The Daily Slop – 5 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
The Athletic (paywall)
How 50 executives and coaches rank 35 veteran quarterbacks
2026 Quarterback Tiers
The panel this year consisted of eight general managers, five assistant GMs, five former GMs and three other executives, plus nine head coaches, 10 defensive coordinators, five offensive coordinators, two offensive assistants,
one defensive assistant and two coaches specializing in analytics/game management. That’s 21 execs and 29 coaches overall.
Each voter placed 35 veteran quarterbacks into five tiers, from best (Tier 1) to worst (Tier 5). Quarterbacks were then ranked by average vote and placed into tiers. The survey excludes rookies because voters have not seen them play in the NFL.
Daniels proved as a rookie he can be one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the game. His second season amplified durability questions that followed him into the league.
“He’s got to reprove it,” a defensive coach said.
Daniels suffered the third-largest year-over-year drop after Geno Smith and Tua Tagovailoa.
“I think he was a little quick to take off and run last year,” an exec said. “They spent a lot of money on that offensive line and drafted some guys, so I think he has to just settle into that position. He has all the talent.”
“Jayden was really, really good in terms of his authority to make plays both on and off schedule. It’s extremely difficult to defend guys who can do both, so I think they’ve got a chance for a real bounceback.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)
Commanders Training Camp Review: OL vs DL 1-on-1s
The Washington Commanders had their first padded practice of training camp on Monday. There’s always a different level of hype and intensity when the pads come on for the first time and we finally get to see some physicality, especially in the trenches. Unfortunately, the team is still being very secretive with clips being posted online and fans in attendance being allowed to film, but some fans still posted a few clips
One of the few clips I was able to find was a good one. It came from @AsiasAnalysis on twitter. She posted a clip of offensive line vs defensive line one-on-one drills. This is one of the best drills to watch when the pads come on so it was good to see a few reps. I’ll post the full clip from Asia first and then cut up each individual clip to break down in more detail.
The first full rep we see is right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. against free agent signing Odafe Oweh. I wrote a few weeks ago about Conerly learning from Tunsil and you can see some improvements here, but still some things to work on. Oweh takes his first few steps up the field, challenging the edge. Conerly does a better job staying square compared to last year. His feet, hips and shoulders are much more square to the line of scrimmage than they were during the season last year. That’s a positive start.
However, Oweh hits Conerly with a spin move. Conerly was guilty of giving up inside rushes a fair bit last year and part of the reason for that is that he often didn’t have his cleats in the ground at the point of contact. You can see here that as Oweh makes contact, Conerly is shuffling his inside foot backwards. Oweh works into his spin and if you pause the clip when you can see the full number 98 on Oweh’s back, you’ll see that both of Conerly’s feet are off the ground. That gives him no base to absorb any post.
It’s a nice, tight spin from Oweh to get inside, but credit to Conerly for not giving up on the play. Conerly has the athletic ability to recover from bad situations and he does that here somewhat. He works to get his inside hand on Oweh’s chest to slow him down and try to delay the rush. Conerly leans on him and keeps a firm grip, enabling him to push Oweh down the line slightly. This would have bought the quarterback time to shuffle to his right and potentially scramble away from the pressure.
Overall, it’s not an ideal rep from Conerly but one that shows some significant improvements with regards to staying square, while also showing there’s still some work to go, which we expect of all second year players. On the other side of the ball, it was a nice rush from Oweh that clearly generated plenty of pressure and would have forced the quarterback off the spot. With his athleticism, Oweh would have had a decent chance of breaking free and chasing down many quarterbacks too.
Commanders Roundtable
Commanders notes: McCaffrey stands out; defense brings the heat
Luke McCaffrey — The Biggest Winner of the Day
If you weren’t talking about Luke McCaffrey before today, you will be now. He was the standout of the practice. McCaffrey hauled in multiple deep catches, the most eye-catching of which was a 40-plus yard seam route out of the slot where Daniels put the ball right on him in traffic, splitting Mike Sainristil and Jeremy Reaves with a dime that had everyone on the sideline taking notice. McCaffrey caught it cleanly and didn’t get touched until the five-yard line on the run after the catch. The middle of the field was his territory all day.
He added another deep grab later in practice — another 40-ish yard shot down the seam — and the combination of his speed, his hands, and Daniels’ willingness to trust him over the top is a matchup that defensive coordinators around the NFC are going to have a problem with.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders.com
Training camp notebook | Jayden Daniels shines in strong practice for offense
The depth at the tight end position continues to get more looks, and the players are stepping up with more positive plays in the passing game. Colson Yankoff has gotten most of the attention and had a nice catch from Marcus Mariota during team drills. But Lawrence Cager might have had the catch of the day near the end of practice making a leaping grab in the middle of the field with Daniels under center. It feels like most of the tight end room is with Okonkwo, John Bates and Ben Sinnott at the top of the position, but players like Yankoff and Cager are making strong cases for the Commanders to keep four tight ends on the roster.
The Commanders are in the second day of a three-day practice stretch, and Quinn described it as “powering up.” That means the workload and intensity of practices are supposed to increase by the day, and he wants to see players push themselves. Wednesday will be the last practice before the players take a day off, so the players should expect to go through their most competitive and challenging practice of camp so far.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
ESPN
Latest news from Commanders camp
Tuesday, Aug. 4
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels continues to remind anyone watching practice of what he can do as a passer. Just in case last season caused anyone to forget.
Daniels, who played in only four full games last year because of injuries, has looked sharp throughout the first week of training camp and Tuesday was no exception.
Among the highlights:
- A deep out to receiver Terry McLaurin in which Daniels threw in rhythm for a nice completion.
- He extended a play to his right, then threw back to the middle for tight end Ben Sinnott. Daniels kept his eyes upfield and, despite throwing back toward the middle, did not put the ball in danger and Sinnott caught the ball as he slid.
- Two plays later he threw a perfect ball over a defender to Jaylin Lane, running a post route on the left side. The 5-foot-10 Lane needed to leap to finish the catch, but he jumped too soon and dropped the pass.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Riggo’s Rag
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels is ready to reintroduce himself to the NFL
The Commanders’ offense is still limited in terms of receiving weapons, but the offensive line is built to be a true strength. Daniels should have everything he needs for a bounce-back season under offensive coordinator David Blough, whose diverse system will give the QB more answers than Kliff Kingsbury’s static scheme did.
The hype produced by Daniels’ rookie season may have gotten out of hand, but public opinion has swayed too far in the other direction. His first season shouldn’t be thrown out the window after an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. The third-year quarterback is set to reinstate himself among the NFL’s elite passers.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Sports Illustrated
Three possible overreactions to Day 5 of Commanders Training Camp: Has Jayden Daniels mastered the new offense?
A dominant offensive practice created plenty of conclusions about Jayden Daniels, Luke McCaffrey and Bill Croskey-Merritt, but not all of them are ready to be believed
Jayden Daniels Has Mastered David Blough’s Offense | Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Daniels looked extremely good at practice Tuesday, perhaps more relaxed than ever before. The visual evidence is clear from the practice clips: throws delivered on time, pressure avoided, multiple connections to his weapons, and successful two-minute work.
While it is tempting to believe that Daniels has mastered Blough’s concepts, the offense has generally been behind the defense in terms of how the two sides have matched in camp until today. What is true is that this was visible progress in processing, timing, and command, not just a few highlighted throws for everyone to see.
Luke McCaffrey Is Taking Control of the WR2 Competition | Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
McCaffrey had a good session Tuesday, including a couple of great catches, like the one that went for a touchdown during the closing two-minute period. Stacking days exactly like Tuesday is how young receivers like McCaffrey start to earn more defined roles in the offense.
The WR2 competition has not even begun yet with two joint practices and three preseason games to go before Adam Peters, Dan Quinn and the rest of the Commanders brain trust will have to make any final decisions. One productive practice does not automatically place McCaffrey ahead of any of the veterans or even establish him as a full-time outside receiver.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Riggo’s Rag
Joshua Josephs came alive during Commanders’ first padded practice of camp
The reports were glowing around Josephs. His explosiveness in pass-rushing situations and bend to get around blockers was impressive. He’s relentless, and even though he might not win every rep, he will never stop going full throttle until the whistle blows.
However, there is another intriguing area where Josephs is shining.
Based on reports, the Commanders are dropping Josephs back into coverage with great success. This is a part of the player’s game that often gets overlooked, but it could be important. He reads the game exceptionally well, and he’s got the closing speed to make plays on the football when opportunities arise.
This is another string to his bow. And if Josephs manages to shine when reps come his way in the preseason, he might just be difficult for defensive coordinator Daronte Jones to keep off the field when the real action begins.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Commanders Wire
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin looks like his old self says ESPN insider
Jeremy Fowler, ESPN football analyst, began describing what he observed at Commanders’ training camp on Monday. Fowler was a guest on “Grant & Danny” on 106.7 The Fan.
“It was hard to ignore that connection between Terry McLaurin and Jayden Daniels with that beautiful pass to start,” began Fowler. “McLaurin looked like himself again, and I know last year was hard with the ‘hold in’ and then the injuries. So he and Jayden Daniels both look like they are on the same page. I talked with McLaurin after practice. He was almost downright giddy about the connection they have, that they are growing again or regrowing. So, that’s a positive.”
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
The Athletic (paywall)
Stefon Diggs to the Commanders would be another NFL homecoming. Is that a positive?
The conventional wisdom — outside team headquarters here, at least — is that the Commanders need more talent and depth at wide receiver. Diggs is coming off an 85-catch, 1,013-yard season with New England — his seventh 1,000-yard campaign in the last eight years.
Shouldn’t a homecoming be a layup?
“It’s not always that simple,” said Tim Settle Jr., a Commanders’ defensive tackle now, a lineman growing up at what’s now known as Unity Reed High School in Manassas, Va.
Here’s the thing: The idea of professional athletes playing at home seems ideal. In practice, it can be tough. Home might be where your closest and oldest friends are. But home can be where the hangers-on are, too.
“If they can reach me,” Settle said, smiling. “You got to be smart about it.”
Settle was drafted by Washington out of Virginia Tech in 2018. He left as a free agent for Buffalo in 2022, and returned to Washington this offseason after two more seasons in Houston. He knows what it’s like to build a professional life in surroundings both completely familiar and absolutely foreign.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Last Man Standig (paywall)
Receiver battle heats up, Frankie Luvu gets the green dot in Commanders camp: The Daily Install
Green Dot update: Frankie Luvu has been getting the first-team defense set.
Bobby Wagner had those signal-calling responsibilities the previous two seasons with Luvu his wing man. This is something the former Panther enjoys because the responsibility challenges the mental side of his game.
“I love it. I did it when I was in Carolina. It’s just in that matter of getting the guys, get the calls, get the guys ready,” Luvu said, “That’s how I like these moments. What down is it? What package are we in? What do I do when I get a call?”
What this means for Sonny Styles is unclear, though there’s no reason for concern. The first-round rookie and presumed “green dot” favorite delivered multiple impact plays in Monday’s padded practice as a blitzer and against the run.
For more from Ben Standig, click here
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Jayden Daniels Delivers Cleanest Commanders Camp Chart
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Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles Training Camp Practice Notes: Offense out of sync as DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon miss time
[The offensive] unit was out of sync on Tuesday. Missing Lane, DeVonta, and Lemon probably didn’t help. It was also unusual to see some periods where Hurts was working behind an offensive line that mostly consisted of backups. Very much an extenuating circumstances kind of practice. That much acknowledged, I’m here to tell you what I saw, and it often wasn’t pretty.
SportsRadio 94WIP’s Eliot Shorr-Parks charted Hurts as 6/19 on the day.
Hurts wasn’t shy to throw deep today but the attempts weren’t fruitful. Not all of them were his fault.
- A diving Quez Watkins failed to track one such throw.
- Michael Carter II intercepted Hurts (while bobbling the ball but ultimately preventing the ball from hitting the ground) on a play where it looked like Hollywood Brown wasn’t expecting the pass to come his way. Brown was initially jogging before he looked up and started to sprint once he saw the ball in the air.
- Hurts targeted Brown downfield again and the ball was placed on the receiver’s hands but the catch was not made. Cooper DeJean had tight coverage in a trail position to contest Brown.
- A deep attempt to Elijah Moore was overthrown as the ball lacked a tight spiral.
- Will Shipley was wiiiiiiiiide open on the wheel route … and he dropped the ball. Brutal. Would’ve been an easy catch-and-run touchdown if he simply caught it.
- The offense was plagued by penalties in this practice. There were stretches where it felt like there was a flag on every single rep. One such infraction wiped out a Hurts to Hollywood goal-to-go touchdown due to an illegal shift.
- Hurts overthrew Darius Cooper in the end zone.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys injury updates: Safety Alijah Clark helped off on Tuesday
Tuesday marked the second day of Dallas Cowboys padded practices and unfortunately the second one in a row where a player had to be helped off of the field due to injury.
On Monday it was tight end Princeton Fant who needed tending to. Brian Schottenheimer announced on Tuesday that Fant has a torn ACL and will have surgery in a few weeks.
It is unknown what is going on with safety Alijah Clark at this moment, though. But he needed help to head to the injury tent a little over an hour into practice. It looked like a lower leg or possibly foot injury.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
NFL.com
Cowboys to keep Tyler Guyton at left tackle after brief camp battle with Nate Thomas
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Tuesday that first-rounder Tyler Guyton will be the team’s starting left tackle.
“We’re gonna keep him at starting left tackle right now,” Schottenheimer said of Guyton. “We talked to Nate [Thomas]. Nate needs to show us a little bit more consistent play to push for that. I know we told you guys about the rotation, so Tyler will stay at left tackle. Excited to see how Nate handles that challenge. Tyler’s playing really, really well.”
The news ends the competition with the seventh-rounder Thomas, which Schotty kick started early this offseason.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
Big Blue View
QB tiers: NY Giants’ Jaxson Dart ranked No. 24 by coaches, executives
The New York Giants are at something of crossroads in 2026. They’re hoping that the combination of quarterback Jaxson Dart and head coach John Harbaugh can lift the team back to competitiveness.
The rest of the NFL seems to be taking a “wait and see” approach, particularly with respect to Dart.
The Athletic released its annual Quarterback Tiers list on Tuesday, ranking the all 35 veteran quarterbacks expected to play significant snaps in 2026. Dart ranked 24th on the list, just below names like Daniel Jones, Bryce Young, and Kyler Murray.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
From ESPN:
The Giants’ offense with Dart under center has struggled early in training camp. They finally found the end zone late in practice Tuesday when Dart hit Likely for a score in a red zone drill. The very next period is when Dart scrambled to his left and ran untouched into the end zone.
Penalties have been a problem for New York during the first two days of training camp practices in full pads. The Giants had 14 penalties called during Monday’s practice, including nine on the offense.
To read more of this ESPN article, CLICK HERE
NFL league links
Articles
Deadspin
Travis Hunter’s Two-Way Role Could Become a Problem in Jacksonville
2025 was a rough start to Hunter’s professional career. He only played seven games before a non-contact injury took him out during practice. Even when he was healthy he wasn’t lighting up the stat sheet. He felt like an awkward fit wherever he played for Liam Coen.
Hunter only averaged 42.5 yards per game and 1 touchdown on offense, while only playing 23 snaps a game on defense, where he looked shaky at points as well. Many rookies have bounced back from a slow first season, but Hunter is in a far different position than most.
My biggest concern is long term durability with a guy like Hunter. At just 23 years old, he should absolutely still have a ton of mileage on his body, but he’s not like every other 23-year-old second-year player. Deion Sanders utilized Hunter exceedingly well in college, but he also burned a lot of the tread in his tires.
To read more of this article, CLICK HERE
