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The Athletic (paywall)
Should the Commanders trade for a receiver? Will they be buyers or sellers? Mailbag
With a few receivers on short contracts potentially available, such as Jakobi Meyers, Calvin Ridley, Chris Olave
and Jerry Jeudy, shouldn’t the Commanders look at moving a third- or fourth-round pick to get some more available personnel? Love Noah Brown and his story, but he simply misses too much time. — Chris V.
Doesn’t make much sense to me. First of all, the Commanders don’t have a 2026 fourth-round pick. They gave up theirs in the trade for Laremy Tunsil. Second, when they traded for Marshon Lattimore at the deadline last season, they were 7-2 and seemed to be further along in their rebuild than perhaps they thought initially. Now they’re 3-3 with a tough stretch ahead, the oldest roster in the NFL and clear roster deficiencies.
I also struggle with the notion of trading for a skill player. A premium position, maybe. But to give up assets for a receiver who will soon need a new deal doesn’t add up for me.
I like Joe Whitt, but at what point is his ability as a DC determined? We keep hearing the same excuses every week and that “we’ll correct it,” but then it’s SSDD. This defense seems no better than last year’s, when the offense was near-perfect. It’s not this year, and the defense does not appear capable of picking up the slack. — Mike L.
Man, you guys are quick to write off people! I’m old enough to remember when it seemed outlandish to fire a coach after only two seasons. In his defense (no pun intended), Washington’s defense — the whole roster, really — has been dealt a tough hand with all the injuries. Whitt lost a starting defensive end (Deatrich Wise Jr.) and his backup (Javontae Jean-Baptiste) for the season, lost his top backup corner (Jonathan Jones) for a stretch and lost his starting strong safety (Will Harris), too.
Plus, I don’t think the problem in most instances (not all) is the coaching. Even players themselves have said it’s been about the execution. The plays are there, but they’re not executing. I understand that it ultimately falls on the coach, but it would seem silly to get rid of a coach who could be a very fine coordinator and is well-respected by players when the real issue is execution.
The parts that do bother me, however, are the persistent problems with the basics, like tackling. Missed tackles are happening far too often, which of course leads to too many explosives. I don’t know why the team is unable to clean those up.
The Athletic (paywall)
Commanders’ Deebo Samuel out vs. Cowboys with heel injury: Who steps up?
Neither Samuel nor McLaurin will travel with the team to Dallas. Washington will face the Cowboys with three wideouts on the active roster — Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane and Chris Moore — and three on the practice squad: Ja’Corey Brooks, Treylon Burks and Jacoby Jones. Washington elevated Robbie Chosen from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.
Commanders.com
Game status | Terry McLaurin ruled out vs. Cowboys
Although McLaurin is closer to making a return, the injury has not improved enough yet.
“It’s frustrating for him, because he’s working at it hard,” head coach Dan Quinn said after Friday’s practice. “It’s just not ready yet, and that sometimes happens when you have a soft tissue injury and you’re wanting it to get there. But you have to push it at the top speeds.”
The Commanders also signed former first-round pick Treylon Burks to their practice squad on Friday. Quinn said the team is excited to have Burks and has a plan in place for him, although he will need to get up to speed on the offensive system before being a meaningful contributor.
Heavy.com
Zach Ertz : Expected to face Cowboys
Ertz (shoulder), who is officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Dallas, is expected to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Ertz appears positioned for a significant role in the receiving game versus the Cowboys, with Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) and Deebo Samuel (heel) both ruled out, and Noah Brown (groin/knee) on injured reserve. The veteran tight end secured all six of his targets for 43 yards and a score during Washington’s narrow loss to the Bears in Week 6, a contest Samuel took the field for, so it won’t be surprising if Ertz sees his target share grow versus a Dallas defense that’s surrendered the most passing yards to opponents in the league through six weeks. His status may not be made official until roughly 90 minutes prior to kickoff at 4:25 p.m. ET, but Ertz is on track to take the field Sunday.
Commanders Wire
Good and bad news for the Commanders on Sunday vs. Cowboys
[T]here was some good news as the Commanders activated guard Sam Cosmi from PUP and cornerback Jonathan Jones from injured reserve (IR). The two roster spots were open because the Commanders placed Brown on IR and released defensive end Jalyn Holmes. The Commanders also elevated defensive tackle Sheldon Day from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.
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HC Dan Quinn Previews Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys | The Gameplan | NFL
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Bleeding Green Nation
Carson Wentz officially starting for Vikings against Eagles
Philadelphia losing to their former franchise QB would not be a good feeling.
Wentz began the 2025 season as J.J. McCarthy’s backup but the second-year signal caller got hurt in Week 2. There was thought that McCarthy might return for Week 7 but he was limited in practice while Wentz was a full participant despite a recent shoulder injury. McCarthy is expected to serve as the emergency third quarterback while undrafted rookie Max Brosmer backs up Wentz.
Wentz is 2-1 in three starts for the Vikings so far this season. He’s completing 69% of his passes, which is nice, for 253 yards per game, five passing touchdowns, and two interceptions. He’s taken 12 sacks and has fumbled once.
On that note, we all know too well that Wentz is prone to losing control of the football. He’s fumbled 74 times in 102 career games played. The Eagles’ pass rush has struggled to notch sacks this season but maybe they can finally get going against Wentz playing behind a banged up offensive line?
The Eagles sacked Wentz nine times the last time (and first time) Philly’s former franchise quarterback started against his original NFL team. That was back in September 2022, when Wentz was playing for the Washington Commanders.
With the Birds entering Sunday as 2.5-point road favorites, they’re expected to win. But if Wentz can lead his Vikings to an upset, the Eagles will suffer their third straight loss to drop to 4-3. Losing would be bad enough. Losing to Wentz would only be salt in the wound.
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys fans are fed up, but what happens if they win on Sunday?
They played the Carolina Panthers, a middling team that hasn’t seen much success lately, and promptly lost to them. The deflating loss was the last straw for some fans who have already started thinking about the 2026 draft.
While the Cowboys are not totally done with the hope of playoffs in the 2025 season, they need a miracle among their defense to have any real chance. This week they get another chance to help themselves in the NFC East with a game against a direct rival. the Washington Commanders. The Cowboys can bypass the Commanders in the division race with a win, which would actually rekindle hope for some.
Just how many fans will come along for a ‘playoff chase’ if Dallas wins is a good question. Right now, they have very little support among the fanbase. We asked you earlier this week if you were confident the organization was going in the right direction, and only 11% were confident.
Blogging the Boys
5 things to watch when the Cowboys host the Commanders
A big play on special teams
Whenever these two teams square off, weird things happen on special teams. From kick returns taken to the house, to mishaps on field goals/PATs. In fact, both of those things happened in Week 12 of last year when Turpin did his infamous video game spin move and scurried 99 yards for a touchdown. Then, on the ensuing drive, it looked like the Commanders were going to tie the game when a coverage breakdown resulted in an 86-yard touchdown reception from Terry McLaurin, but a shanked extra point prevented that from happening.
The Commanders blocked a field goal last week, and you might remember them blocking a field goal a couple of years ago that ended Brandon Aubrey’s perfect season. Don’t be surprised if we see some special teams hijinks on Sunday, and it’s worth noting that the Cowboys should also get back their return specialist, Turpin, back after missing the last two games with a foot injury.
ESPN
The vibes are unusually high for the Giants
Winning cures all woes in the NFL. It’s the ultimate deodorant. The Giants (2-4) had lost 18 of their past 22 games entering last Thursday night against the Eagles. They had dropped eight straight in the division. That left the fan base anticipating the next collapse, with very little on the horizon to keep them excited.
There was a feeling of impending doom.
Wins over the Chargers and Eagles have seemingly changed everything. They’ve provided hope for a franchise that was lost for the previous two and a half years. The fans have been reinvigorated by the results and the way that Dart and fellow rookie Cam Skattebo play — neither are willing to concede a yard and both play with a youthful exuberance that captivated the national audience on Thursday night.
It has created an optimistic atmosphere around the team that hasn’t been there for years.
NFL league links
Articles
Washington Post (paywall)
These four NFL division leaders are on borrowed time
The stats and game film show the 49ers, Eagles, Chargers and Bills might not be on top of their divisions much longer.
Philadelphia Eagles
It’s kind of unfathomable for the defending Super Bowl champions to have been outgained in every game this season. But that’s the case. The Eagles (4-2) have been outscored 52-17 in the past five quarters alone.
Injuries to the offensive line have been crushing. Philadelphia has allowed the third-highest pressure rate in the NFL, and Saquon Barkley is somehow averaging 71.1 fewer rushing yards than a year ago. Jalen Hurts seems unwilling to risk interceptions by throwing into tight windows, wide receiver A.J. Brown is miffed again, and the Eagles are averaging just 4.7 yards per play (tied for 28th entering Week 7).
All of that may be symptomatic of a larger issue that is undermining the offense. (There is more hope for a defensive reversal with powerful defensive tackle Jalen Carter vowing to play this weekend.)
Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo “is horses—,” said one general manager who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he’s not allowed to publicly discuss other team’s personnel. “That’s their biggest problem.”
Another general manager opined about the ability of Coach Nick Sirianni, a former wide receiver and wide receivers coach, to take over the offense. Hmm.
