The Daily Slop
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
Commanders.com
‘I see myself’: Laremy Tunsil has high expectations for Josh Conerly
“I see myself,” Tunsil said of Conerly. “I don’t wanna sound cliche. I see a dog. I see somebody who wants it. He wants to be great.”
Conerly, who entered the NFL at just 21 years old, looks stronger and more confident heading into his second season. His
arms have more definition, and his face is a bit thinner. He dropped his body fat percentage and replaced it with muscle, mostly by dieting, eating cleaner and eating less. Conerly joked that it’s now easier to sit on a bull rush, but it’s allowed him to play with more comfort on the field.
Tunsil said all that progress is the result of him and Conerly “working our a** off” in Alabama, where Tunsil goes to train during the offseason. It’s long been a yearly tradition for Tunsil to work with his own trainers in the offseason instead of attending the team’s voluntary workouts, and it’s hard to argue with the results. Tunsil is one of the best left tackles in the league who holds his own against the likes of Myles Garrett and prides himself on the improvements he has made as a run blocker.
Conerly has already shown improvement from his rookie season, which started uneven with him going against some of the NFL’s top pass-rushers in consecutive weeks but did improve near the end. He’s using his athleticism to make blocks in the Commanders’ new offense, which he believes will cater to him and the rest of Washington’s offensive linemen. It allows them to “go out there and just be the athletes that we are,” which was one of Conerly’s strengths in college at Oregon.
Bullock’s Film Room
Can Nick Allegretti improve Commanders targeting in run game?
Allegretti is replacing Biadasz at C, can he be an upgrade in the mental side of the position?
The story we’re told from reporters and those around the team is that the Commanders feel comfortable with Allegretti as their center. Their belief is that while he might not necessarily have the same physical attributes that Biadasz has, he could make up for that with the mental side of the game. Center is a unique position because it’s one of the more cerebral positions on the field outside of quarterback. They have to set targeting in the run game to ensure each blocker is going to the correct defenders, while also helping the quarterback set the pass protections to pick up blitzes and give the quarterback time to throw.
We hear the teams “setting the protection” and “targeting” a lot with the center position, but what does it actually mean and what does it look like when it goes wrong? Well, here’s an example of a run play last year with Biadasz at center where it was poorly targeted.
Commanders Roundtable
Commanders most underrated free agent signing may be Leo Chenal
“They search the routes down. They’re staring at the routes while sometimes the ball is in the air, but a lot of our match zones…allow us like get back to where we’re supposed to be see peripheral routes, but to be able to look back at the quarterback to be able to break on where he’s throwing so we get more hats to the ball, more opportunity to make big plays.
With the decision not to re-sign Bobby Wagner, the Commanders are left without its defensive leader. That where Chanel comes in, as the team is already looking at him to provide that leadership needed on and off the field. It will be much needed as not just for a turnaround for 2026 but also in the development of first-round pick Sonny Styles.
Chenal was also among the long list of Commanders defenders to rave about the team’s first round pick while admitting you can “definitely tell why he was drafted top ten picks.”
Commanders Roundtable
Which Washington Commander enters 2026 with the most pressure?
That would be Odafe Oweh, who signed the fifth-biggest contract in free agency after inking a four year deal with $50.6 million guaranteed and up to $96 million.
Whether through free agency or the draft, the Washington Commanders will turn to several new pieces to become impact pieces and address the concerns that were magnified in 2025, but Oweh arrived as the key piece to upgrade the pass rush. Washington also turned to upgrade its depth with K’Lavon Chaisson an underrated addition alongside several returners, but for a player who struggled with consistent production, 2026 marks the year Oweh can live up to that.
Oweh’s length and speed were what flashed during his short stint under Jesse Minter in San Diego where he proved to be capable of winning the one-on-one matchups he struggled with in Baltimore. Can Washington unlock that again in the multiple, complex scheme expected to be implemented?
For a Washington team that struggled to get after the quarterback, a point that general manager Adam Peters made crystal clear following the 2025 season, Oweh is the key to whether the defense can consistently add that element under Daronte Jones.
ESPN
2026 NFL contract extension updates for all 32 teams
Washington Commanders
DT Daron Payne
General manager Adam Peters made it clear early in the offseason that the only contract extension the Commanders would negotiate was with left tackle Laremy Tunsil. But Payne, entering the final year of his contract, has been a fixture on Washington’s front since joining the team as a first-round pick in 2018.
Peters said they’d focus on his contract after the 2026 season because the staff and front office want to see how he fits in new coordinator Daronte Jones’ defense, which uses a 3-4 base instead of the four-man front of the past. Payne just turned 29 and will have a cap hit of $27.9 million. Keep this in mind: The last time Payne was in a contract year (2022), he produced a career-best 11.5 sacks — 6.5 sacks more than his second-highest total.
Last Man Standig
Commanders depth chart 1.0: Where every position stands before training camp
After six OTA and minicamp practices, here’s how I see Washington’s roster hierarchy — from Antonio Williams and Sonny Styles to offensive line battles and WR2 debate.
Guard
G1 — Sam Cosmi
G2 — Brandon Coleman, Chris Paul
Others — Timothy McKay, Tanoe Togiai, Tyler Cooper
One to watch: Coleman was benched after Week 2 last season because of blocking struggles and availability issues. Paul impressed over the final 15 games.
If Washington maintained a more traditional blocking scheme, Paul would likely be the favorite. Instead, Coleman’s athleticism and movement skills make him a cleaner fit in a zone-based system.
This feels like a pivotal summer for the 2024 third-round pick. Coleman has the tools to meet the moment.
For more from Ben Standig, click here
Aiyuk’s antics
ESPN
Aiyuk: If 49ers cut me, I’ll sign with Commanders ‘tomorrow’
Two days after posting a video to Instagram in which he shouted, “Go Commanders,” the wide receiver posted two more videos Wednesday.
In the first, he holds an NFL football that has a Commanders logo. A graphic on the video says, “The best sport in the world The best league in the world [and] the best team in the world.” The next part of his story is a photo of himself with a graphic that says, “And I almost forgot.. The best WR in the world.” He then shares his intentions in the second Commanders-related video.
“And if I’m crazy or if I’m cappin’, tell them boys cut me today. And I’ll sign with the Commanders tomorrow.”
It’s unclear whether the Commanders would have interest in signing Aiyuk. Because he’s still under contract with the 49ers, the Commanders can’t publicly express interest in the wide receiver without violating the NFL’s tampering rules.
Veterans on the 49ers are scheduled to report to training camp July 25. It’s possible the 49ers are waiting until then to decide on Aiyuk’s status with the team.
For Discussion
ESPN
Ranking WR, TE, RB groups for 2026: Best and worst NFL teams
27. Washington Commanders
2025 rank: 13 | 2024 rank: 26
It was a disappointing year for top wideout Terry McLaurin, who held out before the season for a new contract and didn’t sign until mid-August. The veteran got off to a slow start, then suffered a quad injury in Week 3 and missed most of the next two months. He finished the season having caught just 10 passes from Jayden Daniels all campaign. The Commanders naturally hope that McLaurin will be back to his usual self with a full season alongside Daniels in 2026, but he’s also turning 31 in September. There’s a wider range of outcomes for McLaurin this upcoming season than his résumé might suggest.
And if McLaurin is not a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver, well, there isn’t a lot to get excited about elsewhere. Third-round pick Antonio Williams profiles as a potential playmaker in the slot, but the players around him — including Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, Treylon Burks, Dyami Brown and Van Jefferson — don’t have great track records of NFL production. The Commanders might be more of a 12- or 13-personnel team in 2026, but Chig Okonkwo didn’t show sustained receiving ability across multiple schemes or with different quarterbacks in Tennessee, and 2024 second-rounder Ben Sinnott has 16 catches across 33 pro games so far.
Of course, the missing player here might be Brandon Aiyuk, with plenty of speculation that the former 49ers receiver will join the Commanders once he is inevitably cut by the 49ers, given his ties to Daniels and former Niners executive Adam Peters. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened, and Aiyuk would be an upgrade on the likes of Burks and Jefferson on the outside. But it would also be smart to set expectations appropriately. Aiyuk hasn’t played since the middle of the 2024 season and won’t even have practiced before joining the Commanders. It seems reasonable to expect that we won’t see anything close to Aiyuk’s best until the second half of 2026 or even 2027.
Podcasts & videos
“I’LL SIGN WITH THE COMMANDERS” | Brandon Aiyuk DROPS THE BOMB, Tells 49ers to CUT HIM!
Odafe Oweh, Frankie Luvu And Sonny Styles Are DOGS!!! | Podcast | Washington Commanders | NFL
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
17 IDKs from the Eagles’ spring practices
SEAN MANNION
Is Mannion definitely going to help the offense be significantly better in 2026? I do think it’s possible. But I don’t know that I feel confident about it at this point in time. I’m more in the camp of keeping an open mind.
Vic Fangio got the better of Mannion in these spring practices. Does that matter much? Maybe not. It’s probably unfair to expect an offense undergoing schematic changes to be firing on all cylinders in OTAs. Especially when it’s going up against a defense entering Year 3 under one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL.
Based on what we saw, though, I do think it’s fair to suggest the offense is a work in progress and could take some time to click. Fortunately, there’s still an entire training camp to help work out the kinks.
JALEN HURTS
I don’t think Hurts had a sharp spring. I don’t think he looked terrible. He was somewhere between those two extremes, hence the “IDK” placement.
It’s good that Hurts seems to be embracing the changes, based on what he’s said and what’s been reported.
I’d also argue that it’s good that he’s in a spot where questions have been raised about his future in Philly. He tends to thrive when the pressure is on and his back is perceived to be against the wall.
I think Hurts could have a good year. But, as is the case with the offense as a whole, it might not be about instant success as much as there’s a build over the course of the season.
NICK SIRIANNI
I promise I’m not trying to make a mountain of a mole hill … but this Sirianni quote from his final spring press conference just does not sit well with me (bold emphasis mine):
Q. You’ve preached since you got him about the importance of winning the turnover battle and protecting the football. Do you have to loosen that at all given that QB Jalen Hurts’ is going to be learning a new offense and there may be some sloppiness and some growing pains early on. Do you have to kind of tolerate maybe the possibility of some more turnovers to get him to where he needs to be?
Nick Sirianni: You’re speaking of just interceptions, right? Because I think fumbles are a different story. Fumbles [have] a fundamental approach to it. I don’t look at fumbles the exact same way as interceptions. Interceptions are happening with decision-making as he goes through reads and stuff like that. So fumbles, never will I ever budge on that because that’s something that’s the backbone of what we do fundamentally. I say to the guys an awful lot that this program and everything we’re built on is built off fundamentals and the most important fundamental that we have is the ball, and it’ll be treated as so. With the way we drill, with the way we coach it, with the way they emphasize it as players, we’re going to continue to pound that and make sure that we’re diligent there.
As far as interceptions, I don’t look at it that way. Jalen knows how important it is for us to take care of the football and we’re going to continue to preach that. That doesn’t mean interceptions don’t happen. Of course they do. It’s a part of the game. But no, as long as I’m the head coach here, we’re going to be very diligent about winning that turnover battle and winning the explosive play battle. I know it’s like, ‘Okay, that sounds simple,’ but there’s an art to it because you’ve got to be able to create explosives in different ways and sometimes that puts the ball at risk, but at the end of the day, that ball is still the most important thing. We’ll know how to create explosives in that time, but taking care of the ball is the most important thing and we’ll talk about this all the time, can we come out of a game with every drive ending in a kick? Whether that’s an extra point, hopefully, whether that’s a field goal or whether that’s a punt.
That’s the mission of how we want to go about our fundamentals.
You can say I’m reading too much into coach-speak but we just witnessed a season where the Eagles led the NFL in three-and-out percentage. We’ve witnessed the offense merely give up on third-and-long with coward’s draws. We’ve seen Sirianni pass on scoring opportunities in end-of-half scenarios.
No one disagrees that turnovers are bad. But if Sirianni continues to emphasize avoidance to the extent that it neuters offensive upside, that would be really disappointing. Especially if Mannion turns out to be pretty good but he’s hampered by the head coach’s overly conservative approach.
Big Blue View
NFC East Grades: Where do the NY Giants stack up at safety?
Philadelphia Eagles
Andrew Mukuba, Marcus Epps, Cole Wisniewski, Michael Carter II, J.T. Gray, Andre’ Sam, Maximus Pulley
I could end up with a lot of egg on my face with this call – especially safeties coming from a Vic Fangio-coached defense. Still, the loss of Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown has opened up opportunities for other players who were already on the Eagles roster. Andrew Mukuba was a stud at Texas and does well near the line of scrimmage and in the robber role. Marcus Epps had 308 snaps from Philadelphia last year; he is set to start, but does have competition with Michael Carter II, who came over from the Jets.
I have the Giants over the Eagles, which isn’t exactly reassuring, but there are a lot of questions with this Eagles safety group. Cole Wisniewski was also drafted in the seventh round as the fourth safety. Some players were considered cornerbacks for this exercise who can play safety as well, but the safeties on the roster that are under consideration for this earn the Eagles just one point.
Points: 1
Washington Commanders
Will Harris, Nick Cross, Quan Martin, Jeremy Reaves, Percy Butler, Robert McDaniel, Malik Spencer
Washington has five solid safety options, including veterans and players who are entering the prime of their careers. Will Harris and Nick Cross sit atop their depth chart, with the latter coming over from the Colts. Jeremy Reaves and Quan Martin have been with the team for a few years, and both have shown quality football, with Martin being an athletic freak who can also play near the line of scrimmage and occupy the slot. Percy Butler played well in 2023 but has dealt with various injuries over the last two seasons, and fell out of favor a bit last year.
The Commanders don’t have a clear-cut No. 1 safety, but they do have savvy vets, hard hitters, athletic upside players, and a well-rounded group that Dan Quinn can certainly have fun coordinating. For that, Washington earned three points.
Points: 3
Offseason gossip column
New York Post
Dianna Russini’s reported huge NYT salary before she lost her job over Mike Vrabel photo scandal revealed
The sports reporter was paid an annual salary of $800,000 working for the New York Times before she lost her job over the Mike Vrabel scandal, a former manager who knew Russini’s income told the newspaper in a new report.
“At the time the story broke, the Athletic was in discussions with Ms. Russini about renewing her contract, which was set to expire at the end of June,” according to the outlet.
After the photos were revealed, Russini deleted her social media accounts and Mike and his wife had an emergency 24-hour marriage summit in Park City, Utah.
As of this month, the NYT investigation into Russini is still ongoing.
Pro Football Talk
Signs point to Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift wedding at Madison Square Garden on July 4 weekend
The New York Times reports that Swift has rented the iconic sports arena for July 2 through July 4.
Per the report, a 100-person gathering is planned for the Garden on July 2. On July 3, roughly 1,000 will be there.
The Times also reports that a permit was filed with New York City to close the streets around Madison Square Garden from July 2 to midday July 4. Also, several members of the Chiefs have booked hotel rooms at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square around July 3.
Amtrak police officers, per the report, have been told to expect a Kelce-Swift wedding on the weekend of July 4.
