The Daily Slop – 30 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
Commanders Roundtable
What edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson can prove in ’26 with the Washington Commanders
Chaisson [is potentially] the most underrated defensive addition in 2026. The veteran pass rusher also turned down a chance at a longer deal and more security to sign with Washington, a team he believed was capable of making a postseason run. Yet
for a defense that struggled to generate pressure, Chaisson is a big part of what Washington needs to do better in 2026 where he has a chance to capitalize if near-$100 million addition Odafe Oweh draws increased attention opposite of him. While Oweh adds a long-term piece, Chaisson has a chance to prove himself after a career season with the New England Patriots in 2025.
Chaisson played at least 66% of the Patriots’ defensive snaps from weeks nine through 16, totaling a pair of sacks, four TFLs, one pass deflection and a pair of forced fumbles during that span. He also registered an impressive average of 2.87 seconds time to pressure where he thrived as a quick twitch edge rusher.
That’s the role that Chaisson will look to thrive in with the Commanders, opting for the one-year deal in Washington with a chance to prove himself for a third consecutive season.
Last Man Standig (paywall)
The Chiefs used Leo Chenal as a specialist; Washington sees something more
[S]igning the point-of-attack defender to a three-year, $24.75 million contract in March checked off an inordinate number of boxes for a team seeking a makeover after ranking last in yards allowed per game.
Chenal, a member of Super Bowl championship teams in 2022 and 2023, never quite settled into a full-time defensive role with Kansas City. He topped 50 percent of the defensive snaps only once in four seasons despite appearing in 65 of 68 regular-season games. He missed the final three contests last season with a shoulder injury.
The opportunity for more work played a factor in choosing Washington among his free-agent options, Chenal said, as did joining first-year coordinator Daronte Jones’ “linebacker-friendly” scheme from his time with the Minnesota Vikings.
Chenal’s effectiveness as a blitzer (three sacks in 2025) and against the run takes minimal imagination. Pass defense isn’t an obvious strong suit; the NFL.com draft profile warned of agility and lateral movement concerns due to his “tightly-bound” physique.
For more from Ben Standig, click here
The Athletic (paywall)
Mail Bag with Nicki Jhabvala
Will a portion of the offensive concepts run under Kliff Kingsbury that will still be featured in the new offense?
Yes, though it may be most noticeable in two-minute situations, when the Commanders go up-tempo. Blough has said his offense will be an amalgamation of concepts he picked up from play callers he’s played for and coached alongside in past years. To think he wouldn’t incorporate anything from Kingsbury would be foolish; he played for Kingsbury in Arizona in 2022 and spent his first two seasons as a coach learning from Kingsbury here in Washington.
If you were Washington’s GM right now, what would be the first two moves you would want to make to strengthen the team before the upcoming season starts?
One player who intrigues me is receiver Curtis Samuel. The gamble may always be health-related with him. He’s dealt with a string of injuries throughout his career and has been active for only two full seasons in his nine years in the NFL.
But he’s still unsigned following his release from Buffalo in March. I’m told he’s fully healthy. We know he’s very close to McLaurin. He played all three seasons in Washington alongside Dyami Brown, and he’s familiar with receivers coach Bobby Engram, who was Samuel’s positional coach for his final season with the Commanders.
Samuel’s not at the point in his career where he could be a No. 2 in terms of workload, but his versatility and ability to separate could make him a good depth option in Blough’s offense.
ESPN
2026 NFL rookie updates: Tracking all first-round draft picks
7. Washington Commanders
Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Styles’ closing speed was evident throughout the spring — as was his football acumen, according to teammates and coaches. He impressed with his preparation and knowledge and how he handled wearing the green dot on his helmet. “All he wants to talk about is football,” linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. said. “When you’re around a guy that’s genuine and authentic, then you’ve got something to work with. You combine that with size, speed, strength and brain and he loves ball? He’s got a lot going for him.”
The Athletic (paywall)
One outstanding question for every team as the NFL’s summer break begins
Washington Commanders
Did they give QB Jayden Daniels enough help on offense?
After finishing last season 5-12, the Commanders prioritized rebuilding the defense and creating a more “balanced” offense. They overhauled the systems on both sides of the ball, added speed and youth across the roster and spent more than $421 million in total contract value this offseason. But after OTAs and minicamp, the team still clearly lacks a true No. 2 receiver behind Terry McLaurin, doesn’t have an obvious leader in the running backs room and has questionable depth at tight end — all issues that contributed to their fall last season. It’s possible the team will consider adding a wideout later in the offseason or even after training camp, especially if a certain disgruntled 49er gets released. It’s also possible the Commanders find success with a running backs-by-committee approach, and develop their young tight ends behind Chig Okonkwo into reliable pass catchers. But as of now, the team lacks a consistent playmaker alongside Daniels and its star receiver.
Can Commanders get their 1st international win in London vs the Colts?
Daniel Jones has a 5–3–1 all-time career record against the Washington franchise, which he accumulated during his six seasons with the New York Giants. Historically, Washington has been one of Jones’ least successful opponents, highlighted by the QB’s dominant 100.3 career passer rating against them, along with 14 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions.
Things have been trending Washington’s way over time, however. The Redskins were 0-2 against Jones in 2019; the Washington Football Team was 1-3, losing both games in 2020, but winning the sole matchup against Jones in 2021.
The Commanders had a 2-1-1 record against Daniel Jones, including a win in 2024 in the final game against him before he left the NFC East.
Missed field goals and overtime
The burgundy & gold has played 2 international games and has a current record of 0-1-1.
Against the Bengals in 2016, the game ended in a 27-27 tie (more on that below).
Last year, playing the Dolphins in Madrid, Matt Gay missed a 56-yard field goal attempt with 15 seconds left in the 4th quarter to send a low-scoring game into overtime, tied 13-13. Washington got the ball first in OT, but Marcus Mariota threw an interception on the first play, allowing Miami to win on an easy 29-yard field goal on 1st down with over 7 minutes left in OT.
Commanders.com
Commanders 2026 opponent breakdown | Colts
- Can Alec Pierce handle more responsibilities? The Colts’ biggest moves of the offseason were re-signing two of their own. The first was inking Jones to a new deal, while the second was retaining Pierce to keep the quarterback’s favorite target. There’s no doubt that Pierce has talent; he’s led the league in yards per reception over the last two seasons and has 17 touchdowns in the last four years. He seems to be a player on the rise with his first 1,000-yard season coming in 2025. It’s a prove-it year for Pierce, though, and not just because he received one of the largest contracts of the offseason. He knows there will be more responsibilities placed on his shoulders. He has never caught more than 47 passes in a season, and there will be more attention placed on him from defenses now. Pierce isn’t shying away from those challenges, but he undoubtedly needs to prove that he is worth the Colts’ investments in him.
- Can Sauce Gardner get back to form? The Colts swung big last season by acquiring Gardner from the New York Jets at the trade deadline. They were 6-1 at the time and looked like one of the best teams in the conference, so adding one of the league’s top cornerbacks, albeit for significant draft capital, seemed worth it. It might still be, but Gardner only played in four games with the Colts because of a leg injury. Gardner only had three pass deflections and 16 tackles in that span. The Colts need Gardner to return to the form he had earlier in his career, when he was a First Team All-Pro, not just for the sake of the defense, but also for the sake of the investments they made in him. He could seriously lift a unit that gave up the second-most passing yards in 2025, which would at least help them compete against the Houston Texans, who ended up winning the AFC South last season. There haven’t been any reported complications or setbacks for Gardner, but he’ll need to show that he’s fully healthy to instill more confidence in his ability to help the team going forward.
Podcasts & videos
New Commanders stadium season ticket seats come with costly licenses | NBC4 Washington
OVERLOOKED: Mike Sainristil, Jeremy McNichols Giving Commanders Real Value
NFC East links
Big Blue View
Are the NY Giants failing Jaxson Dart?
The belief seems to be that Dart at least has the potential to be a franchise quarterback, with the evidence that the Giants produced league-average offense despite below-average talent around Dart. We can also see the sentiment in how the drafts of the Giants, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, and New York Jets were received.
The Titans, Saints, Browns, and Jets were all praised for acquiring young and explosive skill position players to help take the load off their young quarterbacks (or future young quarterback in the Jets’ case). The Giants, meanwhile, were praised for addressing other positions while trusting Dart to cover up their warts on offense.
To be fair, the Giants have invested in their offensive skill positions, adding hybrid tight end Isaiah Likely, fullback Patrick Ricard, and six (6) wide receivers to their roster. The concern, however, is that none of the Giants’ skill position players scare much of anybody and that’s doubly true with Malik Nabers’ status uncertain. In other words, the Giants’ “quantity over quality” approach could leave them with a bevy of options, none of them good.
That’s the point of view taken by ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who graded the Giants’ skill position players 31st in the NFL, behind only the Miami Dolphins at 32nd.
NFL.com
2026 NFL season: Ranking all eight candidates to go from worst to first in division races
New York Giants
The big question is the health of Malik Nabers, who is working his way back from last season’s ACL tear. If Nabers misses significant time, New York lacks a field-tilting passing-game threat.
The NFC East will be hotly contested, with the Eagles remaining a steady force and the Cowboys and Commanders each shoring up weaknesses this offseason. However, Harbaugh’s arrival brings belief that the Giants can swiftly turn things around.
NFL league links
Articles
Pro Football Talk
Report: First round of bids for Seahawks were due today
In February, the final price was expected to fall in the range of $9 billion to $11 billion. Then came a report of a soft market. Not long after that, it was reported that the market had picked up.
PFT reported earlier this month that signs continue to point to a deal being done before the start of the 2026 regular season.
Daily Aiyuk
Pro Football Talk
Brandon Aiyuk terminated SRA on Saturday
The NFLPA’s online database currently shows that Aiyuk is not represented. Per the NFLPA, the SRA was terminated on Saturday.
Aiyuk’s next step should be to promptly petition the league office for reinstatement from the reserve/left squad list. Once that happens, Aiyuk will be in position to show up for training camp, which most likely would prompt the 49ers to immediately release him.
