can enjoy every day, like grocery stores, restaurants, places for their children to play. Maybe you say, ‘Hey, let’s ride our bike over to the Wharf, get a coffee. There’s a great bike shop there. We could walk along the river, maybe grab a kayak. And ‘Hey, we get to walk around the stadium. That’s really cool.’ You’ll have all these things for people to do and imagine.”
Q: What’s it been like working with the Commanders team on this project?
A: “It is really a remarkable team. I have never been on a project where the confidence and mutual respect between the city, the owners, the design team is so strong. It is all, ‘Roll up your sleeves’ for one goal and that is to bring the Commanders home. I think Andy [VanHorn] and Matt Haas with their particular experience in the city, their experience at [Washington Nationals] ballpark, are so knowledgeable.
There have been some really tough decisions and some really hard deadlines. It’s like dominoes that have to fall to get the stadium to open in 2030. One of the dominoes they’re just starting now is the enabling utility work to move a storm line around the stadium footprint, so that the construction can happen and everybody can still flush their toilet. It requires the city to go at a really expedited time frame for approvals through all the agencies to get that to happen.
And I just remember about two years ago, I think it was before Andy was on board, while it still looked like D.C. was not the likely choice for the stadium, I took the [Commanders] ownership team on a tour of RFK. It was freezing. And [Managing Partner] Josh Harris and Mitch Rales were like 12-year-old boys. I mean, their enthusiasm for the stadium and just kind of like excitement, it’s just contagious.”
Photos
Commanders.com
PHOTOS | In the lab for OTAs
The Washington Commanders were back on the field to continue Phase 2 of their offseason workout program. Check out the top photos from the practice
Podcasts & videos
Commanders’ 5th-Rd Pick Joshua Josephs Has ‘Something To Prove’ | Raise Hail With The Rookies | NFL
NFC East links
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys veteran finds new DC Christian Parker’s defense ‘annoying’
This could be considered the ultimate praise for Dallas’ new DC Christian Parker. To “annoy” one of the league’s best WRs at this point in the offseason, with organized team activities (OTAs) just getting underway, is definitely a positive sign things are heading in the right direction.
This could be considered further evidence that Christian Parker could be the man for the job. He’s been hyped up almost from the moment he put ink to paper replacing Matt Eberflus, and he has done nothing since then to lessen that belief. It’s truly encouraging Parker’s coverage disguises are “annoying” Lamb.
NFL.com
Tyler Guyton, Cowboys’ 2024 first-round pick, competing with Nathan Thomas for starting LT job
Coach Brian Schottenheimer said Thursday that Guyton and Nathan Thomas are in a competition for the starting left tackle job. The coach noted that the club needs to see more reliability from Guyton, with health being a concern as well.
“Tyler’s biggest thing is the consistency has not been there,” Schottenheimer said, via the team’s official website. “Very talented, maybe one of the most athletic big men I’ve ever been around with his ability to kick slide, punch, move, run. But there’s got to be more consistency, and that’s been the challenge that he’s been working extremely, extremely hard on.”
Guyton, the No. 29 overall pick in ’24, was immediately installed as the starting left tackle but struggled through ups and downs in his rookie campaign. His 2025 season was pockmarked by injury — a knee issue in training camp and a high ankle sprain that forced him onto injured reserve to end his campaign early.
Schottenheimer said the Cowboys plan “to make (Guyton) earn it” and that the competition is “going to get the best out of Tyler Guyton and Nate Thomas.”
Big Blue View
The NY Giants could be primed for a worst-to-first jump
The Giants have finished last in the NFC East in each of the last two years, similar to both the Patriots and Bears who were in last place in their respective divisions in 2023 and 2024 prior to their leap.
Unlike the Patriots, the Giants have the relative misfortune of playing in a division that could be highly competitive in 2026. The Eagles are just a season removed from winning the Super Bowl and the Commanders from playing for the NFC Championship. The Cowboys, meanwhile, always have a potent offense and have sunk considerable resources into rebuilding their defense.
However, there’s a good argument that the Giants have (significantly) underperformed their talent level in recent years.
There’s a good argument that the Giants probably should have finished as an eight or even nine-win team last year despite a brutal schedule. And considering one of those “shoulda-been” wins would have been over the Cowboys, the Giants would have finished with the second-best record in their division by two or three games. They face a schedule that looks to be easier this year, at least on paper, while accumulating more talent and getting big upgrades in coaching.
Big Blue View
Mailbag: Why so many injuries?
I am concerned since the Giants have had three season-ending injuries and we aren’t even to training camp yet. I know injuries are apart of football, but every year the Giants seem to be among the teams that suffer the most of them. Since it appears that the three injuries are Achilles tears, you have to wonder if it’s the field, player conditioning, intensity of the OTA’s, or just plain bad luck. What’s your take? Are other teams seeing these type injuries this spring?
Ed says: Karl, I don’t know if there is a single explanation for the rash of Achilles tears. It is weird, and concerning. None of these happened on the MetLife Stadium turf, let’s be clear about that. The Giants do not practice there.
One (Gunner Olszewski) happened on grass. One (Roy Robertson-Harris) happened on Field Turf in the indoor practice field. I don’t know for certain where the injury to undrafted cornerback Thaddeus Dixon occurred.
The training and medical staffs have changed — they change at least somewhat every time there is a coaching change. The Giants have been practicing on these same fields for years without anything like this happening. There is nothing unusual about the way the Giants are conducting OTAs. Hopefully, the Giants examine everything — footwear, the way they stretch, condition of the playing surfaces, anything else that might contribute.
I honestly don’t know if there is a real answer.
NFL league links
Articles
Pro Football Talk
Myles Garrett is the betting favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year
Myles Garrett won two NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Browns. He’s favored to win a third with the Rams.
Garrett, who was traded to the Rams this week, is a +450 favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. Garrett previously won the award in 2023 and 2025.
Lawrence Taylor, J. J. Watt and Aaron Donald are the only three-time Defensive Players of the Year. Garrett would be in elite company if he can join them.
Discussion topics
The Athletic (paywall)
Why Eagles are willing to wait until 2028 for A.J. Brown trade return
The Eagles traded A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Roseman said his requirement for making the deal was a first-round pick. But he was less insistent on what year that pick would come, and the Eagles see value in the uncertainty of a future pick.
“We’ve always been in the mindset a pick is a pick — a first-round pick is a first-round pick,” Roseman said. “Doesn’t matter. Teams are still going to be playing football in 2028.”
There’s a school of thought that a pick should be devalued one round for every year a team must wait. That’s not a philosophy to which the Eagles ever subscribed — even preceding Roseman’s time as GM, when former Eagles president Joe Banner helped oversee the roster. The Eagles have long targeted future picks in deals and have tried to capitalize on the notion that they’re worth less.
[S]uppose the Eagles made a trade for the Patriots’ 2026 first-round pick. That was pick No. 31 because the Patriots made the Super Bowl last season. The unknown of the 2028 pick is like playing the lottery — or, perhaps more aptly described, playing the odds. Unless the Patriots make or win the Super Bowl in 2027, the 2028 pick will be higher than it was in 2026. And there’s so much variability in the NFL — a quarterback injury, the record in one-score games — that there exists an avenue for the pick to push into the top half of the draft.
