The Daily Slop – 8 September 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
Sports Illustrated
Albert Breer’s Takeaways: Where Every NFL Team Stands Heading Into the 2026 Season
It’s really rare that a veteran coach such as Dan Quinn goes through the sort of on-the-fly wholesale philosophical change that the Commandersdid this offseason, and there’s no question
it’s just different with more complex schemes coming in with new coordinators David Blough and Daronte Jones. Now the trick will be fitting some of the old standbys into the new way of doing things, and all eyes are going to be on quarterback Jayden Daniels in that regard. Losing Laremy Tunsil in camp—he won’t be back until at least January, and even that may be a longshot)—is a tough blow, and only underlines how his adjustment to Blough’s scheme has to chart the course back to the playoffs.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
ESPN
NFL team previews 2026: Predictions, rankings, depth charts
Commanders
Biggest strength: Jayden Daniels. The third-year QB gives the Commanders a chance in every game and, as one AFC executive said, erases a lot of faults. Daniels has grown as a leader and in his comfort level running a new offense. He also has the strongest receiving corps he has played with in Washington this season. He also should have a stronger defense to help, giving him either more chances or better field position. Daniels just needs a line that can be solid. — John Keim
This season is a success if … Daniels stays healthy and the defense produces with its addition of speed and athleticism. If all that happens, the Commanders have a chance for a strong rebound season. — Keim
One key fantasy nugget: With a healthy Daniels, wide receiver Terry McLaurin is a solid bounce-back candidate this season. He averaged 11.4 points per game in 2025 but will be the WR1 in a Washington offense featuring more West Coast system routes. — Bowen
Bold prediction for 2026: New safety Nick Cross will lead all safeties in tackles. Cross recorded an 89th percentile tackle rate (tackles per play) against the run among safeties last year, and 74th percentile against the pass. — Walder
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Sports Illustrated
5 Questions That Will Define Commanders vs. Eagles in Week 1
Which Washington Receiver Becomes Philadelphia’s Third Problem?
With Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs as players the Eagles will obviously prioritize, that will leave a stack of guys who could get opportunities to step forward. That list includes Antonio Williams, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, Dyami Brown, and Treylon Burks. Williams’ strong summer likely signals he’ll be someone to watch, although don’t be surprised to see Diggs move around to different spots, including the slot. The most hopeful outcome for Washington: Philadelphia’s secondary depth will be tested as someone outside the top two receivers steps up and makes them regret it.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Hogs Haven
Mark Tyler breaks down Commanders defense & why it will be the backbone of the 2026 campaign
More than half of the defense has completely turned over. Gone are Von Miller (who was once a great player in this league) and Jacob Martin. They are being replaced by uber-athletic edge rushers in Oweh and Chaisson. Dorance Armstrong, who was a starter last year before being injured, should slot into a rotational role along with rookie Joshua Josephs once he returns from his one-game suspension.
The interior has been bolstered by the additions of Tim Settle and Charles Omehihu to go along with Payne and Kinlaw. Both are scheme/technique diverse and can be moved around the front five.
Washington’s linebacker corps has been completely revamped. Styles takes over for the aging Bobby Wagner – who was a liability anywhere outside the A and B gaps and in coverage. He offers the ability to impact all three levels of this defense and will share green dot responsibilities with veteran Frankie Luvu. Speaking of Luvu, he came into camp in the best shape of his career and is looking to regain his 2024 form after being played out of position for the majority of 2025. Leo Chenal is the new free-agent addition, and his versatility and toughness against the run and as a situational pass rusher as a walked-up SAM will be a welcome addition to this defense.
The Commanders defensive backs have taken on a completely new identity. Safety Nick Cross will be the leader of the secondary. His presence on the defense will force offensive coordinators to monitor his alignment on every play. Jeremy Reaves and Quan Martin (who had a very good training camp), will both see time in Jones’ three-safety looks and Tyler Owens seems to have carved out a role as a “position-less player” who can be deployed at all three levels. Sainristil and Robertson can move between the inside and outside with Douglas and Moreau adding the veteran presences until Trey Amos returns.
At kickoff on Sunday afternoon in Philly, there could be up to eight new starters on this 2026 defense.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders Roundtable
Three offensive players I’m watching closely in Week 1 against the Eagles
TE Chig Okonkwo
The former Maryland product is known for creating yards after the catch and has an explosive athletic profile. Built like a wide receiver at 6’3″ and 238 pounds, Okonkwo may not have the precise route-running savvy of Ertz, but he should inject a different kind of vertical stress into the offense.
In D.C., he will be playing with the best quarterback of his career. In Tennessee, his ceiling was capped by a revolving door of shaky quarterback play, and now he has a signal-caller with pinpoint accuracy who can lead him up the field.
Okonkwo signed a three-year, $30M deal this offseason to bring some serious youth and explosiveness to our tight end room. The Commanders desperately lacked a true seam-buster last year, especially as Ertz battled injuries down the stretch. Enter Okonkwo, who is coming off career highs with 56 receptions for 560 yards. More importantly, the man is an absolute YAC monster: last season, he ranked 7th among all NFL tight ends in Yards After Catch per reception at 6.2 yards, according to Next Gen Stats.
We haven’t seen Okonkwo much this offseason due to the team managing his health, but all signs point to a breakout season for the former Titan. Will this come to fruition, or did we all fall for Ashburn Syndrome? I want to see some heavy targets dialed up for Chig right out of the gate in Week 1. In Tennessee, he thrived on manufactured touches—designed bubble screens, motion out of the backfield, and flexing into the slot to isolate linebackers. If the Eagles try to pin their ears back and play aggressive coverage to slow down Terry McLaurin, Okonkwo should find plenty of green grass over the middle for quick, explosive catch-and-run opportunities.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders Wire
A strong reason for optimism in 2026
The Commanders’ ranking in passing yards last season has more to do with the injuries to Jayden Daniels and less to do with anything else, but having Diggs as a weapon along with Terry McLaurin, that makes this offense much more difficult to defend. Throw in rookie Antonio Williams and tight end Chig Okonkwo, and you’ve got yourself a pretty dynamic unit.
If you’ve been paying attention, there are actually several reasons to be hopeful for a successful season for the Commanders. Diggs is the most recent addition to generate excitement and hope, though, and his signing is one of the most impactful for this team. Now they have to use the pieces they have appropriately and protect Daniels. If they can do that, this team will be hard to stop in 2026.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders.com
Commanders announce captains for 2026 season
The Washington Commanders have announced that quarterback Jayden Daniels, wide receiver Terry McLaurin, linebacker Frankie Luvu, safety Jeremy Reaves and punter Tress Way will serve as captains for the 2026 season.
Although Daniels served as a team captain for single games his first two seasons, this is the first time — and first opportunity — in his career that he has been a captain for the entire season. Daniels has always been viewed as a leader by his teammates, but his coaches have noticed him leaning more into that role in his third season while learning a new scheme.
McLaurin was a voted a team captain for the fifth time in his career. Luvu has been named a captain for the second time in his career. He was elevated to the role with the Carolina Panthers after Shaq Thompson suffered a season-ending injury and took the job seriously. Rather than spend his Tuesdays — commonly used as a day off around the NFL — getting away from football, he was at the Panthers’ stadium, watching film and preparing for his next opponent.
Reaves is also serving as a season-long captain for the second time in his career, with the first time coming in 2023. A former All-Pro and Pro Bowler, Reaves has been one of the most consistent players on the roster since he first joined the team in 2018. Way, the longest-tenured player on the Commanders’ roster, was voted a team captain for the fifth time in his career. Way sits atop nearly every statistical category for a punter in franchise history but has long been an emotional leader and mentor for the team.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Podcasts & videos
EVERYONE FORGOT HOW DANGEROUS JAYDEN DANIELS IS! 😳 Commanders Can WIN The NFC East! | Booth Review
Week 1 Outlook ! Commanders vs Eagles
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
NFL Week 1 odds: Eagles favored to beat Commanders
[T]here’s reason to believe the Birds are going to begin this year’s campaign with a win.
The Eagles are 5.5-point home favorites against the Washington Commanders.
For the uninitiated, the home side is commonly favored by three points in a game between two evenly-matched teams. So, the Eagles are unsurprisingly viewed as the superior team in this matchup … on paper, at least.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys: “This could be our year!”
[T]he Cowboys have put themselves in a terrific position with top-shelf starters on offense, a completely revamped defense, and the best depth we’ve seen in years. Pair that with a coaching staff that understands what it takes to win in the modern NFL, and they’ve got something cooking
Could this actually be the season that finally ends differently from the rest? The Cowboys seem to have as good a shot as anyone. After all, “different” has been their theme all along.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Blogging the Boys
What T.J. Bass’ stats tell us about replacing Tyler Smith
Bass is not on the level of Smith, just facts. Very few in the NFL are close to Smith’s level of dominance.
Among all NFL guards last season to play at least 20 percent of the snaps, Bass had a 67.6 grade from Pro Football Focus. That ranked 31st out of 82 guards. His pass blocking and run blocking grades were also middle of the pack.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Big Blue View
NY Giants release WR Darius Slayton, team’s longest-tenured player
The Giants create just $3.16 million in cap space while taking on $12.75 million in dead cap money by releasing Slayton.
Despite his limitations, Slayton was an undeniable hit as a fifth-round pick. While Slayton never cracked 800 yards receiving, he did eclipse 700 yards in four of his first five seasons (2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023). He led the Giants in receiving in each of those seasons.
Slayton had double sports hernia surgery in the offseason, and recently admitted that he still did not feel he was running as well as he could.
The release of Slayton positions Darnell Mooney and rookie Malachi Fields to be primary receivers along with Malik Nabers and Odell Beckham Jr.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
NFL league links
Articles
Front Office Sports
NFL Once Again Pushing Boundaries As New Season Kicks Off
The eve of the 2026 NFL season arrives Tuesday as the league continues to push the boundaries of its popularity both domestically and internationally
This season’s opener—on NBC, as usual—is on Wednesday because the NFL’s debut game in Australia (49ers-Rams) will air Thursday night due to the league’s inability to play on Friday like it has done on Week 1 the previous two years. That’s because the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 precludes pro football games from happening on Fridays or Saturdays beginning with the second Friday of September and continuing through the second Saturday in December. The 49ers-Rams matchup is being played Friday morning in Australia, but that does not violate the rules, since Melbourne is 14 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast, giving the game an 8:35 p.m. ET kick off.
Wednesday night football will be a theme this year, as the Packers and Rams will play in the NFL’s first Thanksgiving Eve game, to be streamed exclusively on Netflix. The streamer drew strong viewership for the most recent Wednesday NFL games on Christmas Day in 2024.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Happy Birthday ESPN
A new QB metric from The Athletic
Introducing QB Index: A perfect QB stat everyone will love, and no one will disagree with
What is QBI?
QBI is a forward-looking quarterback efficiency metric that uses play-by-play data, adjusts for context in each play and is opponent-aware. Put more simply, QBI takes into account passes, rushes, scrambles, sacks, turnovers and anything else that happens when the football is in the quarterback’s hands.
But it goes a step deeper and adjusts for whether the quarterback was pressured, if that pressure was quick (less than 2.5 seconds), as well as the quality of the offensive line and receivers. QBI factors in fumbles in an attempt to take the luck out of recoveries — this can work for and against a quarterback depending on who recovered. QBI also takes into account drops by receivers, as well as yards after the catch and uses an expected YAC model to assign or remove credit from the quarterback. Of course, EPA and success rate are factors in the model, as well. There is still value in knowing that a 12-yard completion on third-and-20 is not as valuable as a 10-yard completion on third-and-10.
Another area I wanted to incorporate in QBI was the combination of analytics and film. The best way to accurately account for what’s happening on the field is a marriage of the two — not one or the other — and that’s where PFF grades are helpful. There are things that happen in football that analytics can’t account for. While this might surprise you, I am happy to admit that.
The last thing to know before you examine the QBI standings from 2025 is my scale of measurement. I’ve taken a page from baseball’s analytics handbook and am using 100 as “average,” similar to baseball’s weighted runs created plus (wRC+) statistic. This means you can expect a QBI of 100 to be average, 101 to be starter-level, 124 to be Pro Bowl-caliber and 133 to be considered an All-Pro.
The Caleb conundrum
Why is Caleb Williams ranked all the way down there at No. 23? Let me explain QBI’s process.
First and foremost, the Chicago Bears quarterback finished 21st in dropback success rate among qualified quarterbacks last year. When a QB rates below-average at consistently manufacturing successful plays, that’s a tough place to start. Then we move on to the supporting cast: QBI really didn’t like how inefficient Williams was despite boasting pristine protection; my model graded the Bears’ offensive line as the top pass-protecting unit in the NFL in 2025.
QBI did like that Williams avoided negative plays, as he limited both interceptions and sacks, but overall, the down-to-down efficiency just wasn’t there. This doesn’t mean QBI won’t grade Williams much higher this year with improved play. In fact, you can make the argument that QBI thinks Williams still has a lot of room to grow, and that should excite Bears fans about how high his ceiling is. But for now, Williams has work to do before QBI considers him a top-10 quarterback.
