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Preseason Writing on the Wall for Allegretti
The Commanders made what were relatively seismic moves on the offensive line in the offseason.
At left offensive tackle, the Commanders made a trade for 4-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil to block
for Daniels’ blind side. In the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, Washington selected Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. at No. 29 overall.
Even with those 2 moves, another under-the-radar move might be just as important — when Commanders head coach Dan Quinn announced Coleman was being moved inside to left guard.
That move spelled the beginning of the end for Allegretti, who only started 13 regular season games in 5 seasons with the Chiefs.
The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala predicts that [Washington] could [part] ways with veteran and 3-time Super Bowl champion Nick Allegretti.
Allegretti signed a 3-year, $16 million contract with the Commanders before the 2024 season after he spent the first 5 seasons of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played in 4 Super Bowls and won 3 of them.
If anyone on the Commanders’ roster cashes in this offseason, it’s likely to be Tunsil, who could land a lucrative extension after he showed he’s still one of the NFL’s elite left offensive tackles in 2025.
Riggo’s Rag
Commanders need to get as much value for Daron Payne as possible
When Daron Payne was drafted at No. 13 overall in 2018, Jay Gruden was the head coach. Alex Smith had just been acquired as the team’s quarterback. The only player on Washington’s roster who has been there longer than the Alabama product is punter Tress Way.
For many years, Payne and fellow Crimson Tide alum Jonathan Allen gave Washington a fearsome interior duo in the trenches. His best season came in 2022, when he recorded 11.5 sacks and made his only Pro Bowl appearance. But in the three years since then, his production has steadily dropped off.
Entering the final year of his four-year, $90 million contract, this is the time to seek a trade partner for Payne. He likely isn’t going to return to his high-end starter form, but there may still be moderate interest in the eight-year pro. He could be a valuable asset for a win-now team looking to beef up its defensive line.
The Commanders only own six picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and only two in the first four rounds, thanks to a multitude of selections given up for Marshon Lattimore, Deebo Samuel Sr., and Laremy Tunsil. Any capital Peters can net in return for him would be a positive, and it will also be important to unload Payne so that Washington can focus on getting younger.
Washington could sign a younger, cheaper player to replace Payne, or put its trust in the development of Johnny Newton, who showed flashes in the pass-rush game toward the end of the 2025 season despite his limitations as a run stopper. Either way, it’s time for a change of scenery for the longtime stalwart.
Riggo’s Rag
Commanders must find a transformative prospect with their first-round pick in 2026
Things are going to change over the next few months as the NFL Scouting Combine, pro days, interviews, and medical assessments unfold. Still, most of the prospects who will be selected in the top 10 are already fairly well known.
During the regular season, the consensus, such as it was, focused on two positions and several players for the Commanders. Most early mocks had Peters picking a wide receiver — Carnell Tate or Jordyn Tyson were the most popular. Washington also needs edge-rushing help, which put David Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr. under the microscope.
Toss in receiver Makai Lemon and edge Keldric Faulk, and you pretty much exhausted the common wisdom regarding who the Commanders would pick.
According to newer mocks, that has changed. The new consensus focuses on three players, only one of whom is included in the above-mentioned group.
Everyone recognizes the Commanders are in desperate need of edge rushers, and Bailey remains a popular choice. But showing up even more often is safety Caleb Downs. If there is a consensus pick for Washington at this point, it is the Ohio State prospect.
The Commanders need safeties, perhaps even more than they need edge rushers. The 2025 starters, Quan Martin and Will Harris, were both major disappointments. Both could be gone next year. Everyone recognizes Downs as a superior talent — maybe the best pure football player in the entire draft.
The third player, who might seem like more of a surprise, is Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
Hogs Haven
Kayden McDonald Could Be Transformative for the Commanders’ Defensive Line
Now that we’re in draft season, the Washington Commanders are, no doubt, grappling with what to do with the #7 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Solid prospects are available, but the smartest move may not be to select the best player immediately. Instead, trading back and targeting a specific talent—Kayden McDonald, the dominant, run-stuffing, nose tackle from Ohio State—could redefine the team’s defensive front.
Last season, the Commanders’ interior defensive line struggled mightily. Despite the presence of Daron Payne, Jer’Zhan Newton, and Javon Kinlaw, opponents consistently neutralized Washington’s front. Double teams were a recurring problem, limiting the impact of these talented tackles and contributing to one of the league’s worst rush defenses in recent memory. Opposing teams averaged high yards per carry, controlling the line of scrimmage and keeping the Commanders’ linebackers in check.
McDonald addresses this problem directly. As a true 0-tech nose tackle, he is a master at occupying blockers, controlling gaps, and demanding double attention. His combination of strength, leverage, and quickness off the snap allows him to plug the middle effectively, giving his teammates more freedom to penetrate. With McDonald drawing double teams, Payne and Newton can operate as penetrating 2i/3-tech tackles, and Kinlaw can flow more freely along the line, increasing disruption and pressure rates.
The effect is measurable: Essentially, McDonald acts as a force multiplier. He doesn’t just stop runs—he elevates the performance of every defender on the interior line.
Commanders Wire
NFL draft analyst a fan of Commanders trading back
Trevor Sikkema sees the Commanders best move might be to trade back.
Sikkema, a Pro Football Focus (PFF) analyst, was a guest on “Grant and Danny” of 106.7 The Fan on Friday afternoon. “I think Washington is actually in a pretty good spot. They’re in such a good spot, I would say, that this is a team that I actually believe could be a strong ‘trade down’ candidate, given the fact they don’t have a lot of draft picks in the first five rounds of this draft.”
“Not only do I feel good about a player that could be a high impact guy for them available at No. 7,” Sikkema continued, “I think they could have a plethora of players to the point where they believe they can trade back and still get an impactful player at a position they really need and pick up some draft picks they really need too.”
Podcasts & videos
BATTLE-TESTED: Why David Blough’s Commanders Offense Could IGNITE with Jayden Daniels
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Big Blue View
NY Giants news: John Harbaugh hiring as head coach finally made official
John Harbaugh is officially head coach of the New York Giants. Finally. More than 48 hours after news broke that the Giants and the former Baltimore Ravens coach were finalizing a deal to bring him to New Jersey, that deal is finally done.
Harbaugh’s contract is expected be five years and at least $100 million. Harbaugh and GM Joe Schoen will both report directly to John Mara, a change in organizational structure for the Giants. Ian O’Connor confirmed he was told directly by Harbaugh that he reports to Mara.
Harbaugh said, “We are going to bolster up the analytics a bit. The Giants actually have a bigger sports science staff than we had. We didn’t really have a sports science dept. in Baltimore.”
The Giants are 13-38 (.255 winning percentage) the past three seasons, second-worst record in the NFL behind the Tennessee Titans (12-39 (.235) during that stretch. Since they won the 2011 Super Bowl, the Giants have the fourth-worst record in the NFL (83-145-1, .369). Since 2017, the Giants’ 44-104-1 (.299) are a half-game behind the New York Jets (44-105, .295) for the worst record in the league.
During the last two seasons, the Giants are a combined 7-27. New York fired Brian Daboll midseason when the team was 2-8. The Giants went 2-5 with Mike Kafka as interim head coach.
The Giants are hoping Harbaugh, who had just three losing seasons with the Ravens, can finally turn around a franchise that has been floundering since letting two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Tom Coughlin go after the 2015 season. In reality, struggling since winning the 2011 Super Bowl, the last great accomplishment with Coughlin as head coach and Eli Manning as quarterback.
Big Blue View
Mike Kafka interviews for Eagles offensive coordinator role
New York Giants offensive coordinator and interim head coach Mike Kafka interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles vacant offensvie coordinator job, per a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The Eagles have also interviewed former Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll (who has also interviewed for the Tennessee Titans’ coaching vacancy).
NFL Insider Pete Schrager reported on the Bill Simmons podcast that Kafka remains in the mix for the Giants offensive coordinator position, saying,
“But Mike Kafka, who was the interim coach and the offensive coordinator last year. I got from pretty good people. He’s still in the mix for offensive coordinator of the New York Giants. It’s the rare, like, alright, so I was offensive coordinator, new head coach. And I was the interim head coach. Still might be the OC because Dart actually showed a lot of flashes with him.”
It’s expected that Todd Monken will be the favorite to be the Giants’ offensive coordinator under John Harbaugh. However, there will still be a hiring process and Monken is a candidate for the Cleveland Browns head coaching position. With that in mind, it’s possible that Kafka could win the job outright thanks to the work he’s already shown with Jaxson Dart, or he could become the frontrunner if Monken is hired by the Browns.
Blogging the Boys
Dak Prescott is the only NFC East quarterback that will have coaching continuity in 2026
[This year, it’s gonna be different: “It’s our year!”]
When the Commanders and Eagles went to the NFC Championship game in 2024, both with former Cowboys coaches in prominent roles and Washington with a star rookie quarterback, the consensus popular opinion around the league was that the Cowboys would be behind both teams for the foreseeable future.
The narrative that the Cowboys best path to winning is with Prescott being the best QB on the field is a bit of a tired one, and understandably so, but that doesn’t mean it can be totally forgotten either. It feels tired at this particular junction in the early arrival of another Cowboys offseason because it hasn’t played itself out in the ways the Cowboys have hoped for since signing Prescott to his massive extension, with 2024 being an injury year and Prescott playing with a defense that allowed over 500 points for the first time in franchise history this past season.
[B]ut the Cowboys are in about as good of a position as they could ask for after year one of a drastically new offensive scheme to work with what they have and focus on rebuilding the defense instead.
The fact the Cowboys will be the only team carrying over the offensive play-caller for their quarterback that still managed to win seven games with a historically, astronomically bad defense is an added bonus the Cowboys couldn’t count on. Coach Schottenheimer’s team has a lot of growing up to do in 2026 to flip all the talk around potential into actual results, but they’ll be able to do so starting now while their closest rivals are working on introducing new coaches and installing new schemes.
The Inquirer (paywall)
What does Nick Sirianni do? A lot, says Howie Roseman, despite Eagles’ frequent offensive resets.
Two years ago, when Sirianni sat in the same chair and was asked about the next coordinator and his involvement, he said there would be a “meshing” of systems. The Eagles hadn’t yet announced Moore’s hiring, but they had zeroed in on him.
This year, they aren’t as far along because the news conference came earlier than two years ago. They have also cast a wider net. Roseman will lead the search.
Owner Jeffey Lurie and his son Julian, recently appointed to a formal role within the organization, will also be in the interviews, per a team source. Sirianni will be in the meetings too, but it is apparent the senior members of the front office will be making the final call.
There don’t appear to be any restrictions, but the Eagles will likely lean toward proven commodities. It has been suggested that they hire an offensive Fangio who no longer has head coaching aspirations because they previously lost Steichen and Moore to promotions.
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ESPN
What’s next for Bo Nix, Broncos after QB’s broken ankle?
[Bo Nix] threw a long incompletion to wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. on the next play in which Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White was flagged for pass interference. Nix moved down the field to get lined up with the offense and took the next snap for a kneel-down. During the kneel-down play, his right ankle twisted awkwardly and appeared to give out. Nix had a pronounced limp as he moved to the sideline before Lutz’s game-winning kick. — Legwold
Who is next up for the Broncos?
Jarrett Stidham is the Broncos’ backup QB. He signed with Denver as a free agent in 2023, right after Payton was hired as head coach. Payton has often credited Stidham’s experience and demeanor as keys to helping Nix’s development in his first two NFL seasons. Stidham was a fourth-round pick by the New England Patriots in 2019 and spent three seasons there before he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, when he was Derek Carr’s backup.
Do the Broncos have any chance of beating the Patriots or Texans without Nix? Winning the Super Bowl?
I remember working on a roundtable like this eight years ago, writing off the Eagles’ chances of winning the Super Bowl with Nick Foles after Carson Wentz was injured late in the season. That was a mistake, in part because that 2017 Eagles team had an elite roster that could support a backup quarterback. That’s pretty much what the Broncos have, too. They have arguably the best offensive line in the league and a strong defense that can shut down the run and the pass.
I’m very skeptical of Denver’s chances and would be stunned if confetti falls on the Broncos next weekend, much less in Super Bowl LX. But they’re only two wins from a championship in a wide-open season. Because of the depth and talent on their roster, I won’t completely rule them out. — Walder
What is the longer-term impact? How long could Nix be out?
Payton saying postgame that Nix will undergo surgery indicates the fracture is unstable and requires implantation of hardware to stabilize it and ensure the bones are in proper alignment. The fact that they could report this immediately after the game indicates the fracture was clearly visible on X-ray without requiring additional imaging.
Healing from an ankle fracture repair is approximately 10 to 12 weeks, but restoring full joint range of motion, strength and dynamic function takes approximately three to four months. Given the timeline before training camp resumes, Nix will likely be on track to start the 2026 regular season, assuming no complications. — Bell
NFL.com
Bills’ Josh Allen laments playoff loss to Broncos: ‘Feel like I let my teammates down tonight’
Josh Allen, who had four giveaways in the 33-30 overtime defeat, was emotionally struck by the loss and shouldered the blame after Saturday’s Divisional Round exit.
“It’s extremely difficult,” Allen said with tears running down his face. “I feel like I let my teammates down tonight.”
There were a number of self-inflicted mistakes by the Bills, whose five total turnovers in the game led to 16 points for Denver.
Included in Allen’s four giveaways was an OT interception that transferred a next-score-wins scenario Buffalo had to the Broncos. Denver’s ensuing drive was then aided by a pair of Bills penalties, which set up the Broncos with a chip-shot field goal for the win.
“Can’t win with five turnovers; I fumbled twice, threw two picks,” Allen lamented. “When you shoot yourself in the foot like that, you don’t deserve to win football games.”
Allen finished 25-of-39 passing for 283 yards with three TDs and two INTs for a 90.0 passer rating. He also produced 66 rushing yards for an offense that converted 10 of 15 third downs, scored TDs on three of five red-zone possessions, totaled 449 yards and earned a lopsided time of possession (40:58 to 29:18). The Bills became just the third team all-time to score 30-plus points with zero punts in a playoff loss, per NFL Research.
Allen, despite overcoming a majority of his blunders on Saturday, is left dwelling on yet another early playoff exit.
“I haven’t been doing a lot of talking; other than I love my teammates, and I’m extremely sorry,” Allen said. “I am disappointed with how this ended.”
The Athletic (paywall)
Josh Allen’s tears should tell the Bills everything: This isn’t working
For the seventh time in his seven seasons, the Buffalo Bills veteran tight end had come up short in the postseason. For the seventh time, the Bills’ spectacular quarterback, Josh Allen, had failed to deliver the championship that a franchise, a city and a fan base so desperately craves.
Yet for the sixth-seeded Bills to have had a shot to win this game — as with almost any game — they needed Allen, their 29-year-old superstar, to be a superhero. It’s a massive ask, and as great as he often is, it does not appear to be a viable formula for getting a flawed team to the Super Bowl.
Offensively, aside from Allen and running back James Cook (24 carries, 117 yards), the Bills were short on playmakers: Consider that Allen’s second-most targeted wide receiver, 12th-year veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks, was signed in late November.
Clearly, the current model isn’t working — and Saturday’s missed opportunity felt like a closing argument.
The question now is whether owner Terry Pegula will make any big changes, with head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane each completing a ninth season in those roles. They’ve now had eight chances to get to the Super Bowl with Allen, drafted seventh overall out of Wyoming in 2018. Yet Pegula, Beane, McDermott and Allen are soul-searching for the eighth consecutive January.
As one Bills source put it before Saturday’s game, “Every year we don’t win it with Josh, it just feels like a missed opportunity. We have this gift of a franchise quarterback that doesn’t come along often, and we need to figure out how to take advantage of that.”
The inescapable conclusion is that for Superman to take the Bills where they want to go, they’re going to have to find a way to reduce his burden.
ESPN
Seahawks start fast, roll past 49ers in NFC divisional round
The Seahawks’ top-rated special teams got it started with Rashid Shaheed returning the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown before Jason Myers added two field goals. The NFL’s best scoring defense got three takeaways, forced three more turnovers on downs and held San Francisco to a pair of field goals. Kenneth Walker III scored three rushing touchdowns, and Darnold looked just fine despite the oblique injury he suffered in practice Thursday that gave the top-seeded Seahawks a scare ahead of the team’s first home playoff game with fans in the stands in nine years.
Seattle gave the 12s a show with the kind of performance that should only reinforce the Seahawks’ Super Bowl hopes — even if their quarterback has to continue playing at less than 100 percent healthy.
The Seahawks pressured Purdy on 19 of his 33 dropbacks (58%). Per ESPN Research, that was the second-highest pressure rate and the most pressures he has faced in a game in his career. Purdy completed 6 of 14 attempts for 74 yards with an interception, two sacks and a lost fumble when pressured. The Seahawks’ 19 pressures are their most in 20 playoff games since ESPN began tracking the stat in 2009. Their previous high was 15, which they reached twice in the 2016 postseason.
