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How Deebo Samuel became an instant hit in Washington
During a timeout before the Washington Commanders‘ final play from scrimmage Sunday, quarterback Jayden Daniels and receiver Deebo Samuel were seen on camera passing the time by rehearsing their touchdown
dance.
About a minute later, they were performing their skit in the end zone after Daniels connected with Samuel on a fourth-and-goal from the 8-yard line in Washington’s 27-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
That moment highlights the strong connection Samuel and Daniels have developed. And it’s one reason why Samuel is off to such a great start in his first season with Washington following an offseason trade from San Francisco.
Samuel, who was exchanged for a 2025 fifth-round pick, leads the Commanders (3-2) with 30 receptions, 300 yards and three touchdowns heading into Monday night’s game against the Chicago Bears (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC). No other Commander has more than 14 receptions or 149 yards. He has also rushed seven times for 46 yards.
Samuel is also averaging 36.8 yards on six kick returns, though with McLaurin and Brown sidelined he hasn’t returned kicks since Week 3.
It helps that Samuel is versatile, just as he was in San Francisco for six seasons. There are some differences, though: In Washington, he has run more routes out of the slot (72) than outside (35). With the 49ers last year, he ran 118 routes out of the slot and 223 outside. He’s also averaging just 1.4 carries per game, which would be the fewest since his rookie season of 2019.
Samuel has a target rate of 30.2% this season — the highest of his career and fifth among receivers who have run at least 100 routes. Last year it was 21.3%; his career best was 26.3% in 2021 when he also finished with a career-best 1,405 yards receiving.
Some of this stems from missing McLaurin and Brown, as well as third-down back Austin Ekeler, who is out for the year with a torn right Achilles. But even in the three games with McLaurin, Samuel’s target rate was 28% — and he led the team with 16 receptions.
Samuel is on pace for 1,176 yards from scrimmage, which would be the second most in his career. That is, if he plays a full season, which he has yet to do in his career. Still, he’s averaging 16 more yards per game than in 2024.
The Athletic (paywall)
The next McCaffrey brother is ‘just a football player,’ and he’s starting to turn heads
He arrived at Rice in 2021 and again competed for the starting job at quarterback. After nine games and three starts, he decided another change was needed — but not the school.
He asked to switch to receiver.
“For me, I really saw a difference in Luke when he came back,” said former Rice receivers coach Mike Kershaw, who is now the GM at Kennesaw State. “I think when he came in initially to take over the program to kind of be the so-called savior of the program by being the quarterback, he just had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Not to say that it weighed him down, but once he decided to make that change, he could just go be a football player, and I think that’s what he loved doing.”
But McCaffrey’s minimal experience at the position posed a new challenge to Kershaw. Hence, they started from the beginning, spending hours poring over game film of roughly 15 receivers who had a similar body size to McCaffrey. Cooper Kupp was the lead comp.
“There are a lot of great, athletic quarterbacks who can’t catch,” Kershaw said. “So you’re like, ‘Well, I hope he can catch.’ Obviously, that wasn’t a problem. … He probably burned out the JUGS machines at Rice several times because he was using them so much.”
Luke had about six months to morph into a receiver when most wideouts his age had years of experience learning the nuances of the position. His primary advantage, however, was his family.
“My dad helped a lot, my brother Max helped a lot,” Luke McCaffrey said. “I think they’ve been super instrumental. I mean, that’s the biggest blessing that I never earned.”
McCaffrey finished the 2022 season at Rice with 723 receiving yards and six touchdowns off a team-high 58 catches. The following season, he was voted first-team all American Athletic Conference after recording 992 receiving yards and a conference-best 13 touchdowns. He was also a team captain.
Washington Post (paywall)
With Jayden Daniels, the extraordinary seems fairly likely
Daniels was out for two weeks, during which his Washington Commanders went 1-1. He returned Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, and an entire league remembered: “Oh, yeah. He can do that.”
Daniels’s return to the lineup reassured his team and his town that he is nothing short of an elixir. He will take the field Monday night against the Chicago Bears, the team he beat a year ago this month with the ultimate he-can-do-that play, a walk-off Hail Mary at Northwest Stadium.
Daniels hasn’t played his best football of 2025. Not close. He hasn’t thrown for even 250 yards in a game. He hasn’t run for a touchdown. His start against the Chargers mimicked that of his team. He looked rusty.
“One of the statistics that we look at that directly correlates with winning is explosive plays,” second-year wide receiver Luke McCaffrey said. “When you have someone like him, it’s always a threat and it’s always a possibility. And not just that: It happens quite a bit.”
On any given play, Daniels could do just about anything. That’s as a passer. It’s also as a runner. They’re related.
That ability has changed Washington’s offense from one of the least explosive in the league to one of the most. In the four-season Ron Rivera era that immediately preceded Daniels’s arrival, Washington managed 10 plays of 50 or more yards in 67 regular season games. During that 2020-23 span, only New England had fewer, according to Pro Football Reference. In the 22 regular season games of Daniels’s career — which include the two September games started by Mariota — Washington has 11 plays of at least 50 yards, or one every other game. Only Baltimore has more, with 12.
Commanders.com
Smoot: Dorance Armstrong ‘gets after the passer relentlessly’
“Nobody gives him [Armstrong] respect,” Smoot said. “He gets after the passer relentlessly all the time. At one point, we’re going to have to give this man his props.”
Leading the team in sacks this season, Armstrong made an impact in the Week 5 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers with two sacks on quarterback Justin Herbert. He’s in his eighth season in the league and second with Washington.
Armstrong currently ranks in the top five in the NFL for sacks. He’s tied for second among names like New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns and New Orleans Saints defensive end Josh Sweat.
“This guy, he’s a top-tier pass rusher. He’s starting to be that,” Smoot said.
Heavy.com
John Bates : Logs full practice Friday
Bates (shoulder) was a full participant in Friday’s practice. Bates likely tweaked his shoulder during the Commanders’ Week 5 win over the Chargers. He opened the week as a limited practice participant Thursday, but his ability to participate without restrictions Friday indicates that he should be good to go against the Bears on Monday. Bates played 41 snaps (30 on offense, 11 on special teams) and caught his first pass of the regular season for nine yards in Week 5.
Riggo’s Rag
David Raih is one of the many under-the-radar assistants helping the Commanders
Raih’s name probably wasn’t familiar to many fans. However, he was very well known to Washington’s new offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury.
He was one of the assistants that Kingsbury tried to hire in Arizona when he became the Cardinals’ head coach in 2019. Raih served as their wide receivers’ coach for two years before accepting the offensive coordinator job at Vanderbilt.
Tight end coaches typically have backgrounds either in coaching offensive lines or wide receivers. Despite his youth, Raih offered both.
The former college quarterback had served as both a line coach and a receivers coach with the Green Bay Packers for five years before joining Kingsbury in Arizona. Raih even held the title of offensive perimeter coach for one season – something I have never seen before.
Raih had left the Cardinals by the time Zach Ertz arrived, but during his first season in Washington, he helped the veteran have his best year since 2021. That may have as much to do with the Pro Bowler’s ability to stay healthy as anything his coach provided. With a veteran, it’s always unclear how much a position coach really helps.
But in his second season with the Commanders, Raih’s work with the younger tight ends is beginning to pay dividends. It isn’t yet apparent on the stat sheet, but anyone watching the games can see the improvement.
John Bates had looked like a promising young blocking tight end with the ability to make a few catches during his rookie season. But his progress since 2021 had stalled. It was not even certain that he would retain a roster spot under the new regime.
This season, Bates has returned to form. Despite an injury that has cost him a couple of games, he once again looks like a dominant blocker who can still serve as the occasional safety valve for Jayden Daniels. He is now looking like the closest thing Washington has seen to franchise legend Donnie Warren in several decades.
Commanders Wire
Bears to get star defender back for Monday night vs. Commanders
Chicago’s defense could get some major help against the Commanders and Daniels. Cornerback Kyler Gordon said he will be back in the lineup on Monday night. Gordon, the 25-year-old fourth-year cornerback, is considered one of the NFL’s better slot/nickel corners. He has yet to play this season, as he suffered a hamstring injury in training camp.
Johnson explained what he’ll bring to the Bears’ defense.
“Shoot, hopefully it allows us to unlock a few things on defense,” Johnson said, via Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire. “He’s one of the bigger playmakers. I’ve got a lot of experience being on the opposing sideline from him and [have] a ton of respect of how he can impact a game. There’s only a handful of nickels in this league that you really have to account for, both as a coverage player but also as a guy who likes to be nosy in the run game, and could be part of the solution for us here in shoring up our run game as well.”
A to Z Sports
Thinking out loud: The Commanders could trade Brandon Coleman
I didn’t expect to be saying this after the first few weeks of the 2025 season, but there’s a strong possibility Brandon Coleman won’t be a Commander by the time the trade deadline approaches.
He made the move from left tackle to left guard going into his second season, and it didn’t go well at all. In fact, he was benched after just two games, and he’s been a healthy scratch since. Chris Paul took over and has been flawless. There’s no reason for Coleman to just be inactive when the Commanders have options.
Coleman was a third-round pick in 2024, and some teams might be willing to take a swing on him. He has the versatility teams need, with the ability to play tackle and guard. Coleman’s rookie contract is also enticing for a team and leaves no financial burden on the Commanders.
I already mentioned how Paul is the starter at left guard now, but the Commanders are getting right guard Sam Cosmi back as soon as this week or next, which makes the trade even easier. The Commanders would still have Andrew Wylie and Nick Allegretti as depth pieces, and Coleman would continue to be inactive.
Coleman is healthy and under a rookie contract until 2028, and teams need premium positions like offensive linemen. We’ve already seen Cam Robinson be traded from the Houston Texans to the Cleveland Browns after he was inactive. The Commanders should reach out to the Cincinnati Bengals, who are already buyers, the Tennessee Titans, and the Houston Texans as teams that need help on the offensive line.
The Commanders could get a late fifth-round pick for Coleman, or add their seventh-round pick for better compensation. They have a first, a third, a fifth, two sixths, and a seventh-rounder. The trade for Laremy Tunsil took the second and fourth round picks for 2026, but they also got the extra sixth from the Brian Robinson Jr. trade.
Commanders general manager Adam Peters is known to make moves before the trade deadline, like he did last season when he traded for corner Marshon Lattimore, and it shouldn’t be surprising if he is active once again.
Podcasts & videos
Javon Kinlaw on Commanders’ Defense & Bears on Primetime + Mark Moseley’s MVP SZN 🏈🔥 | Next Man Up
Commanders’ Bill Croskey-Merritt “The journey has been good” | The Player’s Club | NFL
COMMANDERS SQUAD | MNF vs. Bears BREAKDOWN | Jayden Daniels & Washington Ready for Primetime
NFC East links
The Athletic (paywall)
Eagles face harsh reality after humiliating loss to the Giants
“We’re just not very good right now,” right tackle Lane Johnson said.
Johnson seemed to be discussing the running game in particular, although it could be said about the entire team. The Eagles are a legitimate Super Bowl contender brimming with unrealized potential, yet there’s nothing they’re especially good at after six weeks. Their offense is inconsistent. Their defense displayed vulnerabilities. And even those intangible areas that coach Nick Sirianni emphasizes — his motto is “tough, detailed, together” — are falling short of the standard.
They were not the tougher team. They were not the more detailed team.
Time will tell whether they’re together.
“I don’t think we played our brand of football or coached our brand of football today,” Sirianni said.
Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription)
Lane Johnson calls out predictability of Eagles offense. Can Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo
Something needs to change with the Eagles on their mini-bye, even if the solution may not come specifically on the ground.
Asked what’s wrong with the run game, Johnson’s initial answer was brief: “A lot.” But he uncharacteristically made a public suggestion for Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
“I don’t know if we’re predictable, but it seems a lot harder than what it needs to be,” he said late Thursday night. “Maybe moving forward have a little bit more variety, hitting the perimeter some and doing a little bit more of that.”
Johnson used predictable, or some variant of the word, three other times during his postgame interview at MetLife Stadium. It’s a term often used for offenses that have gotten obvious. Johnson was around when it became the buzz word for the ineffectiveness of former coach Chip Kelly’s scheme.
Big Blue View
NFL investigating the Giants’ application of the concussion protocol
The NFL has initiated a review of how the Giants applied the NFL’s concussion protocol with respect to quarterback Jaxson Dart.
In particular, the review seems to stem from Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll and RB Cam Skattebo ducking into the blue medical tent while Dart was undergoing the protocol.
As Dan Duggan of The Athletic explained at the time, the local media was taken on a tour of the facilities and explicitly told that coaches aren’t allowed in the tent.
The NFL and Players’ Association have made a concerted effort to cut teams out of the process of clearing players of brain injuries. The temptation is there to put players back into games if an injury isn’t readily apparent, and that can quickly lead to life-altering injuries. By leaning on independent professionals, the NFL and NFLPA hope to remove the temptation to put players at undue risk.
Giants joint owner John Mara issued a statement Friday afternoon, saying that the team will cooperate fully with the investigation and review.
Big Blue View
‘Things I think’: Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo might be leading Giants out of the wilderness
In rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo the Giants might — finally — have the players not only with the talent but with the attitude, energy and will to pull them up from the depths and set them back on a better course.
That was certainly the case on Thursday night when the Giants, 1-4 and coming off a loss to the previously winless New Orleans Saints, defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Check that. The Giants not only beat the Eagles, they demoralized them in a shocking 34-17 beatdown.
Players who have been through some of the recent losing seasons with the Giants, and the public flogging from the media and the fan base that has come with it, recognize what the dynamic rookie duo bring to the table.
“Their energy is contagious – Skatt and Dart, they’re playing fearless. And that’s something I really respect,” edge defender Brian Burns, who has played the best football of any Giants defender this season, said after Thursday’s game. “I hope that as they get older, they age well in this league and they’re going to make more calculated decisions. But right now? Hey man, balls to the wall.”
Cor’Dale Flott, who made one of the biggest plays of the game with a fourth-quarter interception that he returned 69 yards to set up the Giants’ final touchdown, also used the word “contagious” when talking about Dart and Skattebo.
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys near bottom of league in 4th down go percentage
It’s kind of interesting tidbit on Schotty’s tendencies. I’m not sure if it’s a firm philosophy on his part or just showing some nerves as a first time HC. Given how well the offense is performing, and how many struggles the defense has had, I’m a little surprised. Sample size is still small, so I will probably check back on this stat later in the year.
You can see a full breakdown of each 4th down call at rbsdm
Upcoming opponent
Windy City Gridiron
Fan Confidence in the Bears drops with the Commanders game looming
After Chicago Bears fans checked in with a season high 88% confidence in the direction of the franchise last week, this week saw a slight dip from our fans to 81%. The Bears are coming off a bye, so there’s no loss that cut into the results. They’re also relatively healthier off the bye week, so there should be no angst over injuries.
So why the dip?
My guess is it’s a preemptive negative vote from fans expecting a poor Monday night performance against the Washington Commanders.
Which is certainly possible. The Commanders are favored in the game, they are coming off of an NFC Championship game appearance last season, and they are a win away from having a share of the NFC East lead.
On paper, this will be a tough matchup for the Bears because what Chicago is really bad at (stopping the run) plays into the strength of what Washington does really well (run the ball).
The revenge factor has been played up quite a bit because of the Hail Mary and how that game torpedoed the Bears’ 2024 season, but there’s another revenge factor that may come into play.
The Commanders ended the 2024 season of the Detroit Lions with a 45 to 31 win in the Divisional round, which has to sting for Bears head coach Ben Johnson, who was Detroit’s offensive coordinator, as well as current Chicago assistants and former Lion staffers J.T. Barrett and Antwaan Randle El.
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NFL Week 6 picks, predictions, schedule, odds, fantasy tips
Cowboys at Panthers
1 p.m. ET | Fox | Matchup rating: 43.5/100
ESPN BET: DAL -3.5 (49.5 O/U)
What we’re hearing on the Cowboys: Panthers RB Rico Dowdle said his former team is going to have to “buckle up” on Sunday. It’s a comment that the Cowboys are very well aware of. Although the Dallas run defense has improved, it ranks 23rd in the league and is allowing 4.4 yards per carry. “It’s going to be a battle in the trenches for sure,” DT Kenny Clark said. “Trenches going to win this game.” — Todd Archer
What we’re hearing on the Panthers: Buckle up. That has been the mantra since Dowdle said the Cowboys better be ready for a physical game after rushing for 206 yards against Miami. The same could be true for Carolina, as it faces the league’s No. 1 offense with an improving defense that still struggles to pressure the quarterback and cover tight ends. — David Newton
Stat to know: The Cowboys are the only team in the NFL this season scoring and allowing 30.0 points per game. They are the first team to do that through five games of the season since the 2021 Chiefs. — ESPN Research
Bears at Commanders
8:15 p.m. ET | ABC | Matchup rating: 60.6/100
ESPN BET: WSH -4.5 (50.5 O/U)
What we’re hearing on the Bears: Lost in the chaos of Washington beating Chicago on a tipped Hail Mary pass last season was QB Caleb Williams leading what would’ve been a game-winning drive in the two-minute drill. That’s an area where Williams shines the most, and the last impression of him and the offense before the bye was him marching his team down the field in Las Vegas to take the lead back. “[Williams] lives in that world,” WR DJ Moore said. “If he could get in that world and play off-schedule and two-minute mode, it’s tough. We’re just playing off of him and going out there and playing backyard football with him.” — Courtney Cronin
What we’re hearing on the Commanders: The pregame storyline will involve QB Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary pass that beat Chicago last season, but it’ll be Washington’s run game that could make the difference this time. Washington leads the NFL with 156.4 yards rushing per game and 5.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Chicago ranks 31st in rushing yards allowed per game (164.5) and last in average per carry (6.1). The Commanders use a varied rush attack, but rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt has started to emerge with a career-best 111 yards in Week 5. “He just has to keep working to become a complete back, but since day one when [he] touches the ball, he does good things with it,” offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said. — John Keim
Stat to know: This is the first starting QB matchup in “Monday Night Football” history between the top two picks from the same draft class. (Williams was taken No. 1 by the Bears, and Daniels was taken No. 2 by the Commanders.) — ESPN Research
Injuries: Bears | Commanders
Betting nugget: The Bears are 8-15 ATS in their past 23 games as a road underdog. This is their 31st consecutive road game as an underdog, the longest active streak in the NFL. Read more. — ESPN Research
Maldonado’s pick: Commanders 23, Bears 14
Moody’s pick: Commanders 31, Bears 28
Walder’s pick: Bears 40, Commanders 28
FPI prediction: WSH, 65.3% (by an average of 5.9 points)
