The Daily Slop – 9 August 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
ESPN
Commanders LT Laremy Tunsil suffers torn triceps
It’s a crucial blow to the Commanders’ offense, costing the team a player considered one of the best at his position. The recovery time for such an injury is typically at least four months and as long as six or seven.
The Commanders have veteran tackle Andrew Wylie, but the bulk of his career has been spent on the right side. He has played five snaps at left tackle since entering the league in 2017. He typically replaced Tunsil when he would miss a practice.
But Washington also has Coleman, who started 12 games at left tackle as a rookie in 2024 and three more last year when Tunsil was injured. Coleman has been competing with Chris Paul at left guard.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
From Last Man Standig:
Third-year lineman Brandon Coleman, part of Washington’s left guard competition, is the logical replacement. The 2024 third-round pick started 12 games at left tackle in 2024 and filled in last season when an injured Tunsil sat out the final three weeks.
Second-year right tackle Josh Conerly Jr., Washington’s 2025 first-round pick, played left tackle at Oregon. Moving him to the left side would create two changes, but a potential option.
Andrew Wylie, a starter at tackle and guard during his nine-year career, is Washington’s primary backup tackle, but his playing experience comes mainly from the right side. Neither Wylie nor reserve Trent Scott is a long-term answer at left tackle.
For more from Ben Standig, click here
From The Athletic (paywall):
Washington will have reshuffle its front five and potentially look for outside help for depth, if not more. Andrew Wylie has been the team’s primary backup left tackle throughout camp and took over for Tunsil for the remainder of Saturday’s practice. But he’s not the only in-house option the team may turn to. The Commanders could also ask second-year tackle Josh Conerly Jr., who played primarily on the left side in college, to shift back there from the right side.
It may also look to Brandon Coleman, the third-year lineman who is versatile enough to play all five spots up front. Coleman has been competing for the starting left guard spot in camp, but he was the team’s primary starting left tackle in 2024. Quinn declined, however, to move Coleman earlier in camp when starting center Nick Allegretti went down with a calf injury, opting instead to use Julian Good-Jones and let Coleman focus on left guard.
Allegretti has attended recent camp practices but has not participated. That he wasn’t placed on the physically unable to perform list indicates the team does not expect the calf to be a long-term issue, but it has not provided a clear timetable for his expected return. In his absence, Washington has signed four linemen — centers Trey Hill and Daniel Brunskill, guard Max Scharping and tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere — for depth and competition.
Washington’s injury problems run even deeper. Shortly after Tunsil went down, cornerback Trey Amos left practice with an unknown injury. He had been activated from PUP only a day earlier after a lengthy recovery from a fractured fibula.
To read more of this article from The Athletic, CLICK HERE
Sports Illustrated
Nicholas Petit-Frere Arrived at an Interesting Time
The team had unbelievable timing by signing Petit-Frere several hours before Tunsil went down with the injury. Petit-Frere has 28 starts across 34 games, but has played primarily at right tackle. Petit-Frere has left-side experience from his time at Ohio State, where he started 12 games at left tackle in 2021. While Petit-Frere may have been an option if he had been around all of camp, since he has not, he will find himself a week behind in a complicated setup.
Washington Does Not Have to Choose Just One Solution
One solution is to not pick one solution. Washington could choose to move multiple pieces rather than simply replacing Tunsil with one backup. Wylie, Coleman, and Conerly are all prime examples of versatile linemen who can move around at different spots. Then, of course, there is always the possibility that none of these players are what they are looking for, and Adam Peters could still look outside, beyond the doors at Ashburn.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)
From September 2024: Brandon Colman shows promise against Bengals
Coleman had some struggles last week against the Giants, who have two excellent edge rushers in Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns. This week, he faced off against Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who is coming off a career year last season with 17.5 sacks.
My biggest concern with Coleman after the draft was his tendency to rely on two-handed punches. Coleman is strong and when he lands those two-handed punches, they have a big impact. He can really stun defenders and knock them off their initial rush plan, which makes it an effective move. However, in the NFL, shooting both hands at the same time can cause issues. Coleman tends to throw both hands without following up with his feet, resulting in him lunging at rushers.
Here we see a good example of Coleman lunging slightly at Hendrickson. He feels Hendrickson approaching and looks to land his strong two-handed punch, firing both hands at the same time. On this occasion, he manages to land both hands, which stuns Hendrickson’s rush. However, you can also see the traits that lead this to be a worrying technique. If you pause the clip as Coleman lands his punch, you can see his arms are fully extended, his shoulders and head are leaning forward and his center of gravity is pulled forward from under his feet to out in front of his feet. You can get away with that occasionally in the NFL and a lot more frequently in college, but use that type of technique consistently against the best rushers in the league and they will take advantage.
Fortunately, Coleman has clearly been working on this issue throughout the offseason and only used his two-handed punch on rare occasions in this game. Instead, he leaned much more heavily on a different technique known as hand flashing.
This time we see a good example of a hand flash technique. As Coleman slides out towards Hendrickson, he extends his outside arm out towards the rusher. This is very normal and Hendrickson assumes that Coleman is just looking to get his hand on him to try and cut off the rush to the edge, so he responds accordingly. Hendrickson sees the outside hand coming towards him and naturally tries to block it with his inside arm. As Hendrickson goes to hit Coleman’s outstretched hand with his inside hand, Coleman suddenly pulls his hand away. This leaves Hendrickson in a vulnerable position, which Coleman takes advantage of.
Coleman used this technique a few times throughout the game.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)
From November 2025: Commanders Film Room: Josh Conerly vs Lions
This week, Conerly faced Lions pass rusher Aiden Hutchinson, who is one of the top pass rushers in the NFL. He was leading the league in sacks last season with 7.5 in just five games before tearing his ACL. He’s come back strong this season too, with seven sacks so far, good for joint 10th in the NFL.
Hutchinson provided a strong test for Conerly and a good measuring stick for where he’s at in his development after a tough start. Statistically, Hutchinson was shut out of the game without a single tackle or sack in the game. But the stats don’t tell the whole story, so how did Conerly hold up against Hutchinson? Let’s take a closer look.
[On] the Commanders opening third down attempt of the game. Hutchinson lines up outside of Conerly in a wide-9 technique, looking to give himself the best angle to the quarterback. Hutchinson takes his first few steps up the field before throwing in a stutter move, just like DeMarcus Lawrence tested Conerly with last week. Conerly responds well by staying patient and not biting on the stutter fake. He waits for Hutchinson to engage before then timing up his hands well.
Conerly avoids getting his own hands knocked down by Hutchinson and raises them up to get them placed on the defender. He lands his outside hand on Hutchinson’s outside shoulder, but crucially gets his inside hand on the chest of the defender. This allows Conerly to cut off the rush outside but also prevent Hutchinson from transitioning into a power rush because Conerly has the leverage. Hutchinson understands the situation and looks to disengage t
It wasn’t some amazing pass protection rep from Conerly and it was certainly helped by it being a quick pass underneath, as well as having right guard Sam Cosmi sitting inside ready to help if needed. But Conerly handled the rush on his own without needing the help and that’s a positive sign. Those positive signs continued as the game progressed.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders.com
Slimmed-down Chris Paul focused on unlocking next level in Year 5
At this training camp, there’s less Chris Paul than usual as the Washington guard dropped approximately 20 pounds this offseason.
The former 2022 seventh-round draft pick was in the weight range coaches like to see for his position but just felt like he “wanted to give this a try.” So, he attacked the goal completely from an internally-motivated place. A different approach to his meal plan made the biggest difference, and he even described the process as “a great time.”
“I just feel like I was in a Zen state, I felt more disciplined maybe than I’ve ever been,” Paul said. “It was great to sort of check in with myself to see how I am doing and seeing, ‘Wow this is really working.’ It was nice to see the results I wanted to see.”
The benefits of those results have already surfaced in training camp as Paul battles it out with Brandon Coleman for the left guard position.
“You’ve probably seen, Chris is lighter by about 20 pounds, and he’s always been strong as hell. So, him being down, I think, adds to his quickness,” head coach Dan Quinn said.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders.com
Training camp notebook | Chaisson’s disruption stands out in practice
K’Lavon Chaisson might not be the biggest pass rusher, but his bull rush is difficult for offensive linemen to deal with. He won a rep against Josh Conerly with brute strength, pushing the right tackle in the backfield.
One more note on Chaisson: he had a pass breakup early in practice, which is another example of how he and the Commanders’ new pass rush are looking to impact quarterbacks outside of racking up sacks.
One player who has consistently shown out in pass protection is Chris Paul, who is battling with Brandon Coleman for the starting guard spot. Paul has always been a physically imposing player with strong hands, but he has struggled at times with his footwork. Paul has been much better at mirroring defenders, and it has resulted in him stopping players like Jer’Zhan Newton in his tracks.
There were seven players back for punt returns today: Jaylin Lane, Jaden Bradley, Robert Henry Jr., Antonio Williams, River Cracraft, Luke McCaffrey and Treylon Burks. It’s unlikely that anyone other than Lane will be the starting punt returner, but it’s good that the Commanders have options if Lane is unavailable.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Riggo’s Rag
6 supreme standouts from Commanders 2026 training camp Day 9
Williams is putting together a strong summer. The No. 71 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft looks sharp, explosive, and knows where to be. He just gets it, and it already looks like the Commanders may have stumbled upon something special late on Day 2.
He didn’t get many targets, but Williams was rock solid nonetheless.
The former Clemson playmaker is twitchy. Williams cuts sharply out of his routes and is an assured presence when targets come his way. With Diggs now joining Terry McLaurin to draw attention, there should also be a lot of space for the first-year pro to work.
It’s early days, of course. The Commanders should get Williams some work in the preseason to give him a broader indication of what to expect from a typical game-day environment in the NFL. But given how he’s standing out so far, it’s a test he is sure to pass with flying colors.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Photos
Podcasts & videos
The Washington Commanders Are Now A PROBLEM
(h/t Ark:D for sharing this video in the comments yesterday)
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
Laremy Tunsil injury: Eagles’ Week 1 opponent is dealing with bad news
Regardless of how their replacement plan shakes out, this is a really big loss for the Commanders. The Eagles’ defensive line, which has looked really good in training camp, needs to take advantage of his absence.
Note:
Eagles starting OTs: Lane Johnson 36, Jordan Mailata 29
Commanders starting OTs: Laremy Tunsil 32, Josh Conerly 22
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Pro Football Talk
Lane Johnson: This is probably my last year
Johnson said those off-field issues have gotten larger in recent years, which led him to consider retirement after the 2025 season and has him feeling like 2026 will be his last hurrah.
“As you get older, things change in your life,” Johnson said. “Priorities, your children get older, parents get older. It just puts things into perspective. I’m looking like it’s probably going to be my last year. Just cause I’m getting to that point —those priorities away from football are starting to merge. Not that I don’t enjoy — I love everything about this game and preparing for it. That’s kinda where I’m at in my career. Just looking forward to this year, playing the best I can and stay healthy. That’s about it.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
NFL league links
Articles
ESPN
Kyle Shanahan nears full strength, plans to coach preseason opener
On Saturday — for the first time since the July 14 collision that left him with a concussion, three broken ribs and a broken left hand, among other injuries — Shanahan stood at the lectern and publicly answered media questions. It was the latest step in Shanahan returning to full coaching duties after ceding some of them to assistant head coach Chris Foerster and his coordinators as he recovered from the concussion.
“As far as the important stuff, I feel it’s about 100%,” Shanahan said. “The biggest thing I have learned with this stuff is just when you deal with fatigue and headaches and stuff is if I kind of do everything, I kind of pay for it in some ways later. That’s like the routine that I found out. I really tried to eliminate stuff that I would say is just the fake work stuff.”
Now, nearly a month after the accident that he says happened when he dropped his phone under his seat and took his eyes off the road before colliding with a 21-year-old female driver in Palo Alto, California, Shanahan offered another detail about what happened in the crash.
Shanahan noted that he was using the autopilot feature in his Tesla Model S when his phone fell down while traveling south on Alma Street. Shanahan said he has had autopilot in some form for nine years and is “pretty comfortable” using it. He added that he wasn’t sure whether it malfunctioned or he accidentally turned it off when reaching for his phone.
“Anytime you cause an accident that can be avoided, you feel pretty stupid, especially when you have a chance to hurt someone else,” Shanahan said.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
ESPN
New Hall of Famer Roger Craig reveals dementia diagnosis
New Hall of Famer Roger Craig revealed during his taped acceptance speech Saturday that he has been diagnosed with vascular dementia.
Craig, 66, said his doctors believe his condition came, in part, from concussions he sustained during his 11-year career as a running back. In his speech, Craig explained that “the changes were gradual” and were initially “dismissed as normal aging.”
“Two things can be true: Football gave me opportunities beyond anything I could imagine. It helped shape the man I became. At the same time, we know more today about brain health than when I played, and I hope sharing my story encourages people to pay attention to their health and seek help when something doesn’t feel right.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Discussion topics
ESPN
Can you play your way out of the Hall of Fame? A look at Russell Wilson’s complicated case
while quarterbacks typically see a drop in performance in the final years of their careers, Wilson barreled over a statistical cliff. The last four seasons of his career saw him frequently benched, and his teams went 17-27 in games he started. His production nosedived as his mobility waned. He was sacked an astounding 143 times in 47 games from 2022 to 2025, including 100 times in two seasons (30 starts) with the Broncos.
Four of Wilson’s five lowest yards per attempt totals of his career came after he left Seattle. Over his last five seasons, including his final one with the Seahawks, Wilson’s completion percentage over expectation was in the negative three times, with a career-low minus-4.3% in 2022 in Denver.
That rough finishing kick has made an impact on Hall of Fame voters.
“Russell Wilson was a good quarterback for two-thirds of his career, a very good quarterback,” longtime selector Ron Borges said. “[But] the Hall of Fame is not the Hall of Very Good, it is where the best to ever play their positions go.
“Was Wilson ever considered the best of his era? If he was not, and I would argue he was not, how can he be judged one of the best of all time?”
Sure, Wilson’s counting stats are certainly Hall worthy. His 46,966 career passing yards ranks 16th (right behind Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton), and his 353 passing touchdowns ranks 12th (ahead of Tarkenton and fellow Hall of Famer John Elway). But there is little precedent for the type of statistical drop-off Wilson had at the end of his career.
“In short, can you play your way out of the Hall of Fame? His final four years are really bad, and they are made even worse by the whole move to force his way out [of Seattle] and prove himself,” said Jason Cole, a selector for over a decade who says he believes Wilson is a Hall of Famer. “It exposed so many of the flaws that were covered up in Seattle. At the same time, his first 10 years are really pretty damn exceptional.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
