The Daily Slop – 9 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
Riggo’s Rag
Don’t forget about Tyler Owens in the Commanders’ defensive overhaul
There will also be some adjustments to the Commanders’ safety room. For one player who fans have been clamoring to see in a consistent role, this could finally be his big chance.
The Commanders’ defensive backfield still isn’t exactly a strength, with significant
trust placed in young cornerbacks Mike Sainristil and Trey Amos. Washington also signed Amik Robertson and Ahkello Witherspoon to provide depth.
Owens received some cult hype as an undrafted free agent over the 2024 offseason, making Washington’s 53-man roster and appearing in 12 games as a rookie. He has mostly contributed on special teams throughout his two-year career, but it hasn’t stopped fans from screaming to give him a proper chance.
From the sound of it, that chance might come in 2026 — just not necessarily at safety.
With Sainristil moving back to the outside cornerback position, where he probably belongs, Robertson figures to be Washington’s starting nickel. The team will need others to step in occasionally, and Jones has been experimenting with both Owens and Martin taking reps in the slot.
It’s an intriguing dynamic that will have fans paying close attention to how it unfolds.
Pro Football Focus
Ranking the most valuable non-first-round NFL Draft picks since 2016
17. WR Terry McLaurin, WashingtonCommanders
Pick 76 in 2019
The lone consistent force on Washington’s offense for a considerable period, McLaurin has haunted defensive coordinators throughout the bulk of his career.
Since 2019, the Ohio State alum is eighth in WAR at the position, and his 91.0 PFF receiving grade sits 14th. While his game is well-rounded, McLaurin’s best asset could be his contested catch ability — where he leads the league with 114 since 2019.
McLaurin’s slight inconsistency and injuries, coupled with his higher draft slot than Nacua and St. Brown, ding his candidacy a bit. Still, he’s returned outstanding value for the Commanders by playing his whole career in the DMV.
Commanders Roundtable
TE Chig Okonkwo Can Be Weapon “In Space” In Commanders Offense
[A]fter suffering through inconsistent quarterback play before Cam Ward showed signs of becoming part of the next wave of young quarterbacks during his rookie season, Okonkwo headed to free agency looking for a team that could maximize his touches. For a team like Washington that was in dire need of adding an athletic, YAC machine at a position lacking a true receiving threat, Okonkwo pointed to the Commanders as the best fit with a chance to thrive in David Blough’s new offense.
“That’s the plan for me is to take that next step of my career and becoming the player that I know I can be,” Okonkwo said after OTA practice this week. “I feel like this is definitely the place to do it.”
Where Okonkwo thrives is in space, a plus for the one time University of Maryland star who led all tight ends at the NFL scouting combine after posting a 4.52 seconds in the 40 yard dash, joining former college and new Washington teammatepn9j0 Nick Cross to lead their position in the drill. Okonkwo also ranked top-40 in the NFL and ninth among all tight ends with 342 receiving yards after contact in his final season with the Titans, but that number could blow past that after admitting, “the offense is designed to give us space,” where Okonkwo thrives. He also proved himself to be a dependable receiving threat after catching at least 70% of his targets in each of the last three seasons after reeling in 69.6% as a rookie.
Commanders.com
Commanders players love ‘flexibility’ in new offense
Of the changes that coaches and players have been open about — it’s a limited list of topics — putting Daniels under center and making calls in a more traditional huddle have been the most obvious differences. It’s an older style of formation that isn’t used as often in modern offenses. Daniels, for example, rarely ran plays under center during his first two NFL seasons and even less so in college at LSU. Right tackle Josh Conerly, who is used to the more common fast-paced, no-huddle style in college, said that the last time he was in an offense that huddled up before a play might have been during his little league years.
Despite the lack of familiarity with players on the roster, there are clear advantages that the Commanders think will expand their playbook, particularly with play-action passes. It provides more convincing fake handoffs for linebackers to consider, which should give Daniels more time to find options when combined with his ability to scramble. The Commanders utilized play-action passes at a lower rate than almost any team in the league, according to Pro Football Reference, ranking 27th in number of pla- action pass attempts but closer to league average in yards gained off such plays.
Players like Daniels and Sam Cosmi acknowledged that it’s a significant departure from previous years, but they shrugged off any perceived difficulty with adjusting to the change. Daniels knew the change would come at some point in his career, so he’s been practicing taking snaps under center on his own to prepare for it.
A to Z Sports
Brandon Aiyuk is a ticking time bomb and continues to give the Commanders every reason to avoid adding him to the roster
At this point, Aiyuk is nearly as toxic as it gets and will be a headache for any team.
I mean, think about it. He’s already going to have to rework his contract if someone dares trade for him, which is unrealistic, at this point. So, once he’s released, no one is going to want to sign him to a big-money deal.
That will immediately create friction with Aiyuk, who stands to make $27 million in cash, this year. Add his decision-making, judgement, and character into the fold and it’s easy to see how it could create a slippery slope that ends in a similar fashion to what we’re seeing, now.
And honestly, who wants this guy on their team, long-term, right now? Aiyuk’s next deal will likely be a one-year contract with incentives attached.
In that case, what happens if his new team struggles on offense, for whatever reason, and keeps him from hitting his incentives? Who knows how that’d get handled both internally and externally. But the odds say Aiyuk will find some way to stir up trouble in this hypothetical.
There are just way too many cons, at this point. Frankly, there aren’t any pros, either, because we don’t even know if Aiyuk can still play football at a high level.
If the 49ers can’t work out a trade, they will eventually release Aiyuk. However, if they wait until the final cuts as Keim suggested San Francisco might, that would mean Washington could not sign Aiyuk until late August. The Commanders open their season on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, September 13.
Should San Francisco ultimately cut Aiyuk, Spotrac projects his one-year market value in 2026 at $12.3 million.
Photos
Commanders.com
PHOTOS | Week 2 of OTAs in the books
The Washington Commanders were back on the field for the second week of OTAs. Here are some of the best shots from their practice last Tuesday.
Podcasts & videos
A quick masterclass on a Daronte Jones’ defense
NFC East links
Big Blue View
Was Jaxson Dart more lucky than good as a rookie?
let’s just focus on his passing, because you just can’t be an elite quarterback in the NFL if you’re not elite throwing the ball. Part of how you look at Dart, or any other quarterback, is about hard stats, such as touchdown passes and interceptions. In that regard, Dart was ordinary as a rookie: 15 TDs in 12 starts. On the other hand, he only had 5 interceptions.
As the old saying goes, I’d rather be lucky than good. The problem is that luck is not sustainable. Mark Chichester of Pro Football Focus has done a study on that. PFF, like every other football statistics organization, of course tracks interceptions. PFF does something else, though, that is just as interesting – it tracks turnover-worthy plays (TWPs), i.e., thrown balls that should reasonably have been intercepted but weren’t. (Turnover-worthy plays can also occur in other ways, e.g., fumbles, but the analysis here is just about passes.)
The flip side of TWPs is another PFF statistic, big-time throws (BTTs), which PFF reserves for passes thrown accurately and with good timing into tight windows, usually well downfield, whether they were caught or not. (Looking at you, Darius Slayton and Theo Johnson.) This post is about the TWPs, but just for perspective, here are the TWPs vs. BTTs for the primary starting quarterbacks in the NFL last season:
For what it’s worth, Dart is in fairly good company in this diagram, with a pretty good BTT rate despite a middling at best TWP rate. He’s close to the Super Bowl-winning Sam Darnold. Tyler Shough, who some people claim was better as a rookie than Dart, did indeed have a much smaller TWP rate, but he had about half the BTT rate that Dart had.
ESPN
2026 NFL minicamp live updates: Giants open up the offense
It’s important to remember when watching the Giants this spring that, in a way, this is similar to Jaxson Dart’s rookie season. The second-year quarterback is still in the process of learning a new offense.
At times, it looks that way. There are ups and downs as a result. After Dart hit rookie WR Malachi Fields for a deep touchdown early, the Giants’ offense struggled most of the first minicamp practice on Monday. Dart later threw an interception on a deep pass intended for an open Darnell Mooney that hung in the air too long, and then the offense stalled in red zone and two-minute drills.
The Giants aren’t concerned, especially considering star wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo were among the players missing in team drills.
“I think [Dart’s] adjusting really well,” coach John Harbaugh said. “He looks good. I love his competitiveness. He wants to be perfect every play.
“It’s a work in progress all the time. It’s still fairly early. But the clock is ticking. In [a] team meeting, we started the team meeting off with ‘September’ by Earth, Wind & Fire. September is right around the corner. So that’s what we’re preparing for.”
By then the Giants hope Nabers, fellow wide receiver Darius Slayton and Skattebo are ready. Skattebo was a limited participant in practice Monday at minicamp for the first time since his gruesome ankle injury less than eight months ago.
NFL league links
Articles
ESPN
QB coach: Falcons won’t have QB1 battle until Penix fully healthy
Van Pelt said he believes there cannot be a true competition between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. until Penix is able to do all the things in practice that Tagovailoa can do. Penix is recovering from left ACL surgery in November and has yet to be cleared for 11-on-11 team sessions.
Penix has been at practice, though. He has been doing 7-on-7s and individual drills — more than some would have thought just seven months after an ACL reconstruction.
“It’s tough to have a competition when both guys aren’t competing at the same level right now,” Van Pelt said. “So, it’s hard and it’ll come. It’ll happen at some point. Mike’s done a great job of getting himself to where he is right now. Really impressive to take 7-on-7 reps and go out and compete. That’s been great. But really, there’s no competition until we can actually evaluate him equally.”
NFL.com
Chiefs reuniting with CB L’Jarius Sneed on one-year deal worth up to $5 million
The Chiefs are signing veteran cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday. Sneed reuniting with the team comes on a one-year deal worth up to $5 million, ESPN’s Adam Schefter added.
At 29 years old, it could be his last chance to prove he’s still a quality NFL corner.
Following two seasons of underwhelming performance due in part to a persistent quadriceps injury, Sneed was released by the Titans in March, freeing him to find his next NFL home. He chose the one he knew best, rejoining Spagnuolo and coach Andy Reid in Kansas City.
NFL.com
Kayshon Boutte to attend Patriots minicamp after missing voluntary work amid trade speculation
“Just a lot of speculation going on. Just trying to figure out everything,” Boutte told Dan Roche of WBZ on Sunday of why he was not at organized team activities. “I try not to buy into [things], whether it’s the trade rumors or anything like that. But I’m still working even though I’m away. That’s my focus.”
The 24-year-old receiver told Roche that he plans to attend mandatory minicamp this week and, despite the trade rumors, wants to be a Patriot in 2026 and beyond.
“I want to be in New England for the rest of my career, I would say. I enjoy it out here. Been here three years. Every day I’m here. I call this home. This is my new home. Grew up in Louisiana. Stayed there 20 years, but now, Boston is my life.”
The Athletic (paywall)
Browns QB battle, Patrick Mahomes’ recovery among top NFL minicamp storylines
The Colts had their eyes on one of the top spots in the AFC when their hopes came crashing down as quarterback Daniel Jones tore his right Achilles tendon 13 games into the 2025 season. Now, the quarterback and his teammates eye a strong rebound in their second year together.
Jones has a ways to go before he receives a clean bill of health, but he’s trending in the right direction. Last week, Jones took part in seven-on-seven passing drills during OTAs, and his workload will continue to ramp up. Jones is aiming for a Week 1 return, and the Colts are hoping that he can continue the career revival that he enjoyed in 2025 when he posted career highs in passing yards per game (238.5), yards per attempt (8.1), completion percentage (86 percent) and passer rating (100.2). The Colts also have some sorting out to do with their quarterback depth chart. Journeyman Easton Stick recently signed with the team to provide a veteran backup presence, and the 2025 sixth-rounder Riley Leonard returns. Anthony Richardson also remains on the roster despite being on the trading block.
Discussion topics
The Athletic (paywall)
What’s it like to be a Cowboys fan?
“Like being forced to watch the three ‘Star Wars’ prequels (and later sequels) annually. Nowhere close to being as good as the first three, and only made to make money for the owner. It sucks.” — Chris G.
As for other great submissions:
“Being a Cowboys fan is like being a Microsoft fan. They both peaked in the ’90s, have made repeated unforced errors since then and don’t seem to have a plan to get better.” — Brian M.
“You may hate the Cowboys, but there’s no chance you hate our team as much as we do.” — CC
“Its like being a Jets or Browns fan, only even they feel bad for you.” — Jonathan M.
