The Daily Slop – 25 August 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
Cover 4 Quarters
Sonny Styles is already proving the hype in Washington is real
This play from Styles drew the ire of fans everywhere, who immediately clamored, “Bust!” “Played like a fiddle”, and other pejorative statements.
All of this outcry proved the maxim “It’s better to stay silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove
all doubts” is as true as it was when the statement was first introduced in Proverbs 17:28.
As the MIKE linebacker, Styles is fitting the C-gap here as his responsibility.
you can see he keeps his eyes on his gap responsibility until he realizes that the defensive end (#48) has completely blown his responsibility here too.
It’s a read option. The defensive end is supposed to keep his eyes on the ball. #48 simply doesn’t, and Dobbs makes him pay for the mental lapse. Ideally, #48 should “squeeze and pop”, where he shuffles down the line of scrimmage to discourage the give to the running back (squeeze) before “popping” back to the quarterback by flattening out his path to interfere with his pathing.
[I]t’s not a scrape exchange because nobody is filling in for Styles’ fit on this play. If there were another safety in the box, I could theoretically buy it, provided he filled in the C-gap for Styles. This play is from a 2-high shell, so the safety is deep and isn’t in the primary run fit.
For my money, this touchdown lies squarely on the defensive end and the safety. The defensive end is a fifth-round rookie, so I expect some mistakes like that. The safety #3 is 30-year-old veteran Will Harris, who…I’m going to be honest: I’m not sure what he’s doing.
[Styles] doesn’t give any ground to the tight end and is in prime position in his gap to take on the rusher.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)
Commanders give glimpse of Daronte Jones’ defensive scheme vs Lions
[From BiB: The excerpt below describes the defensive play you can see in the tweet from Bullock at the bottom]
[I]t’s important to remember that in preseason, nobody wants to show anything resembling their actual schemes. However, I felt that we got a little more of a hint as to what the schemes might look like in the regular season, especially on defense. It happened early on too. On just the second snap of the game, we got a glimpse of what might be to come from Daronte Jones and his defense this year.
Normally when a cornerback blitzes, you see multiple other defenders on the line of scrimmage bail out to make up the numbers in coverage, but not here. The Commanders rush their entire front five, including the three interior defensive lineman and the two edge rushers at outside linebacker. With Robertson joining them, that gives Washington six defenders blitzing, leaving just five in coverage. Having five defenders in coverage is rare, but what’s even more unique is that they don’t play man coverage behind the six-man blitz.
Most offenses will associate a blitz with man coverage, because zone coverages typically rely on multiple extra defenders to cover every area on the field effectively. But the Commanders still play what appears to be zone coverage here. The safeties rotate post-snap, with Jeremy Reaves working to a deep outside third, replacing Robertson’s role in coverage. Nick Cross rotates to the deep middle of the field to play the middle third. Cornerback Mike Sainristil on the other side of the field acts like he’s playing man coverage but is actually responsible for the deep third on his side of the field.
Having three deep zone defenders isn’t unusual, but typically you have four underneath defenders as part of a Cover-3 zone, or at least three underneath defenders as part of a fire zone blitz scheme. But here, Washington has just two underneath defenders in linebackers Sonny Styles and Frankie Luvu. This is a tough blitz on them because they have a huge amount of ground to try and cover underneath. But the Commanders will argue that the pressure is actually the coverage. By sending six rushers, the offense has to keep at least one eligible receiver in to protect, or they’ll be overrun. You can see on this play that both tight ends stay in to chip while the running back is slow to release as he checks protection inside.
With three eligible receivers helping in protection before releasing underneath, that leaves just two receivers running routes down the field. That buys time for those six rushers to try and get to the quarterback. Rookie outside linebacker Joshua Josephs does a great job darting inside the left tackle and creating immediate pressure, which actually forced a holding call from the left tackle to prevent the sack. The quarterback feels that pressure and has to try and scramble away from it, but he has no idea Robertson is there. He runs to his left and hits a brick wall as Robertson is there to make the sack and knock the ball out. From there, it’s a fight of effort and desire to see who can jump on the ball and recover the fumble. Josephs shows great effort as he’s the one that sticks with it and fights hardest to win the ball, recovering it in the end zone for a touchdown.
That was just a glimpse of what Daronte Jones has in mind for this defense. Remember, nobody wants to show anything significant at this point in the year, especially the Commanders with two new coordinators that have an advantage of opponents not knowing what schemes they’re about to face. So for Jones to show this blitz tells you it’s a very vanilla blitz for them.
Last Man Standig
Dan Quinn didn’t like the ‘disarray’ in preseason Game 2. Now the Commanders get back to work
Jacory Croskey-Merritt was not formally declared out of the preseason game because of injury, but he seemed to pull up at the end of a catch-and-run in Thursday’s open practice. The groin injury isn’t considered significant, I’m told, but “Bill” is the latest player the Commanders aren’t rushing back into action after an injury. Quinn said Croskey-Merritt joins a “number of guys that we hope to get into practices next week,” following a Saturday evaluation.
Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White (hamstring) and Jeremy McNichols (quad), Washington’s top three experienced backs, are all working through some form of injury. White went through individual drills Monday after sitting out practices last week. That leaves two rookies, sixth-round pick Kaytron Allen and UDFA Robert Henry Jr., along with recent signee Craig Reynolds, as the known available options against Baltimore.
For more from Ben Standig, click here
Sports Illustrated
3 Things We Learned From Commanders’ Added Day 15 Training Camp Practice
3. Injuries Are Still Reshaping Position Battles
More than anything, Washington is still evaluating several positions while key players remain unavailable or limited. Center is the perfect example and a glaring weakness now as well. Quinn said Nick Allegretti is still not ready, while Matt Gulbin will move back exclusively to center this week after getting some work at guard. Hearing Quinn say Washington still has work to do moving forward feels like someone telling me water is wet. The center position has remained unsettled and unfilled all summer after spending the offseason program hearing about how confident they were that Allegretti would win the competition.
Rachaad White returned to practice, but only in a limited capacity; Croskey-Merritt worked on the side, and that again created extra opportunities for Henry and Allen. Tim Settle returned to practice while Quinn said several were targeting next week, rather than Wednesday’s Baltimore practice.
With roster cuts approaching and only a few evaluation opportunities remaining, Baltimore and the preseason finale will do more to settle Washington’s remaining questions than Monday’s light practice ever could.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Sports Illustrated
Athan Kaliakmanis Builds Momentum in Commanders’ Quarterback Battle
Hartman wasn’t missing simple reads like he was in the Commanders’ preseason debut against the Miami Dolphins, but he can’t match Kaliakmanis’ raw willingness to mix creativity with arm power. Kaliakmanis threw for 162 yards on 11-of-14 passing and completely avoided any sacks after taking two against Miami the week before.
Even if the change doesn’t happen overnight, the young asset is quickly endearing himself to those searching for inning-eating Daniels replacements, rapidly raising the stakes on a less-than-obvious roster battle.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders.com
Training camp notebook | Commanders begin final week of work before roster cuts
We have some more injury updates. Quinn confirmed that both Tim Settle Jr. and Rachaad White would be on the field, albeit in a limited capacity. There is a long list of players on the roster still dealing with injuries, and Quinn said that they will all continue their rehab process with most of them shooting for next week to be available. Although he didn’t say it outright, it seems that key players like Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson and Nick Allegretti will not be available for the team’s joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
ESPN (John Keim)
2026 Washington Commanders: Projecting final 53-man roster
Running backs (4)
Rachaad White, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Robert Henry Jr., Kaytron Allen
Allen offers a different type of runner, able to get tough yards inside. Fellow rookie Henry Jr. is a possibility if they keep four at the position — veterans Jeremy McNichols (quad) and Jerome Ford (hamstring) are hurt — but a tough second preseason game didn’t help. Washington wants to emphasize the run game more, but it likely will be by committee with White in particular on third downs while Croskey-Merritt offers more explosiveness in the run game.
Wide receivers (7)
Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, Antonio Williams, Treylon Burks, Jaylin Lane, Luke McCaffrey, Dyami Brown
This is easily the toughest call on offense as eight players warrant a spot, as well as veteran Van Jefferson. But others are ahead in part because of their special teams ability — notably Lane and McCaffrey. The latter needs to prove more as a receiver and that’s where Jefferson could edge him out. Washington has far more depth here than in 2025.
Cornerbacks (4)
Trey Amos, Mike Sainristil, Amik Robertson, Rasul Douglas
With questions about Amos’ health — he’s practiced one day this camp — a fifth corner becomes necessary (coordinator Daronte Jones doesn’t always rely on three-corner nickel packages). Antonio Hamilton and Darius Rush can be kept on the practice squad for special teams depth. The question will be who else plays outside when Amos is healthy: Douglas excels in zone while both Sainristil and Robertson can play in the slot or outside.
Safeties (5)
Nick Cross, Jeremy Reaves, Quan Martin, Percy Butler, Tyler Owens
Four spots are easy to call: Cross and Reaves have worked as the starters while Butler and Owens are special teams standouts. Jones likes using three safety sets and he prizes versatility, which gives Martin an edge over veteran Will Harris. Washington also could try to trade Martin and keep Harris; it’s a tight call.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders Wire
Dan Quinn breaks down Lions’ long TD run; it was not on rookie LB Sonny Styles
On Monday, Quinn put the nonsense to rest.
“A good zone read for him, and he’s got that ability like [QB] Jayden [Daniels] to hand it off and pull it,” Quinn said of Dobbs.
“So, on that particular one, on that option, they read the defensive end. So, if the defensive end closes, he pulls it. So, on that particular one, we’d love Josh [Josephs] to wait it out. And then we were in man-to-man behind, so once it’s handed off and we’re out of pass, get off your man, and everybody get back to it. So, I get it could be a first down, but to have it be a touchdown was certainly disappointing. But it would start with Josh, and then, just backside pursuit and speed to finish. But he [Dobbs] made a good play, too.”
It’s time to put this one to bed.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Photos
Podcasts & videos
Second thoughts Following the Lions Preseason Game | John Keim Report
CENTER HELP: 10 Commanders Options To Protect Jayden Daniels
Washington vs Detroit Recap: Epic Highlights + Special Guest Grant Mitchell
Discussion topics
Too Deep Zone
They Finally Built the Factory of Sadness from the Sci-Fi Classic “Never Build the Factory of Sadness”
Browns. Deshaun Watson. Exasperated shrug.
I’ve never seen a football team make a decision as disastrous and self-defeating as the Browns’ decision to start Watson in 2026. I cannot remember seeing any other professional organization behave so self-destructively. This isn’t “tanking,” or the Sunk Cost Fallacy, or wishful thinking, or simple incompetence, or even outright evil, which at least comes bundled with self-interest and a desire for short-term gratification. This is mortification. It’s spiteful self-loathing. It’s Sartrean existential hell: three entities trapped in their own intolerable company.
Browns fans can escape by abandoning the team or the NFL, but that can feel like gnawing off your own arm. In fact, that should be the team’s motto. The 2026 Browns: Marginally More Fun than Gnawing Off Your Own Arm.
I don’t know how to proceed with 2026 Browns coverage. They aren’t funny or sad anymore, merely gruesome. They don’t deserve your time or mine. I am tempted to boycott covering them this year, but that’s a little performative, and I won’t be able to resist a TankWatch in a few weeks, once we’ve all acclimated to the stench. But I promise not to keep poking at this rotted tooth of a franchise when it’s unnecessary, because I fear that Watson and the Browns are making us meaner, dumber and more cynical by the sheer audacity of their continued demand for our attention.
So yes, they finally did it. The Browns created a Factory of Sadness that actually produces barrel upon barrel of sadness.
Damn them all to hell.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
The Ringer
The Browns Are Losing Their Season—and Much More—by Starting Deshaun Watson
Todd Monken named Watson his starting quarterback on Monday, continuing the sunk cost fallacy that has defined Cleveland since 2022
Cleveland Browns fans first lost their team in 1996, when then-owner Art Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore. They lost it again on Monday when first-year head coach Todd Monken named Deshaun Watson the team’s starting quarterback. The first loss was heartbreak incarnate, an owner who was simply looking to get richer elsewhere. The second was a giant middle finger to fans who have stuck around through decades of losing and debasement—and are about to experience another season of the same.
Naming Watson the starter two days after he gave one of the most out-of-touch postgame press conferences in recent NFL history—in which he called Browns fans “disrespectful” for booing him for what he felt were “personal” reasons not about his performance—is another low point for a franchise that has churned through 42 starting quarterbacks this quarter century, went 1-31 over a two-season stretch, hasn’t won a division title since 1989, and has never reached a Super Bowl.
[G]iven a choice between a guy who hasn’t played good football since before the pandemic and was credibly described by dozens of women as being a creep and whose contract was so bad that the NFL urged owners to make sure that much guaranteed money wouldn’t go out again and a second-year quarterback with a famous father who has poor pocket presence and holds on to the ball too long, well, I know where I come down. At least trying to develop Sanders into a competent starter is a more worthwhile endeavor for a team that isn’t likely to be competitive this season anyway.
[I]n the years since, they’ve actually committed themselves further to Watson—by adjusting his contract to free up cap space in the short term, adding to Watson’s future cap hits. What was initially a five-year deal now comes with cap ramifications through 2030. As it stands now, the Browns would take on $86.2 million in dead cap charges in 2026 alone if they cut Watson before the start of the season.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
