The Daily Slop – 6 November 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
Washington Post (paywall)
How Jayden Daniels turned protecting the football into his ‘superpower’
Through all of the Commanders’ struggles, the quarterback has remained one of the NFL’s most efficient passers.
Ahead of his freshman year of college in 2019, Jayden Daniels sat down with then-Arizona State coach Herm Edwards. The quarterback
had been an excellent decision-maker in high school, but the former NFL coach wanted to drill home that the margin for error was about to shrink. He figured that Daniels had a future playing on Sundays and wanted to prepare him for what would come next.
“He always told me, ‘No matter what, you give yourself a chance to win the game if the possession always ends with a kick,’” Daniels told The Washington Post. “Whether that’s a punt or a field goal, you always want to end it with a kick.”
That was ingrained in Daniels throughout his five years of college football, and it hasn’t changed in the slightest through his third season with the Washington Commanders. Among the 33 NFL quarterbacks who’ve attempted at least 100 passes this season, he’s the only one who hasn’t committed a turnover.
Few quarterbacks have been better than Daniels at protecting the football since he entered the NFL in 2024. He has an interception rate of just 1.5 percent (the fourth lowest among quarterbacks who attempted at least 500 passes during that span). Overall, he’s committed just 14 turnovers (tied for the fewest).
“You just got to be locked in for six seconds each play,” Daniels said. “It kind of just goes with the flow of the game. And then, also, just having that discipline of like, ‘Okay, if it’s not there, don’t force it.’”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Sports Illustrated
Commanders Mailbag: Is Luke McCaffrey Being Overlooked? Did Dan Quinn Win Back Trust?
With Terry McLaurin out for the year, McCaffrey’s limited role on offense is harder to overlook. Plus, what the Eagles win did—and didn’t—change for Dan Quinn.
Luke McCaffrey looked good on that long kickoff return, but he barely played on offense. With Terry out for the year, is there a reason he still isn’t getting more opportunities at receiver?
Question from Nigel F. via email
That’s a great question that I’ve written about here before. From what I can tell, the staff likes McCaffrey, or he wouldn’t be on the roster, but he somehow keeps falling outside of the group that gets the main share of the offensive snaps at receiver. Against Philadelphia, McCaffrey played just three offensive snaps. Antonio Williams played 50, Treylon Burks 40, and Stefon Diggs 39. The team loaded up at receiver this offseason, giving the staff options even after McLaurin went down.
The receiver room may not be big on names outside of McLaurin and Stefon Diggs, but rookie Antonio Williams is emerging fast, and whenever Treylon Burks can stay healthy, he routinely produces. Add in the attention tight end Chig Okonkwo gets, and there’s not much left for McCaffrey, Dyami Brown, or Van Jefferson. On film, McCaffrey gets open, so offensive coordinator David Blough has to make the scheme work with the talent they have. With injuries playing a factor, McCaffrey will likely get his shot to show what he brings to the field before the end of the season.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
The Athletic (paywall)
Commanders’ grand offensive transformation remains a work in progress
The Washington Commanders didn’t start over completely after their 2025 season ended with only a handful of wins. A month after the team moved on from its previous coordinators, coach Dan Quinn reintroduced David Blough, previously the assistant quarterbacks coach, as his new play caller and they laid out their basic vision of the offense.
Blough’s would be “an aggressive, balanced attack,” Quinn said, with more under-center formations and a departure from the no-huddle system Jayden Daniels had grown accustomed to over the past two years. It would require the young quarterback to get comfortable with relaying play calls — some of them lengthy — then quickly reading the defense to make any checks at the line of scrimmage.
Among the more noticeable changes: Daniels would work under center more and no longer operate almost exclusively from the shotgun formation.
“I think it opens up some different schemes in the run game, some things that I believe in,” Blough explained in February. “It opens up different play actions and keepers and getting him on the perimeter in different ways. I think there’s a level of communication that happens under center. … I think a lot of teams that you saw even playing deep into the playoffs, it was something that was a foundation of what they did.”
The goal, both Quinn and Blough said, was to create a more explosive system that would take advantage of Daniels’ accuracy and running without asking him to do everything for the offense.
Throughout the offseason, Blough, a first-time play caller, collaborated with his assistants and sought the input of his players as they built a system they said would be exclusively theirs. The foundation was an amalgamation of the offenses Blough ran during his years as a quarterback, and drawing from the offenses run by Washington’s previous play caller, Kliff Kingsbury, as well as Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and even Louisville coach Jeff Brohm, whom Blough played for at Purdue.
The crux of the Commanders’ offense, however, would draw from Ben Johnson, Blough’s former coordinator in Detroit who has since transformed the Chicago Bears’ offense with his heavy use of play action, multiple tight end sets, outside zone run concepts and pre-snap motion.
To read more of this story, click here
Last Man Standig (paywall)
OFF SCRIPT: Austin Ekeler wasn’t sure he’d play again. He was OK with that.
The Commanders running back opens up about nearly retiring after tearing his Achilles, AI’s upside and scary possibilities, growing up in rural Colorado and the NFL statistic he treasures most.
ASHBURN, Va. — Austin Ekeler thought he had reached the finish line of his playing career.
Not necessarily while lying on the Lambeau Field grass in pain after tearing his right Achilles. But soon after the non-contact injury in Week 2 that ended his 2025 season, any quiet time became a mental battle.
“I’m probably done,” Ekeler thought. “Probably retiring.”
The entire picture of his work and life put the injury into perspective. The running back was a workhorse for much of his seven-year stint with the Chargers. He helped the Washington Commanders reach the NFC Championship Game in season 8. Then Ekeler tore his Achilles in Year 9. He would be 31 if he returned.
2025 was also the first year he became a father. Ekeler and his wife, Melanie, welcomed a baby boy into the world that May. The guy who grew up on a farm in rural Northern Colorado was already busy “ripping projects,” from coding to creating apps to business and real estate investing. He loves football, but it’s not his life.
And yet…
“I told myself, ‘Look, let’s focus on the rehab. Don’t focus on whether I’m done or not. Don’t make that decision while I’m emotional. Continue to rehab, and then once that’s done, let’s get back in shape.”
Ekeler is a gym guy, so he would get back into shape regardless.
“Then, if I start to feel good and people are calling about me, I’ll do a workout. If they want to have me in, great. If not, let’s go rip some more code and build some more projects. That’s what it was for me.”
The calls did come. The Carolina Panthers checked in and were set to add Ekeler to their practice squad when Washington raised the stakes with a spot on the active roster.
For more from Ben Standig, click here
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Commanders.com
Practice notes | Robert Henry preparing for new opportunity with Commanders
The Washington Commanders needed help at running back with Jacory Croskey-Merritt on Injured Reserve until at least Week 12 and Jeremy McNichols done for the year.
So, they brought in an old face. They claimed undrafted rookie Robert Henry Jr. off waivers after the Seattle Seahawks, who initially signed him off the Commanders’ practice squad October, cut him earlier in the week. This time, Henry is on the Commanders’ active roster, and they will likely need him to produce quickly with a key matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on the horizon.
“I’m just preparing myself every day for that moment,” Henry said.
The Commanders didn’t want to let Henry go. Although he did not make the initial roster after training camp, the former UTSA running back was impressive in August, showing off burst, quickness and vision coming out of the backfield. His best performance came in the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, when he had 75 yards on 12 carries, one of which went 22 yards for a touchdown.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Washington Sun (paywall)
Trey Amos Is Not Here to Save the Commanders’ Defense
After being sidelined for almost a year, the second-year cornerback made his much-anticipated return in Week 6.
If there’s one play that illustrates the value that cornerback Trey Amos brings to the Commanders defense, it’s a pass breakup from the second quarter of Sunday’s win over the Eagles.
With Philadelphia facing a third-and-2 from their own 35-yard line, Amos was matched up against Makai Lemon. The rookie receiver faked a quick slant toward the middle of the field before planting his right foot and taking off on a go route.
But before Lemon could get past him, Amos, playing in just his second game in 358 days, shoved his left arm into the wideout’s shoulder pads, forcing him to go further left and buying time as quarterback Tanner McKee launched a 25-yard bomb in the pair’s direction.
Just when it looked like the Commanders were set to give up yet another explosive pass play, Amos stretched his lanky, 6-foot-1 frame and knocked the ball away. Philadelphia punted, and the Commanders soon capitalized with more points in what would be a 27-10 win.
“That’s a difficult play, and you need length and body control to get yourself in a position to go do that,” coach Dan Quinn said Monday. “And so, the more plays, the more reps — you just know he’s gonna gain more comfort in playing.”
Amos fractured his left fibula in Week 10 last season, costing him the final eight weeks of his rookie season. Subsequent injuries over the offseason delayed his 2026 debut until Week 6. After the promise he showed as a rookie — six pass breakups and just one touchdown allowed — his return could be a major boost to a defense that’s allowing the seventh-most points (26.0) and sixth-most passing yards (243.0) per game.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
ESPN
What turned around Washington’s defense?
ASHBURN, Va. — Midway through the first quarter Sunday, the Washington Commanders ‘ offseason vision for its pass rush came to light. They showed seven defenders at the line of scrimmage; both inside linebackers stood at the line on either side of the center.
Then came the organized chaos and, for Washington, the fun. And a blueprint for what the Commanders (2-4-1) need to compensate for losing its top two defensive linemen, if it wants to turn its season around — starting Sunday vs. the Rams (4-4).
After all, they spent nearly $100 million in guaranteed money in the offseason to help the pass rush. It needs to help lead any resurgence and that was the case in Week 8.
“It was definitely a snapshot of what we can be,” Washington defensive coordinator Daronte Jones said. “Now it’s just about consistency.”
If they find it, it would provide a big boost — especially with linemen Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw both out for the season.
“The better we are,” outside linebacker Dorance Armstrong said of the pass rush, “the better our defense is. Everyone knows that.”
Numerous plays showed their ability to pressure the passer. But this third-down play vs. the Eagles in Week 8 showed what can happen when they work more together, as Jones and coach Dan Quinn have wanted.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
WUSA9
Commanders rookie Antonio Williams earning trust early from teammates
Wide receiver Antonio Williams is making the most of his opportunities in Washington, relying on preparation, confidence and relationships he’s building.
ASHBURN, Va. — With injuries impacting the Washington Commanders’ offense, rookie wide receiver Antonio Williams is stepping into a bigger role and making the most of his opportunities.
Williams has earned the confidence of his coaches and teammates, including head coach Dan Quinn, who said the rookie established trust within the organization early on.
“We have confidence in him, the quarterbacks do. That plays a big part, honestly,” Quinn said. “Like building trust among teammates, coaches — he did that very early.”
Quarterback Jayden Daniels pointed to Williams’ ability to deliver in critical moments, including a key second-down reception late in a game.
“Late in that game, that big second down, I wanna say, second-and-nine. He made that big catch down the field,” Daniels said. “Just those reps that we had at practice and that trust that we built.”
For Williams, that trust comes from preparation and consistency. He said performing at the level he expects of himself has helped him become more confident at the NFL level.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Podcasts & videos
District Film Room
Sam Cosmi is the Commanders Superstar Nobody Talks About
Al Galdi podcast
Locked on Commanders
Commanders Have the Firepower to Put Rams on Their Heels
Full Command Show
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
Jason Kelce refutes rumor that Eagles players wanted Jeff Stoutland out of Philly
The former Eagles center wouldn’t let the players take the heat for a decision made by the organization.
The Eagles run game and offensive line have struggled this season, and as we approach Week 9, and as Nick Sirianni begins to field questions about getting rid of legendary OL coach Jeff Stoutland, rumors about Stout’s departure sprouted up online. According to a report citing an unnamed source, suggested Stoutland not returning to the Eagles was not just an organization decision, but something players requested, as well.
Given the timing of the report, the optics for the team leaking this information don’t look great. It’s hard to think that anyone from last year’s starting line would want to be rid of Stoutland — they are all staunch and loyal Stout supporters.
During Jason Kelce’s segment on 94 WIP this week, the former Eagles center wanted to put the rumors to rest, and instead points the finger back to the team for Stoutland leaving — Kelce was even careful with his words, changing “when Jeff Stoutland left,” for “when Jeff Stoutland announced he wasn’t coming back.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Big Blue View
Jonathan Taylor trade rumors: NY Giants, everyone else, waiting on Colts
Hey, Colts, can we get a decision already?
“Has Jonathan Taylor been traded yet?”
Admit it, New York Giants fans. You check your favorite website (this one, I hope) multiple times a day hoping to find the answer to that question. You are checking social media constantly waiting for word. In the car, you’ve got the radio tuned to your favorite sports talk show hoping you don’t miss the news.
Well, guess what. Taylor is just like you. He wants to know what the Indianapolis Colts are doing to do, too.
‘Everybody wants clarity’
That was Taylor, the hotly sought-after running back, on Thursday.
Will the Colts decide to keep him? Will Taylor be a Giant? A Denver Bronco? A Seattle Seahawk? A Minnesota Viking? A Cincinnati Bengal?
The speculation has been running rampant for weeks, ever since Indianapolis fired GM Chris Ballard. It picked up in intensity when the Colts moved on from star guard Quenton Nelson and veteran defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.
“Everybody wants clarity,” Taylor said. “No one wants uncertainty.”
Taylor is ready for the guessing game to be over.
“The past couple weeks, it’s kind of been the same thing,” Taylor said Thursday of the rampant trade speculation about him. “But it won’t be Tuesday at that time (because) then you’ll know exactly what’s going on. You’ll know exactly what the verdict is.”
‘The New York Giants really want him’
That was Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports writing about the Giants’ desire to complete a deal for the 27-year-old Taylor.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys at Colts: Offensive, defensive impact players in Week 9
Two Cowboys who should have a big impact on Sunday
Whether it’s due to talent or circumstances, certain players impact the game more than others week in and week out. The Dallas Cowboys have several such players who can help turn the tide at any moment in any given game. To hopefully get their season back on track and start stacking some wins together, they need these players to step up now more than ever.
In the Week 9 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts we believe the Cowboys have a player on each side of the ball who will impact the game in a big way in this week, and we discuss why these two individuals should help sway the game in the Cowboys favor.
Offense – RB Javonte Williams
The offensive game plan and play-calling for Brian Schottenheimer should be an easy one this week, run the ball early and often. The Indianapolis Colts currently ranked 27th in the league in run defense, allowing 131.8 rushing yards per game.
That should equate to a big game for Javonte Williams, and possibly Tyler Goodson as well. These two combined for nearly 200 total rushing yards a couple weeks ago against the Eagles and could duplicate that success in this Week 9 matchup with the Colts.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Upcoming opponent – Rams
Commanders next game is at home on Sunday vs the Los Angeles Rams
Turf Show Times
What is Rams’ plan for Ty Simpson?
Through eight weeks, Stetson Bennett is still Matthew Stafford’s backup. What is the plan for Ty Simpson?
The Los Angeles Rams had a plan to futureproof the quarterback position. They hid their intentions well during the spring before shocking the NFL by selecting Ty Simpson with the thirteenth overall pick.
But a plan—at least a good one—doesn’t stop at drafting a player.
We knew Simpson was a green prospect entering the draft. He looked as ready as you possibly could during the preseason. For someone who the consensus said needed time to develop, Simpson looked poised under pressure and kept the ball out of harm’s way during the exhibition games.
Through eight weeks Simpson has been a healthy scratch on game days. He still dressed as the emergency third quarterback behind Matthew Stafford and Stetson Bennett, although he cannot step onto the field unless the two signal callers ahead of him are unavailable because of injury.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
