The Daily Slop – 9 July 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
Sports Illustrated
Rasul Douglas signing just created a playing-time problem at cornerback
Douglas is no camp body; he was not signed to simply add a veteran voice to the room. He was added because Washington needed another cornerback who could
play a good amount of snaps if needed. Now the cornerback room shifts from being about who makes the roster to who still has a real path to playing time.
The player who benefits most from the signing might be Amos, who no longer has to carry the weight of his development as if he has to tote the entire outside corner plan right away. If camp gets messy, or Amos just needs some space, Douglas is there as the veteran option.
Sainristil might benefit from it too, depending on how the coaching staff decides to use him. If Douglas helps stabilize the outside, Washington can be a lot more intentional with how they use Sainristil instead of asking him to move around.
The players this hurts are the ones who needed this to stay a wide-open battle. That is not to say Witherspoon, Robertson, Darius Rush, or anyone else is suddenly out of the main picture. It just means the runway is shorter.
Commanders Roundtable
Commanders training camp primer: offensive line
Biggest training camp question: Who Becomes Starting LG?
After initially being viewed as a likely departure, Chris Paul saw his market die down to lead the seventh round pick to re-sign with Washington on a one year deal. His return adds familiarity to the left side of the line after appearing in every game and starting in 15 games after replacing Brandon Coleman in the starting rotation ahead of the week three win vs. Las Vegas.
Paul fared well, but that also materialized under Kliff Kingsbury. A scheme shift under Blough could make Coleman the better fit with a possible shift to a zone blocking making the more agile lineman an intriguing fit next to Tunsil. Does that expectation meet reality through preseason? It’s a good problem for Washington to have, but Coleman will have a chance to prove his worth ahead of the final year on his contract in 2027.
Last Man Standig
Laremy Tunsil has always done things his way; the Commanders are embracing it
Conerly arrived at OTAs with a stronger, leaner frame. The lone Week 1 offensive starter to play every game in 2025 credited a cleaner diet, work with strength coaches in Ashburn and at the University of Oregon, and Tunsil’s guidance for helping replace fat with muscle.
Even his shorter haircut reflected a more business-like approach entering his sophomore campaign.
Conerly put in the work, but Tunsil almost seemed offended when asked if his fingerprints were on Conerly’s transformation.
“Come on, that’s us. We’re working our ass off at that,” Tunsil said of Conerly’s makeover. “We’re just working every day. Every single day. Breakfast, no carbs for dinner, supplements throughout the day. This is the routine that we have to get through. We just change our life. … That’s what I’m telling them. Come here. This is how I do it.”
For more from Ben Standig, click here
Pro Football Focus
Running Back Rankings: Assessing all 32 starters ahead of the 2026 NFL season
30. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
Croskey-Merritt was one of the league’s best underdog stories last season as a seventh-round pick who played just one college game in 2024. He ended up leading the Commanders with 805 rushing yards and recorded a solid 75.4 PFF rushing grade. Washington did right in the offseason by adding receiving complement Rachaad White, but Croskey-Merritt should garner the majority of the carries — particularly with Chris Rodriguez Jr. departing for Jacksonville.
31. Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
Rodriguez may finally get a chance to start after three seasons as a reasonably productive rotational piece in Washington. He’s not blessed with explosive speed, but he’s forced 49 missed tackles across 198 carries in his career. His strength, alongside Bhayshul Tuten’s speed, should create a productive rotation in Jacksonville’s backfield in 2026.
Honorable Mentions
Brian Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Robinson didn’t get a ton of action backing up Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco, but he does have three separate 700-yard seasons under his belt and forced 22 missed tackles across just 95 carries last season. He should be able to capably give Bijan Robinson a break when needed.
A to Z Sports
Jayden Daniels is the first NFL player to team up with Gatorade since 2024
Daniels has officially partnered with the world-famous thirst quencher. He “becomes the first NFL athlete addition to the Gatorade roster since 2024, and joins an impressive lineup of stars including Josh Allen, Caitlin Clark, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Jayson Tatum, Justin Jefferson and more. Renowned for his elite speed, creative playmaking and fearless leadership, Jayden Daniels is redefining the quarterback position as one of football’s most electrifying young stars. As part of his partnership with Gatorade, Daniels will work with the brand to connect with the next generation of athletes and appear in upcoming Gatorade marketing efforts.”
“Growing up, I used to watch the iconic Gatorade commercials and think to myself, ‘One day, that will be me’ – and now it’s happening, which is crazy,” Daniels said. “From off-season workouts to in-season practice and games, Gatorade has always kept me hydrated and ready to compete at the highest level. I’m honored to represent a brand that’s been part of my journey since day one.”
Podcasts & videos
VISION: Rasul Douglas Fits Daronte Jones Because Washington Knows His Value
Fantasy Football discussion:
NFC East links
Dallas Morning News
Von Miller stirs up Dallas Cowboys speculation with social media post
The veteran pass rusher has linked himself to the Cowboys.
Von Miller to the Dallas Cowboys?
The veteran pass rusher and two-time Super Bowl champion caused a stir on social media Wednesday posting an edit of himself donning a Cowboys uniform to his Instagram story. Also, posted in the thread was a photo of Miller with Cowboys legends Emmitt Smith and Dez Bryant in a suite at AT&T Stadium during a World Cup match that took place last month.
Bryant later posted to X with a series of emojis, including a shushing face, when the picture from the England-Croatia game was alleged to be a recruiting venture.
Big Blue View
NY Giants training camp: Last chance for 4 underperforming draft picks
Josh Ezeudu
If I were an oddsmaker, I would give Ezeudu, a 2022 third-round pick, better odds of making the season-opening roster than Neal.
That is partially contract-related. Neal received a minimum contract with no guaranteed money. Ezeudu received an $80,000 signing bonus and $330,000 in guaranteed salary. So, $410,000 guaranteed overall.
The other thing is that when you talk to Bloomgren, it is clear that he believes there is something worth trying to nurture there with the 27-year-old Ezeudu.
When drafted, Ezeudu was thought to be a guard at the NFL level. Since 2023, though, he has played almost exclusively at tackle. When the Giants brought him back for one more look this year, the thought was that perhaps they would finally give him a full-time opportunity at guard.
Harbaugh and his staff, though, like Brian Daboll and his staff, see Ezeudu as a tackle first with guard flexibility. He aligned at tackle all spring.
“Josh has done some very good things,” Bloomgren said at the end of mandatory minicamp. “And when he’s putting it together footwork-wise, hand placement-wise, you see why they drafted him in the first place.
“And you realize that this guy has a lot of potential, and that’s exciting.”
Ezeudu’s chance to make the team might come down to whether or not the Giants are comfortable trying to sneak sixth-round pick J.C. Davis through waivers and onto the practice squad.
Chance Ezeudu makes the team: 30%
NFL league links
Articles
ESPN
How are Super Bowl-level NFL rosters built at each position?
Quarterback
Draft: 24 of 30 players (12 high first-round picks, one mid first-round pick, five Day 2 picks, six Day 3 picks)
Trade: 2 (one big, one medium)
Free agency: 4 (three premium, one middle class)
Quarterback illuminates both the strengths and weaknesses of evaluating these Super Bowl teams. There’s one very obvious and important piece of information: If a team wants to make it to the Super Bowl, it better be comfortable drafting and developing a QB. Darnold won a Super Bowl last season as the lone middle-class quarterback of the 30, but 24 of the other 29 prior candidates were homegrown talents.
Lead edge rusher
Draft: 18 (seven high first-round picks, two mid first-round pick, four late first-round picks, one Day 2 pick, four Day 3 picks)
Trade: 5 (two big, three medium)
Free agency: 7 (one premium, five middle class, one low end)
Second edge rusher
Draft: 11 (one mid first-round pick, one late first-round pick, four Day 2 picks, four Day 3 picks, one UDFA)
Trade: 4 (two big, one medium, one small)
Free agency: 13 (one premium, four middle class, eight low end)
Other: 2 (one franchise tag, one waiver-wire acquisition)
Teams pay a premium for elite production on the edge, and as was the case at wide receiver, we can see a real disparity between how teams acquire their top edge rusher versus their second-best option. Sixteen of 30 primary edge rushers were acquired via a first-round pick, a significant trade or free agency. Just five were added on Day 3 of the draft (none after Round 4) or with a low-cost move on the open market.
Cornerback
Draft: 29 (one high first-round pick, two mid first-round picks, six late first-round picks, six Day 2 picks, 11 Day 3 picks, three UDFAs)
Trade: 10 (two big, four medium, four small)
Free agency: 19 (six premium, seven middle-class, six low-end)
Other: 2 (two waiver-wire acquisitions)
General managers have been able to find useful starters at cornerback in free agency before their runs to the Super Bowl. Just under half of the 60 starters from this grouping are homegrown talents.
