The Daily Slop – 24 October 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
Where Does Mike Sainristil Fit in the Washington Commanders Defense Now?
Mike Sainristil played seven defensive snaps against San Francisco; with Trey Amos back, earning more work will take more than a change in position
[After playing] 54 of 55 defensive snaps against Philadelphia [in Week 1], six games into the season,
finding a place for him has become a much different conversation.
Sainristil played seven defensive snaps against San Francisco. Robertson played all 62, while Rasul Douglas and Trey Amos played 36 apiece. That leaves Washington entering its bye with three corners getting considerably more work than [the] player it drafted in the second round just two years ago.
The coverage has been a problem. Entering Washington’s bye, Pro Football Focus gave Sainristil a 29.4 overall defensive grade and a 28.5 coverage grade, both ranking 102nd among 102 qualifying cornerbacks.
When asked about Amos’ return and whether he had considered Sainristil at safety, [defensive coordinator Daronte] Jones pointed to the deep-zone assignments Sainristil had handled against New York.
“The depth chart that we had in that game and who was available definitely had something to do with that,” Jones said. He was explaining how the team could use him in different assignments, without announcing a permanent position change.
That’s where I would keep Sainristil for now: situational nickel work and reserve duties that allow Washington to use that flexibility when needed.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Riggo’s Rag
Rasul Douglas is turning a late Commanders signing into an offseason steal
The Commanders needed more from Douglas than they originally anticipated. Trey Amos spent the first four games on injured reserve and missed five contests before returning on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers. Mike Sainristil’s freefall has seen him become an afterthought, which was the only sensible call left.
That meant Douglas had to step up and he’s coped with the challenge superbly. Douglas has been a tremendous addition. His coverage is an outstanding feature of his production, giving Washington the assurance it desperately needed.
The 2017 third-round pick out of West Virginia is giving up just 54.5 percent of targets thrown in his direction. Douglas has five pass breakups and one interception. He is also allowing a measly 63.8 passer rating when targeted, which fairly reflects his outstanding consistency.
That’s not all. Douglas is also making a considerable impression against the run.
His physicality closer to the line of scrimmage goes overlooked, but it’s nonetheless impressive. Douglas has been credited with eight run stops through six games. And even with the Commanders’ defense struggling to maintain high performance for four quarters, almost nobody is gaining big yards on the ground.
Other factors are in play. However, Douglas is one reason for this turnaround.
Douglas only signed a one-year deal. He’s still performing at a high level, but he also recently turned 31. That’s not ancient, but it is the stage where corners tend to regress.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Sports Illustrated
Washington Has Allowed Twice as Many Red-Zone Touchdowns as It Has Scored
The Washington Commanders entered their bye week with a red-zone issue: opponents scored 18 red-zone touchdowns, while Washington scored 9. That’s a problem on both sides of the ball for a team that has already seen close games slip away.
The Commanders have scored nine touchdowns on 17 red-zone trips, or 52.9%, tied for 21st-best with the Bengals. Opposing teams have had five more trips (22 total) but scored nine more touchdowns (81.8%), which ranks Washington 31st in red-zone touchdown rate allowed through Week 6.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
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Commanders Roundtable
Three trade targets for the Washington Commanders
[Tthe Commanders…sit two games back in an NFC East race that resembles 2020. With embattled head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters potentially facing scrutiny for the roster construction, the pressure is on to make the right roster upgrades to give the team a chance to make a run in a suddenly compromised division. But who are trade targets?
Amani Hooker, safety, Tennessee Titans
Hooker, 28, has been the most underrated safety in the NFL because he is stuck on a struggling Titans team that’s winless this season and went 3-19 in the last two seasons. Hooker is a piece teams would like, as a productive player with one 92-yard interception and 28 tackles so far in 2026.
His run defense grade per PFF is 86.5, the seventh among safeties, and his coverage grade is 62.1, the 37th among safeties, for a combined grade of 73.0, good for 21st out of 96 qualified safeties. Quan Martin and Jeremy Reeves haven’t shown they’re starting-quality safeties, and Hooker and Nick Cross would be a beneficial safety tandem for the next few seasons.
Hooker is under contract through 2028 after signing a three-year extension before the 2025 season.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Sports Illustrated
Commanders’ Drew Stevens Owns Two Franchise Rookie Records After Just Six Games
Washington Commanders rookie Drew Stevens already held the franchise’s rookie record for the longest field goal before Monday night against San Francisco. His 51-yarder in the first quarter brought him to three makes from 50-plus yards, extending the franchise rookie record he already held.
The 57-yarder against Seattle set the distance record in Week 3, after Stevens had connected from 55 yards against Philadelphia in the opener. Both rookie marks are now his with 11 games still left to play.
Stevens was 3-for-5 on field goals after the first two games, and he hasn’t missed one since. He made two apiece against Seattle, Indianapolis, and New York, then his lone attempt against San Francisco. That puts him at seven straight makes and 10-for-12 overall, or 83.3%, entering the bye. Both misses came from 50-plus yards during those opening two games.
He’s also 7-for-7 inside 50 yards and 3-for-5 from 50 or longer. The long kicks are getting the records, but Stevens has taken care of the shorter field goals, too. His 57-yarder against Seattle came as the first half expired in a 33–31 win, so that range has already helped Washington pick up points in a game it barely won.
The extra-point issuesstill need work, even after he made both attempts against the 49ers, bringing his season total to 10-for-13.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
The Athletic (paywall)
Before reaching World Series, Brice Turang transformed his brother-in-law’s NFL career
Back to that interview Turang gave in high school. No doubt he thought of it as innocuous. Way considers it life-altering.
“I’ve been given a heck of a left leg,” Way remembers thinking to himself after he listened to Brice’s bravado. “What is stopping me from trying to be the best punter out there? What can I do to separate myself?”
At that point, Way said he considered himself a “hang time guy.” But if he was going to be the best — as Turang suggested — he had to learn to refine his craft. So he changed the way he worked out and practiced. He worked on concealing what kind of punt he would deliver. He perfected landing kicks inside the 10-yard line.
“I started thinking like, ‘What if I mix it up a little?’” Way said. “‘What if I do a little surprise, disguising the way I did things? What if I tried to separate myself from other punters instead of just trying to keep my job?’”
That fall, he put 51.9 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line — still a career-best. The next year, he made his first Pro Bowl.
Way is 36, a father of four, a 13-year pro who announced that this will be his last season so he and Brianna can move their family back to Oklahoma. He is the longest-tenured member of the Commanders, a pillar in the Washington community. Here, he was just a supportive family member.
Way’s message to his little brother-in-law: That interview you gave back in high school, the one about not wanting to just make it in the pros but yearning to be the best there is? It hit heavy.
“I’ve never told him this,” Way said, “but it changed my career.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Podcasts & videos
“That’s My QB!” Chig Okonkwo on Jayden Daniels + Logan Thomas’ QB-to-TE Jounrey | Next Man Up | NFL
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles opposing player to stop, Week 7 edition
The Eagles and Cowboys will be embarking on something Monday night we could call “The Dismal Bowl.” The Cowboys have the 30th rated defense in the NFL, giving up an average of 382.5 yards a game under Dallas’ first-year defensive coordinator and once-prized former Eagles’ assistant coach Christian Parker. The Eagles are not much better, with the 27th-rated defense giving up 363.8 yards a game.
The one glaring difference between these 2-4 teams that will be playing for their seasons on Monday Night Football is Dallas moves the ball. The Eagles don’t.
The Cowboys are 13th in the NFL in offense, averaging 343.2 yards a game while the Eagles are 30th, averaging 255.5 yards a game. Dallas is 12th in the league in scoring, averaging 25.2 points a game while the Eagles are tied for 29th, averaging 17.7 points a game this season.
The only real weapon on either team is Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott, who remains one of the best in the league. Through six games this season, Prescott is No. 5 in the NFL in passing, throwing for 1,639 yards. He is No. 2 in the NFL in completions (163), only one behind the NFL leader, the Los Angeles Rams’ Matt Stafford (164).
Although, Dallas has lost three of its last four games, averaging 23.5 points a game, and failing to reach 20 points in its las two defeats. The Cowboys, fortunately, will be playing an Eagles’ team that has not scored over 24 points in a game this season, is riding a four-game losing streak in which they are averaging an anemic 14.5 points a game.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys at Eagles: 3 causes for concern in Philadelphia
Cowboys’ Offensive Line Woes
The last two weeks have been bad for Dallas’ offensive line. In their two matchups against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys have allowed 30 total pressures, 25 QB hurries, and 5 QB hits. Dak Prescott’s mobility has kept them from allowing a single sack, but Dallas’ offensive line has been struggling as of late.
This week, the Cowboys face another tough test against an Eagles’ defensive line that has a knack for creating some pressure. In their matchup last week against the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia recorded 17 total pressures, 12 QB hurries, and 3 sacks.
If Dallas’ offensive line comes in out of sync and struggles to pick up a blitz like they have the past two weeks, Philadelphia’s defensive line could dominate this matchup.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Big Blue View
Giants at Texans matchup: J.J. McCarthy vs. talented Houston defense
The Giants are heavy underdogs heading into Houston with a new starting quarterback. Their offense has struggled to run the football, and McCarthy can hopefully help to spark something for the rushing attack. Still, this is a tough environment, and communication will be key to keeping pre-snap penalties to a minimum, but it could be hard to achieve on the road, given the circumstances. Even if the Giants lose, though, they will have a full week during the bye to assess the situation and improve on their struggles with a new signal caller.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
ESPN
Cam Skattebo set to return to Giants RB mix after being ‘taught a lesson’
Skattebo didn’t have a single carry in Sunday’s 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints. He landed on the bench for most of last week’s game after a crucial overtime fumble in a tie with the Washington Commanders. It was his fifth fumble in 13 career games.
“It’s been good, you know. I think I got taught a lesson,” Skattebo said. “I don’t know if that’s from them or from myself, but I kind of had to step back and look at it and figure out why I was doing the things I was doing, what was happening. Came to practice, corrected those things, worked on them. Ready to go back out there and play ball.”
The Giants had Najee Harris, who was released Tuesday, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary ahead of Skattebo in the rotation against the Saints. Skattebo played six snaps after averaging 42 over the first five games.
Harbaugh said Harris’ release was about setting a clearer course at running back and seemed to indicate that a four-man rotation was too much. Skattebo and Tracy are expected to split the primary role this week against a Texans defense that ranks third in the NFL against the run.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
ESPN
Giants green-dot LB Tremaine Edmunds out for year
He led the team with 50 tackles and was tied for the club lead with two sacks through six games this season.
New York will also be without outside linebacker Chauncey Golston for the remainder of the season, sources told ESPN. Golston was placed on injured reserve earlier this month with a neck injury.
Edmunds, 28, was hurt on one of the final plays of Sunday’s 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The team was trying to determine this week if it were something Edmunds could manage. He wanted to play through the injury, but it was determined that would not be possible.
The veteran linebacker was one of the leaders of the Giants’ defense. He was on the team’s leadership counsel and wore the green dot to make the calls on defense.
Veteran Micah McFadden will take his place and is expected to wear the green dot and communicate directly with defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
