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Terry McLaurin watches as Commanders close preseason with a thud
After he didn’t attend Monday night’s preseason game with an excused absence in the midst of a months-long contract dispute, McLaurin arrived at Northwest Stadium on Saturday morning.
In a black hoodie with a Louis Vuitton backpack over his shoulder, McLaurin strolled through the tunnel a few minutes after 9 a.m. as Commanders players and coaches trickled into their locker room. Wearing burgundy, team-issued sweats, he stood in the end zone during pregame warmups, chatting
with linebacker Bobby Wagner. He ambled down the sideline and stood near midfield, watching warmups.
It’s unclear what, if anything, McLaurin’s presence means for his contract negotiations. McLaurin has not spoken publicly since mid-July, when he told reporters at a local commercial shoot that he could not see himself stepping on the field without a contract extension. Whether McLaurin would stick to that vow with a game check on the line remains an open question.
Sam Hartman’s rough training camp ended on another sour note: Hartman directed Washington’s offense to three points in the first half, the same number of turnovers he committed. One pass was tipped and fluttered into the hands of Ravens defensive back Jalyn Armour-Davis. Near the end of the first half, he floated an out route directly to cornerback Keyon Martin, who returned it 26 yards for a pick-six. After Washington got the ball back, Hartman gave it away yet again when the ball slipped out of his hands as he attempted a throw while trying to squeeze through a hole in the middle of the line.
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In roughly three full halves this preseason, Hartman produced a rugged stat line: 25 for 46, 207 passing yards, no touchdowns, four interceptions, one fumble and six rushes for 40 yards. The Commanders may keep Hartman on the practice squad partly because he has a great relationship with Daniels. But it was a tough summer. …
The Athletic (paywall)
Commanders 53-man roster: Final projection includes four running backs
Here’s the cold reality of the NFL: The majority of players who suited up for the Washington Commanders in their preseason finale on Saturday will be gone in three days, if not sooner.
The league’s deadline to trim rosters to 53 players is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, making Washington’s 30-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens the final tryout in a months-long evaluation process. Thirty-two players — almost all of whom are locks to be on the initial active roster — were held out of the game to ensure those clawing for roster spots got ample reps.
So who showed enough to make it? Here’s one last crack at projecting the Commanders’ first roster — one that will likely change before the season opener on Sept. 7 against the New York Giants.
Tight ends (4)
Zach Ertz, John Bates, Ben Sinnott, Colson Yankoff
The only thing that changed with this group from last year is Bates’ pay. He landed a new three-year deal in the offseason because the team views him much like Ertz does — as the best blocking tight end in the NFL.
“Tight ends in general — if we hold our spot at the point of attack, it’s typically a win in the NFL,” Ertz explained. “John Bates is one of the few guys that can dominate people at the line of scrimmage and move them from one place to another.”
Yankoff gets the fourth spot, despite a couple of mistakes on special teams in the preseason. He’s possibly one of the most complete athletes on the team — he started his career as a quarterback, played running back and receiver in college, and only started playing tight end when he signed with the Commanders as an undrafted free agent. Yankoff got just six snaps on offense last season but could land more this year (did you see his 52-yard catch and run against Baltimore?) Plus, he may not clear waivers if the team lets him go.
Continuing to develop him and Sinnott to begin to prepare for a future without Ertz is critical.
Offensive line (10)
LT Laremy Tunsil, LG Brandon Coleman, C Tyler Biadasz, RT Josh Conerly Jr., T/G Andrew Wylie, T George Fant, G Nick Allegretti, G Chris Paul, C Michael Deiter, T Trent Scott
Injured reserve: Sam Cosmi
Quinn held out hope late in training camp that Cosmi would still have a chance to be available for the season opener after undergoing ACL surgery in January. But the veteran guard spent all of camp and preseason on the physically unable to perform list, keeping him from doing anything on the field with the rest of the team.
Thanks to the NFL’s rule change last year that allows teams to place two players on IR while the roster is formed and designate them to return after at least four games, Cosmi can get more time to recover while the team uses his roster spot.
The bottom of this list is where tougher decisions were made. Fant signed late in camp and brings plenty of experience to help in a reserve role. Paul transformed his physique and played well in camp, earning unsolicited praise from Quinn for his versatility. Deiter gets the edge as the backup center because he has more experience than Nick Harris, who signed late in camp. And Scott gets the final spot because of his versatility and experience in the offense (he is my final addition after cutting Johnson).
ESPN
NFL preseason Week 3: 53-man roster projections, game analysis
Washington Commanders
Week 3 result: Ravens 30, Commanders 3
If Washington keeps three quarterbacks, Saturday’s outing for Sam Hartman did not help him at all. Hartman struggled for a third preseason game. He played the entire first half vs. Baltimore, completing 12 of 17 passes for 114 yards and two interceptions — including a pick-six. Most of his completions were behind the line, and his throws to the outside lacked zip. The question becomes whether or not Washington keeps 38-year-old Josh Johnson, who was better than Hartman but also threw three interceptions this summer.
A lot comes down to how the team feels about backup Marcus Mariota’s Achilles tendinitis that sidelined him for most of the past three weeks. Mariota returned to practice last week. — John Keim
Commanders.com
Instant analysis | Commanders prepare for roster cut downs after 30-3 loss to Ravens
Most of the Commanders’ starters and key players on both sides of the field were ruled out before kickoff, as has become the norm for the final preseason game. As a result, Sam Hartman started in the finale with offensive linemen trying to either make the second group or practice squad and receivers hoping to earn the sixth spot on the depth chart.
Washington’s lone points of the game — a 47-yard kick by Gay — was sandwiched between frustrating drives from the offense. Hartman threw his first interception of the day on a pass intended for KJ Osborn that was tipped at the line of scrimmage; Demetric Felton went backwards on a fourth-down run; Hartman’s second interception turned into points for the Ravens with less than two minutes left; and Hartman fumbled the ball while scrambling to avoid pressure.
Yankoff’s 52-yard reception, which lead to Washington’s only points on the day, was the lone bright spot for the afternoon, as the offense, led by Hartman and Josh Johnson both struggled. The two quarterbacks combined for four turnovers, one of which was returned for a touchdown. The pick, thrown by Hartman, was the second interception from the quarterback in the final minutes of the first half.
Washington Post (paywall)
New offensive additions will expand Kliff Kingsbury’s scheme
The Commanders parted with a bundle of draft picks over the offseason to acquire left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wideout Deebo Samuel. Both players arrived in excellent condition and enjoyed standout training camps. The Commanders added more than star-level talent. They brought in players whose skill sets will multiply Kingsbury’s play-calling menu.
Last season, the Commanders often had to use chip blocks or keep a running back in to help Brandon Coleman at left tackle. They can rely on Tunsil to block edge rushers one-on-one, allowing tight ends and backs to release into receiving patterns more quickly, an advantage Jayden Daniels can exploit with his rapid processing ability.
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“He’s a great player at a position where they don’t grow guys on trees like that,” tight end Zach Ertz said of Tunsil. “He’s a guy that you don’t necessarily need to help in terms of a chip or an extra hand in protection. He can handle one side by himself, and you really don’t have to worry about help. If you’re not helping, you can get that guy out into the play and draw some more coverage. We want to play fast, and we don’t want to have to protect the edges all the time. He’s a guy you don’t really need to worry about. I knew how good of a pass blocker he was, but his run fit game is just as impressive. I’m excited to play with him. Phenomenal player. Phenomenal person.”
Commanders Wire
Commanders vs. Ravens preseason Week 3 Player of the Game: Rookie LB Ale Kaho
The game’s outcome made it tough to select a player of the game, but linebacker Ale Kaho stood out as one player who clearly wanted to be noticed on Saturday.
Kaho is an undrafted free agent out of UCLA who signed with the Commanders in the hopes of earning a spot on the team. He was second among Commanders’ defenders with seven tackles (six solo) and one tackle for a loss.
The space behind the starting linebackers is pretty wide open, and the Commanders tend to rotate their defenders pretty regularly throughout the game. There’s room for depth, and Kaho made a pretty convincing argument to keep him on the team when roster cuts come this Tuesday. It wasn’t a pretty game for the Commanders, but Kaho made the most of the time he was given. Ale Kaho helped himself this preseason, especially on Saturday.
Podcasts & videos
Preseason Wrap-Up: Who Helped Themselves Entering Final Cuts? | John Keim Report
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Bleeding Green Nation
Hogs Haven is so delusional
I mean holy. Jayden Daniels is for sure not a top 10 player in the ENTIRE NFL and also our offensive line is not stuggling [sic]. Im [sic] sorry our thrid [sic] string lineman arent [sic] jordan mailata [sic] but making stuff up to feel good about yourselves is real loser behavior. The commanders [sic] are gonna get an 8-9 record and its [sic] gonna be glorious
Please share your complaints with the rest of us
Blogging the Boys / ESPN
Cowboys news: Brian Schottenheimer, Micah Parsons to meet after sideline behavior
Micah Parsons’ lay down at the Falcons game is causing an issue.
Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said he will meet with Micah Parsons on Sunday to discuss the edge rusher’s behavior during Friday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Early in the third quarter, Parsons — who again did not play as he seeks a contract extension — was lying on a medical table behind the Cowboys’ bench as the offense drove down the field. He was also the only player not to wear a jersey during the game.
Schottenheimer said the team will handle a decision about Parsons’ future internally.
“Without talking to Micah, I need to figure out what he was doing and why he was doing it,” Schottenheimer said on a conference call Saturday. “So, until I talk to him, I’m obviously not going to talk about it.”
Parsons had an MRI on his back Friday, and Schottenheimer said it came back “pretty clean.” Parsons first talked about back tightness at the minicamp in June. However, in training camp, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones seemed to dismiss the severity of the issue, calling it part of the negotiation for a contract extension, similar to Parsons’ trade request.
Big Blue View
Will the fun stop for the New York Giants now that the season is really starting?
The Giants had a lot of fun throughout the preseason. They went 3-0. They scored at least 30 points in all three victories. They outscored the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and New England Patriots 107-47.
There were moon balls and pick sixes to celebrate, and an impressive rookie quarterback to drool over.
Yes, a good time was had by all in the Giants universe.
Even the talking heads are suddenly excited about the Giants.
None of it counts for anything, though. The games that matter begin Sept. 7 in Landover, Md. against the Washington Commanders. A brutal schedule considered measurements of both opponents’ 2024 win percentage and 2025 expected win percentage as the toughest in football awaits.
I asked Giants head coach Brian Daboll on Friday if we could expect to see all those good vibes carry over into the regular season. He said that it “doesn’t really matter.”
Daboll underst ands the 3-0 preseason record, fancy statistics in generated and the good feelings the Giants created in August will be forgotten next month if things don’t go well at the beginning of the season.
Washington Post (paywall)
Jerry Jones, a titan in twilight, will keep things messy until the end
The Cowboys owner is at the center of a new Netflix documentary and the Micah Parsons drama, a situation largely of his making.
He would rather fail than try another way. Such audacity made him, but the stubbornness that comes with it paralyzed him. Still, he’s Jerry, folksy with an iron fist. Call him by his first name, but don’t get too comfortable. He’s a boss in black and white.
In his current spin through the news cycle, Jones is at his best and worst. He shines in the new Netflix documentary series “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys,” which focuses mostly on the glorious beginnings of his 36 years running the signature NFL franchise. Jones is entertaining and glib. He brushes against remorse and humility, ultimately returning to defiance.
[I]n the never-ending Cowboys soap opera that he perpetuates, there’s bigger news: the contract dispute between Jones and superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons. It’s a wild experience to watch an eight-part documentary filled with the owner’s past obstinance, only to return to more of his foolishness in the present.
The fight with Parsons gets uglier by the day because Jones won’t shut his mouth. He refuses to work with Parsons’s agent, David Mulugheta.Jones wants the private conversation he had with Parsons about an offer to stand as gospel. Instead of making progress on a new deal, Jones is negotiating through the media. He’s making the rounds: Fox News, the podcast of former Cowboy Michael Irvin, “The Stephen A. Smith Show.”
It’s bigger than a fight about money now. Jones wants to box out one of the most influential young agents in sports. He sounds like an 82-year-old man tired of playing by the rules and attempting to force a rewrite. He’s not watching his words, either. He’s saying exactly what he means.
[T]he owner won’t relinquish his general manager title, and football changes too much for one man to build a roster with unchecked power. So the progressive moneymaker also comes with a regressive mindset that keeps holding the Cowboys back.
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Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell suffered fractured wrist in preseason finale, expected to be out 6-8 weeks
Las Vegas might be in the market for a backup quarterback following their preseason finale.
Aidan O’Connell suffered a fractured right wrist on Saturday night and he is expected to be out six to eight weeks, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll announced after the team’s 20-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
O’Connell’s injury is a big blow for Las Vegas, especially with the regular season fast approaching. The third-year QB has plenty of starting experience and is thought to be a solid backup behind Geno Smith, who was acquired via trade this offseason.
It’s unlikely the Raiders will feel comfortable with a Miller filling that role, and the club will only have a short amount of time finding a temporary replacement.
Veteran Carson Wentz is the most notable free-agent QB currently on the market, but that could change in the coming days with teams needing to cut down to 53 players by Aug. 26. A trade could also be a viable option for Las Vegas.
