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.com
Whether he’s inside or outside, Mike Sainristil just wants to make plays
There’s more of a focus on creating better matchups — a significant departure from the past two years — so players having defined roles is more of a concept as opposed to a hard-and-fast rule.
But players like Mike Sainristil aren’t concerned about where
they are on the field as long as they’re out there.
“I’ve always been a sponge,” he said after Wednesday’s OTA practice. “No matter where you put me at, I’m going to do my best [to] make sure whatever you got me doing, I’m going to get the job done.”
Sainristil is used to being moved around by now. Injuries in Washington’s secondary have forced him to play both in the slot, where he played in college, and on the outside. Sainristil’s strengths at both spots have created some speculation about how he fits in defensive coordinator Daronte Jones’ system — a question even Sainristil doesn’t have an answer to at this point. Rather than worry about it, Sainristil’s approach has been to learn as much as possible and let the situation sort itself out.
Sainristil’s track record thus far makes him a fit for both inside and outside, which ironically could make him a fit for Jones’ scheme, which will adopt much of Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ philosophies on using multiple fronts to create confusion for offenses. Jones has a similar belief, saying during his introductory press conference that good defense is more about putting players in position to make plays as opposed to having them line up in specific spots on the field.
A to Z Sports
Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin already look like they’re back to the 2024 form that helped Commanders get to playoffs
[T]he Jayden Daniels-Terry McLaurin connection: it’s back.
The Commanders’ latest OTA session featured a highlight-worthy play from Jayden Daniels to McLaurin and the duo looked as crisp as ever as the latter hauled it in and executed a perfect toe-tap on the sideline to complete the play:
Jayden Dainels-Terry McLaurin stats from 2024 (regular season only)
Below are the stats that were produced when Daniels targeted McLaurin in 2024, per Sumer Sports:
- Receptions: 70
- Receiving yards: 944
- Yards per reception: 13.5
- Touchdowns: 12
- Yards per route run: 9.08
- EPA per dropback: 0.55
Those numbers are pretty insane, especially the yards per route run and EPA totals. Just to put it in context: Anything over 2.0 yards per route run is considered good for receivers and most quarterbacks average 0.0 to 0.05 EPA per dropback.
McLaurin’s YPRR is a whopping 454% above average and Jayden Daniels’ EPA per dropback is 1,110% higher than the peak average of 0.05 for QBs.
Yea. That’s explosiveness and efficiency to a tee. It’s clear this is one of the most effective QB-WR combos in the NFL and it’ll get a chance to get back on track in 2026.
That’s the positive spin on last year’s drop off, too. It’s not like Daniels and McLaurin couldn’t rekindle the magic. Both guys were hurt pretty much all throughout the season and played a total of three games together.
They should get right back to tormenting opposing defenses as long as both guys are healthy. It’ll be fun to watch and the Commanders are hoping it can be the spark that gets them back to the postseason.
Heavy.com
Jayden Daniels Already Borrowing from Peyton Manning
Speaking on ‘The John Keim Report,’ Keim noted how Daniels is already emulating Manning during Commanders OTAs. Keim remembered how his ESPN colleague and NFL Films Senior Producer Greg Cosell revealed “Manning would talk to him about executing play action from under center, and just how he would fake the handoff by extending his arm fully. Because if you don’t, if you’re just bending it, what does that signal to the defense? That you’re not gonna hand it off, you’ve gotta sell the handoff. And today, I saw Daniels’ arm fully extended on the handoff, selling the fake on the handoff, ’cause it starts with that. You’ve got to make it look like a run, and that’s the details of the position.”
Manning is a good frame of reference for Daniels to borrow from because the 14-time Pro Bowler and five-time NFL MVP could gash defenses in so many ways, from so many looks.
This is no small change for Daniels, who has spent the majority of his career operating from shotgun and pistol looks, at a remove from the center. The adjustment is expected to be a challenging, but necessary process for the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Commanders Wire
Commanders’ Jayden Daniels will ‘remind everyone’ who he is in 2026
What some forget about Daniels is that he did more with less. Yes, he had Terry McLaurin in 2024, but the duo played together in only three games last season. And, for as good as the other three quarterbacks were in 2025, Daniels was far better in 2024. Did anyone catch Maye’s performances throughout the playoffs, despite New England’s run to the Super Bowl? Compare that to Daniels in 2024.
Speaking of fourth-quarter comebacks, Daniels had five during his rookie season. He set an NFL rookie record with 12 touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and overtime. Even more impressive, Daniels was the first rookie quarterback in 74 years to lead back-to-back double-digit comebacks. His Week 16 comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles was one of the best performances across the NFL in 2024. Daniels passed for five touchdowns, including the game-winner to Jamison Crowder with only seconds remaining. Daniels led the Commanders to the comeback win against the NFL’s best defense despite five turnovers from Washington’s offense.
Riggo’s Rag
Commanders’ 2025 draft pick Kain Medrano is barely hanging on (and no one is paying attention)
Medrano faces a real fight to stay relevant this summer.
The Commanders signed Leo Chenal in free agency. They took Ohio State prospect Sonny Styles at No. 7 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Frankie Luvu is moving back to his off-ball role, and Washington still has high hopes for Jordan Magee entering a critical Year 3 of his professional career.
These four linebackers are roster locks. Much will depend on how many the Commanders take through, but Medrano has to make huge strides this offseason to justify this place on the squad.
Medrano is in danger of following the same path as Dominique Hampton. He was a Day 3 pick who didn’t make an impression in his rookie year. He failed to improve in his second offseason, and a disastrous preseason performance was enough for Peters to cut this experiment short.
Medrano has more about him, and his athletic attributes could potentially replace the aging Nick Bellore on special teams. But this is all predicated on the second-year pro developing under the watchful eye of defensive coordinator Daronte Jones.
NFL.com
2026 NFL London Games tickets sales windows
Your sales windows for the 2026 NFL London Games to be played at Tottenham Hotspur stadium are as follows:
Amex presale: **From Wednesday 27th May 10am to Tuesday 2nd June 5pm BST. Please click here to purchase.
Hospitality: From Friday 5th June midday BST
Tottenham STH: *From Tuesday 23rd June midday BST
General Admission: From Tuesday 7th July midday BST
**subject to availability
*2024 NFL Tottenham Season Ticket Holders will be contacted separately by email regarding a priority purchase window, as per 2025.
Ticket pricing is as follows for the Indianapolis Colts vs Washington Commanders Game to be played on October 4th at 2:30pm BST
View the stadium seating map here for the Colts vs Commanders game
Category
2026 *All In Ticket Price
1 £245.65
2 £235.65
3 £215.65
4 £200.65
5 £185.65
6 £164.15
7 £142.35
8 £115.10
9 £79.13
Category 4 Child
£101.48
Category 9 Child
£39.89
OTA Slo-mo VDO
Podcasts & videos
BACKFIELD BATTLE?: Commanders COMPLIMENTARY Running Back Group On Display at OTAs
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
Will the Eagles be better off without A.J. Brown?
Brown is aging. He’ll be entering his age-29 season, and historically, production begins to drop off significantly for receivers approaching 30. It appears we began to see a bit of that a year ago, when Brown put up his lowest yardage total since coming to Philadelphia (1,003 yards in 15 games, 66.9 average per game).
His yards per target were down (8.3), and his 12.9 yards per reception were a career low, and his 50.4% success rate was also the lowest of his career. Brown supporters would argue much of this can and should be attributed to Kevin Patullo’s putrid playcalling, but to me, Brown appeared a step slower last season and was unable to win the one-on-one battles that have been the hallmark of his Eagles career. It’s fair to wonder if Howie Roseman would be trading Brown before his trade value decreases.
The Eagles have also added a ton of new receivers to the roster through free agency and the draft, acknowledging that, yes, Brown is almost certainly to be moved elsewhere. They drafted Makai Lemon in the first round this year and signed Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore and John Metchie III. Not all of those receivers will join DeVonta Smith during the regular season this year, but there are enough viable bodies in the mix to allow the Eagles to begin anew with new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
Much of Brown’s lack of production can likely also be traced to effort. It seemed clear by the end of the season Brown was simply playing out the string. In terms of the locker room, while Brown is still beloved by his teammates, the constant distraction was just too much drama for them to overcome. Removing him from the equation can help the Eagles re-focus on the true goal of winning a Super Bowl.
At the end of the day, if the player doesn’t want to be here, he’s not going to be good. And so, in my mind, there’s little choice. The Eagles are more likely to return to Super Bowl contention without A.J. Brown than with him, given his current physical abilities, reluctance to play here, and off-season roster construction.
NFL league links
Articles
NFL.com
Texans QB C.J. Stroud on looming contract extension entering 2026: ‘I think I’ve held my bargain up’
Stroud isn’t spending much time worrying about his future, though; he knows he can still pilot his ship toward paradise with his performance.
“I let my agent handle that. If it’s time to do it, then it is,” Stroud said Thursday, via ESPN. “My job is football. That’s what I’m focused on, just getting better. I think I’ve held my bargain up. Whatever happens, happens.”
Despite his confidence, Stroud’s take on keeping up his end of the bargain is arguable. His scintillating rookie season set expectations astronomically high, which also set him up for relative disappointment, especially once the Texans placed him behind an incredibly leaky offensive line in his second season.
Year 3 saw an improvement up front, but the consistency and stellar production didn’t follow. Stroud finished 19th in passing yards (3,041), posted a respectable 19-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and ended with a passer rating (92.9), good for 13th in the NFL.
[C]onsidering how general manager Nick Caserio has constructed an elite defense directed by coach DeMeco Ryans, [t]he Texans know that side of the ball is good enough to win a Super Bowl. They need their offense to do its part in order to achieve such a goal. And that begins with Stroud, whose reputation isn’t exactly sparkling after a seven-turnover nightmare in Houston’s Divisional Round loss to the eventual AFC champion New England Patriots.
Discussion topics
Deadspin
Vikings Need to Move On From J.J. McCarthy Before It Gets Worse
It’s uncomfortable, especially because the team invested the No. 10 overall pick into McCarthy during the 2024 NFL Draft. But since then, the Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and brought in free agent quarterback Kyler Murray in free agency.
The Vikings are signaling to McCarthy that they’re giving up on him, but now it’s time to formalize that by trading the 23-year-old quarterback.
McCarthy was asked if there’s any awkwardness with Murray. And he didn’t exactly shut it down.
“It’s just like two guys in a classroom, he sits on one side, I sit on the other side, and it’s the coach’s responsibility to teach us and coach us,” McCarthy said. “Awkwardness? You know, it’s just like the same feeling when you’re in high school and there’s another person on the other side of the room, I wouldn’t say there’s any awkwardness.”
The Vikings need to nip this in the [bud] now before it becomes a bigger issue.
When was the last time a quarterback competition worked? When Russell Wilson beat out Matt Flynn with the Seattle Seahawks? That was almost two decades ago. Quarterback competitions rarely bear fruit. Instead, they take valuable preseason reps away from the team’s starter.
That’s why the Vikings need to just admit that this experiment with McCarthy is over. It was screwed up from the moment he injured himself, allowing Darnold to flourish. McCarthy wildly underperformed last year, throwing 12 interceptions compared to 11 touchdown passes.
It’s clear the organization is iffy about him. Now, he sounds iffy about the organization.
Cut bait. Somebody might be willing to give up a Day 2 draft pick to try and save McCarthy’s career. It’s not happening in Minnesota and it’s already time to turn the page.
aBit o’Twitter
