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
NFL.com
2026 NFL schedule release: Dates, times, matchups for nine international games
Colts at Commanders
- WHERE: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London)
- WHEN: Week 4 | Oct. 4 | 9:30 a.m. ET
- HOW TO WATCH: NFL Network, NFL+
Starting the NFL’s three-week stay in the United Kingdom, both of these teams are in desperate need of bounce-back campaigns and both are returning to Europe for a second straight year: the Commanders lost to the Miami Dolphins in Madrid, and the Colts bested
the Falcons in Berlin, a season ago.
Jayden Daniels figures to be back to form to lead the Commanders after the dazzling dual threat suffered through an injury-plagued sophomore season.
The Colts are hoping they’ll have Daniel Jones back at quarterback by Week 4, as well. Jones resurrected his career in his first season with Indy before an Achilles tear ended it prematurely. Jones re-signed with the Colts, but just when he will resume playing remains unclear.
In 2024, Daniels and the 12-5 Commanders were a Cinderella story, advancing all the way to the NFC Championship Game. Washington couldn’t build on that success last year, sputtering to a polar opposite 5-12 finish.
In 2025, Jones and the Colts were a surprising feel-good story when they sprinted out to an 8-2 beginning, but crashed and burned with seven straight losses leaving them out of the playoffs.
Washington and Indianapolis enter 2026 on similar paths that will lead them to London.
The Washington Commanders’ meeting with the Colts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London will be Washington’s third International Series game and its second game in London after playing the Bengals to a tie at Wembley Stadium in 2016. Last year, the Commanders fell to the Dolphins in overtime at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.
Like other NFL franchises, Washington has prioritized broadening its international presence.
“You see European sports fans that are beginning to find their way to declaring, ‘I am a Commanders fan,’ or ‘I am a Steelers fan,’” Commanders president Mark Clouse told The Athletic in November, when it first reported the team would play abroad again in 2026. “That, I think, is an interesting opportunity for our reach, to begin to expand on a much more global level. And that means everything for merchandise to social media and how we’re able to attract sponsors that may have a more global footprint. It becomes extremely powerful.”
Commanders.com
26 things to know about Washingtons’ 2026 schedule
- Washington’s best win-loss percentage is against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who they have beaten seven out of eight matchups. Their last loss to the Jaguars came in 2002 on the road, but since then, the Commanders have managed to pull out victories
- .As it currently stands, only three of the Commanders’ games will be played outside of the central or eastern time zone. The only exceptions are the road matchups against the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers as well as the matchup in London.
- The Cardinals are the Commanders’ most common non-division opponent with 128 matchups over the course of the two teams’ histories. Over the last decade, the Commanders have a 4-1 advantage over the Cardinals, with the most recent matchup being a 42-14 blowout victory on the road.
- The Commanders’ road matchup against the Tennessee Titans should be something of a homecoming for several players on the roster. Many of them were either drafted or played for the Titans at some point, including Marcus Mariota, Chig Okonkwo, Jeremy McNichols, Van Jefferson and Treylon Burks.
Commanders Roundtable
Former NFL linebacker Ryan Shazier praises Washington Commanders rookie
Former Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier called Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles “one of the safest picks” in the 2026 NFL Draft due to his consistency. In a league that values potential, Styles proved to be a consistent piece for the Buckeyes defense with Shazier noting he’s the guy who “is supposed to be there, and he’s there every time” in an exclusive interview with Casino Guru News.
The question for Styles has been how soon he becomes the green dot linebacker in Daronte Jones’ defense with Leo Chenal an experienced option, though head coach Dan Quinn noted Styles is one of the players capable of drawing that tag in practices. Yet it’s been clear that Styles reinforces what was once a weakness into a strength this offseason after the front office put a premium on upgrading both the talent and depth across the front seven.
As for possible expectations in year one, the rookie drew comparisons to 49ers linebacker Fred Warner during the draft process, a comparison that Shazier noted is understandable due to his experience at safety “and he’s good in coverage.”
“Obviously Sonny didn’t have a whole lot of interceptions, but he’s in the right area at the right time. Darrelle Revis didn’t get a lot of interceptions, but he was always where he needed to be. I feel like that’s the same thing with Sonny,” Shazier added.
Heavy.com
Commanders’ Free Agent WR Might Have Worst Hands in NFL
[Dyami] Brown might have the worst hands of any wide receiver in the NFL. In 2025, Brown was second in the NFL in drop rate at 13.5 percent, behind Atlanta Falcons wide receiver David Sills at 13.9 percent.
The Jaguars were in desperate need of help from Brown, who was a stunning disappointment in his 1 season there with 20 receptions for 220 yards and 1 touchdown in 14 games.
It’s not the 1st time in Brown’s career that drops have been an issue.
Elite NFL wide receivers typically have drop rates below 5 percent — the very best of the best are usually around 2 to 3 percent. In 2023 with the Commanders, Brown had a drop rate of 8.7 percent.
Last Man Standig (paywall)
Ranking the Commanders’ 2026 schedule by opposing quarterbacks
Strength of schedule offers clues. Quarterback play offers reality. Washington’s path this season features plenty of dangerous arms — and very few gimmes.
Every team already knows its upcoming opponents and, therefore, its strength of schedule. Washington’s exact order, dates and times will be revealed Thursday at 8 p.m. ET here on Last Man Standig.
There’s limited consistency in SOS analysis due to the use of different methodologies. Sharp Football pegs Washington as holding the 25th-hardest upcoming schedule, while CBS Sports’ math puts the Commanders firmly in the middle (16th).
The real rub is that gauging a strong/easier schedule by the numbers is based on the previous season’s data.
There’s more to winning than who is operating under center — but teams with a stud [quarterback] have a much better chance than those still searching.
With a healthy Daniels, 2026 opponents know Washington won’t be a pushover. By using a similar analysis from the Commanders’ end, there are few easy outs on the QB front this coming season.
I broke down the quarterbacks into five tiers. The top two groups alone account for 10 games on Washington’s schedule.
Breakout hopefuls
Breakout performances are possible this season. Hope they don’t happen on your watch.
Titans (A) — Cam Ward
The Titans’ offense still requires more additions, but Tennessee selecting WR Carnell Tate fourth overall gives Ward, the No. 1 pick in 2025, a promising route runner capable of growing with the young quarterback.
Falcons (H) — Michael Penix Jr. / Tua Tagovailoa
No right-handed throwers allowed in Atlanta’s quarterback competition. The Falcons drafted Penix in the 2024 first round, but under a different regime. While Penix recovers from a torn ACL, Tagovailoa receives all the reps under new head coach and play-caller Kevin Stefanski.
Giants (H/A) — Jaxson Dart
There’s no questioning the second-year quarterback’s moxie. Whether New York’s historically leaky offensive line improves enough to keep Dart upright — and whether WR Malik Nabers is ready for Week 1 after last year’s season-ending ACL tear — remains open for debate.
Replacement level
Cardinals (A) — Jacoby Brissett / Gardner Minshew / Carson Beck
Nothing screams rebuild more than Arizona’s quarterback depth chart. Brissett can put up points in any given week. Consistent production is the rub and there’s minimal evidence from last season’s 3-14 squad that others on the roster will pick up the slack.
There’s also a world where the retooling Cardinals, under first-year head coach Mike LaFleur, pivot to Beck by midseason.
Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)
Breaking Down a Commanders Play Call from Rookie Minicamp
This clip comes from Scott Abraham of 7 News DC. He posted the clip to show seventh round quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis in action for a couple of plays, but I’ve cut the clip down to just the second play.
What you’ll see here is Kaliakmanis getting a playcall from offensive coordinator David Blough into his helmet and then having to go into the huddle and relay that call. You can see he has a bit of trouble with it, which is normal for a first practice session for a young quarterback. It’s all new terminology and it’s easy to get things mixed up. I’m sure Jayden Daniels will have some moments like this too.
To give an insight as to why those struggles happen early on, I thought I’d break down what a play like this might be called and show what the individual parts of the call might mean. Now I must point out that I don’t know what terminology David Blough is using. He’s been in a lot of different systems, but most commonly been in some form of a west coast offense. West coast offenses are so widely spread around the league that terminology within them can vary quite a lot, but the one I’m most familiar with is the Kyle Shanahan system, so I’ll use that terminology to break down this play, as well as some pictures from a Shanahan playbook.
In the Shanahan system, this particular play would be called something like “West Right Slot F Left 19 Wanda F Sift”. That sounds like a bit of a mouthful, but it’s simple when broken down. West coast offense play calls all follow the same structure:
1. Shift
2. Formation
3. Formation variation
4. Motion
5. Run target/pass protection
6. Run/pass concept
7. Snap count
So if we apply that to our play call, we can get a better idea of what the play actually is. There’s no shift on this play, so we can skip the shift and start with the formation. The basic formation in our call here is “West Right”.
I used the term West Right. West is an adjustment term that tells the F to line up on the same side as the Y tight end. Here’s what that looks like:
There are two formations in this picture, West Right and East Right. These are paired together. You’ll notice the F lines up on the same side as the Y tight end, but in different spots in each formation. In old Mike Shanahan playbooks, you’ll see the phrase “It’s warm in the west, so go outside” and “It’s cold in the east, so go inside”. This is information for the Y and the F. In West Right, the F lines up outside of the Y tight end because it’s “warm in the west, go outside”. In East Right, the F lines up inside the Y tight end because it’s “cold in the east, go inside”.
There’s millions of funny little terms and quirks like that in these playbooks. Terms might seem like complete nonsense but they typically have a reason for them like that which helps players remember certain aspects of a formation.
Podcasts & videos
D.C. Don’t FLINCH!!! + 2026 Schedule Primetime Predictions | Podcast | Washington Commanders | NFL
Revealing OPTIMAL Commanders Schedule for 2026 | New Coaching Staff Impact | Adam Peters Salary Cap
NFC East links
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys have dominant history over Giants in season openers
If you have been paying attention for the last 5, 10, 30, or 5,000 minutes or so, you know that the Cowboys and Giants square off to begin NFL seasons more often than not. This isn’t literally true, but it certainly feels that way based on the last 20 years.
Consider that 2026 will mark the ninth time in 20 years that Dallas and New York will do battle to begin a season. The previous eight affairs have been fairly one-sided to say the last.
- 2023 (Away): Win, 40-0
- 2019 (Home): Win, 35-17
- 2017 (Home): Win, 19-3
- 2016 (Home): Loss, 20-19
- 2015 (Home): Win, 27-26
- 2013 (Home): Win, 36-31
- 2012 (Away): Win, 24-17
- 2007 (Home): Win, 45-35
Whether the games have taken place in Week 1 or otherwise, the Cowboys have dominated the Giants in general in the Dak Prescott era. Since Prescott took over as starter he has only lost to the Giants on three occasions, both games his rookie season and Week 18 last year when both squads were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
If things go chalk in that sense the Cowboys will have a strong chance to start the season off 1-0 overall, but crucially 1-0 within the NFC East and even more so with a road divisional win in hand.
Big Blue View
Why the NY Giants did not draft Caleb Downs
ESPN’s Dan Graziano explained why he believes the Giants left Downs on the board for the Dallas Cowboys:
The Giants had Ohio State star Arvell Reese fall into their laps at No. 5 in the draft. Then at No. 10, Downs was sitting right there. The Cowboys had tried to trade up to No. 9 to get Downs, fearful that the Giants would take him. New York could have come out of the first round of the draft feeling like it had locked down two defensive cornerstones for a decade to come.
Instead, the Giants drafted offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa. Dallas exhaled and moved up one spot to make sure it got Downs. And now the Giants will have to play against him twice a year.
So why didn’t they take him? Well, they felt like they’d made their defensive pick at No. 5 when Reese was still there. I think there’s a chance they’d have taken Downs at No. 5 if Reese had been picked in the top four. But what became clear to me after the draft in talking to people around that situation is that the Giants were determined to use one of their two top-10 picks on an offensive player in an effort to support second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart. That could have meant running back Jeremiyah Love if he’d been there at No. 5. It could have meant wide receivers Carnell Tate or Jordyn Tyson if they’d been there at No. 10. Ultimately, it meant locking in the player the Giants identified as the best offensive lineman in the draft to help fortify Dart’s protection.
Valentine’s View
I think Graziano is on the money here. Having gotten a second top-10 pick after trading Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals, I think the Giants felt they had to use one of those two picks to directly help Dart.
Pro Football Talk
George Pickens not present for Cowboys’ voluntary offseason work
Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens signed his franchise tag on April 29, and executive vice president Stephen Jones said soon after the team expected Pickens to show up for voluntary work.
Monday was the first team workout for the Cowboys since Pickens signed the one-year, $27.3 million deal, and Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Pickens was not present.
Nothing is mandatory until June 16, so he can stay away until then without being fined.
The Cowboys announced they will not negotiate a long-term deal with Pickens this offseason, and Jones has repeatedly said the team has “zero interest” in trading Pickens.
The Cowboys traded for Pickens a year ago, and he led the team in targets (137), catches (93), yards (1,429) and touchdowns (eight) in 2025.
NFL league links
Articles
ESPN
2026 NFL offseason: Making sense of 10 lingering questions
Why didn’t the Texans extend C.J. Stroud?
Houston tends to be very aggressive with its long-term extensions for its veteran stars. The latest example is Will Anderson Jr., who became the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback on the extension he got this offseason after three stellar years at the front of the Texans’ defense. Stroud and Anderson, the second and third picks in the 2023 draft, respectively, were each eligible for extensions for the first time this offseason. Anderson got his deal early; Stroud’s does not appear to be on the horizon.
The Texans picked up Stroud’s fifth-year option for 2027, which was a no-brainer because it means they’ll pay him a total of $31.6 million over the next two seasons. But it appears the Texans want to wait to see another year before committing long-term quarterback money.
Why? Well for starters, do you remember the last time we all watched Stroud play? His performance in the team’s divisional round playoff game in New England was season-endingly poor. His showing the week before in a wild-card playoff victory over the Steelers wasn’t very good, either. Stroud was Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, and he has won at least one playoff game in each of his three NFL seasons, so there’s a lot to like. But the Texans haven’t seen marked improvement from him in Years 2 or 3, he missed games because of injury last season and the playoff flops are hard to ignore.
Add in the fact that there aren’t currently any big quarterback extensions on the horizon anywhere else that would scare Houston into trying to get ahead of the market. Carolina doesn’t seem in a huge hurry to do a Bryce Young extension. Lamar Jackson isn’t rushing to do an extension with the Ravens. In turn, the Texans aren’t at risk of having to pay a ton more next offseason than they’d likely have to pay this offseason to get Stroud under contract long term. They can afford to wait.
If Stroud rebounds and plays in 2026 the way he did as a rookie, I believe the Texans will have no issues extending him next offseason. Heck, Stroud himself likely realizes he’d be better off putting a better finish on tape and negotiating off that. Everybody involved wants things to be better in 2026 than they were in 2025, so let’s see what happens, then make the next move.
Front Office Sports
NFL Schedule Tweaks Continue Erosion of Sunday’s Witching Hour
As the NFL continues to create more standalone windows on its schedule, the league’s Sunday afternoon offerings are being reduced
Fox is adding three standalone windows this season: one game in Munich featuring the Lions, a Christmas game, and another late-season Saturday game. Two of these games come from the league’s slate of five games it picked up to resell in the NFL Network–ESPN transaction, and another is coming out of Fox’s Sunday afternoon inventory. CBS is also adding a late-season Saturday game that is getting rearranged from its own Sunday afternoon slate.
For the past 20 years, the NFL has been chipping away at the depth of the Fox, CBS, and Sunday Ticket packages (previously sold by DirecTV, now by YouTube TV), with the addition of more standalone games derived from the afternoon slate. As a result, the witching hour’s inventory has been reduced.
While Fox and CBS are benefiting this time around from the schedule shift because they are adding their own extra NFL windows, they have collectively relinquished more than two dozen of these Sunday afternoon games over the course of the full season as the league has adapted its schedule.
Sports Illustrated writer Jimmy Traina summed up the trade-off after news of the CBS rearrangement was announced Monday. “I’m torn. Sunday at 1pm has been destroyed, which isn’t fun when you pay 8 billion dollars for Sunday Ticket, but I love as many standalone prime time games as possible,” Traina wrote on X/Twitter.
Discussion topics
ESPN
NFLPA: Players strongly want ‘high quality’ grass fields like FIFA World Cup
While NFL players watch some of their stadiums get new grass fields installed for upcoming FIFA World Cup games, it only reinforces their desire to move away from turf.
Fifteen of the 30 NFL stadiums use some sort of artificial turf for American football games. Players have become more vocal in recent years about their desire to play on grass.
“What we want is good grass fields. Good, solid fields,” NFLPA executive director JC Tretter said recently on the “Not Just Football” podcast hosted by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward. “You don’t just want to pull out the [municipal] golf course grass. On every field, you want high-quality surfaces. I think one thing is understanding what our players care about. And there is something there that the data hasn’t been able to spit back out at us. Which if you ask every player that we polled, 1,700 players, 92% say they want grass over turf.
Tretter said the talking point is that the injury rates on turf vs. grass have become marginal. But he added that if you look deeper into the numbers, turf injuries have held relatively steady. Grass injury rates have gotten worse.
So it’s not just the idea of NFL stadiums having grass instead of turf. Tretter said he wants quality grass fields that reach certain unspecified standards.
“I think it’s important for us to have metrics to enforce them, making sure the stadiums are being used predominantly for football games, especially when having concerts and monster truck rallies, those are all things owners make money off. The players don’t make money off it,” he said. “The idea that, hey, we’re going to host these events that means we have to put a worse surface on there for you and you don’t actually get any of that money for those events we’re hosting isn’t a great thing for the players either. And that is what we have to evaluate for the next deal.”
“You look at FIFA, they’re rolling out the green carpet for soccer players. And that has become the norm,” Tretter said. “Over in European leagues, that is what you do. You play on grass. They have surface standards that each thing is rolled out. It’s exactly how it’s supposed to be. And those players will not play if it’s not that.”
