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The Athletic (paywall)
Commanders mailbag: Jayden Daniels’ next act, edge-rush needs, the draft plan
What is their plan for a No. 2 receiver? — Brian K.
Deebo Samuel will play as much as he can handle and, therefore, is the “plan” opposite Terry McLaurin. This versatile chess piece’s extra value is the ability to line him up all over the formation. The potential wrinkle is where Samuel lines up in three-receiver sets. In 2024, the Commanders used 11 personnel — three receivers, one tight end and one running back — on 59 percent of their plays from scrimmage.
Samuel primarily played on the outside for the San Francisco 49ers. Out of 1,577 snaps over the last two seasons, Samuel lined up 962 times (61 percent) out wide and 428 snaps (27.1 percent) in the slot. Expect work out of the backfield as well. That he isn’t a pure route runner is where some questioning about his No. 2 status enters. Regardless, the goal is to put as much talent on the field as possible. If Samuel’s physical playmaking style returns to his 2021 and 2023 highs, he will be in the huddle very often.
The lone Brown remaining on the roster was the second receiver until he suffered a season-ending kidney injury in Week 13. Noah Brown brings more red zone size and traditional wide receiver skills, but he lacks Samuel’s formation versatility. He played 372 of 469 snaps last season out wide. Free-agent signee Michael Gallup is another primarily perimeter receiver. Most of 2024 third-round pick Luke McCaffrey’s rookie year activity came from the slot (59.8 percent), but we’ll see if he’s ready for more opportunities this season.
If all of this holds for 2025 — the Commanders could draft another receiver or inject additional speed into the room — Samuel will receive the second-most playing time behind McLaurin, while slot snaps would rise with Brown locked into the outside work.
Any concerns on a potential sophomore slump or regression with Jayden Daniels? — Taylor D.
It’s in my nature to remain skeptical on many topics. For example, this Android user remains unconvinced Apple offers a better product despite its cult-like following. With Daniels, I’m largely worry-free assuming he remains diligent with his offseason program and keeps his feet on the ground following his monster first season.
Adjustments to the defensive game plans coming his way must occur. Daniels could improve with throwing to all parts of the field and decision-making, but nothing warrants a red pen. Gold stars on the other hand.
The floor remains very high due to his mobility and passing vision, while the ceiling — top-five QB in the league — is very attainable.
Commanders.com
Five things to know about OT Foster Sarell
He wants to be part of the excitement in Washington.
Like the rest of the NFL, Sarell saw the success the Commanders had throughout the 2024 season, and he wanted to be part of it.
“I think it’s become pretty unanimous around the league that they are just running this place really well,” Sarell said. “Players love being here, and coaches love working here.”
Sarell’s role isn’t completely clear at this time, other than adding depth to the offensive line. No matter what he ends up doing, Sarell wants to help in any way he can, be a good teammate and do his job. And if an opportunity opens up for him at some point, he wants to be ready for it.
“That’s definitely something I’m excited to do and see what I can accomplish,” Sarell said. “I think that is a good fit for me.”
Podcasts & videos
Episode 1,038 - Guest: @PFF_Macri. Deep dive on 2025 NFL Draft's loaded RB class & what it means for the Commanders. Advanced analysis of Omarion Hampton, TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins & Bhayshul Tuten. Why Cam Skattebo could be a steal. And more.https://t.co/Usa5lzwYR9
— Al Galdi (@AlGaldi) March 28, 2025
NFC East links
The Athletic (paywall)
What can fans expect from Russell Wilson in New York? Our Steelers, Giants writers discuss
DeFabo: One question from Wilson’s introductory press conference was a good snapshot into Mr. Unlimited. He was asked about Aaron Rodgers dragging out the game of QB musical chairs and, somehow, through a meandering answer in which he named about half of his Steelers teammates, he ended up talking about Miles Killebrew, a special teams player. That’s Russ. In press conferences, he can feel more like a politician than a quarterback. He’s an eternal optimist unlike any I’ve ever met and will try to put a positive spin on any situation. Even after the Steelers lost four games at the end of the regular season and limped into the playoffs, he raced up to defensive co-captain Cameron Heyward on the field and was telling him, “We can do this!” That was fine when the Steelers were doing well. It wasn’t as well-received when they went into a tailspin.
That said, after covering Wilson for an entire season, I came to gain a greater appreciation for him as a person. Every Tuesday, for example, he visited a children’s hospital in Pittsburgh. That meant a lot to those kids, even if Wilson didn’t win a playoff game. Yes, he can be a bit — dare I say it — corny at times. But when you really think about how many awful scandals other NFL players have been involved in, I think DangerRuss sometimes takes too much heat for his personality.
Carroll: I’m glad you brought up the press conference because I think that was the first sign that things are changing in New York. Daniel Jones was a respected teammate and was always good about his media sessions and doing what was required. But the energy between Wilson and Jones is just different. Nothing bad about that at all but just a noticeable distinction. Let’s combine that with the memes floating around about the personalities of this year’s quarterback room. And well, New York, or let’s say frankly any team in the league hasn’t had this meshing of quarterback star power and personalities in some time! Based on what you saw this season in Pittsburgh, how do you think Wilson will fit in New York?
DeFabo: In the city itself, I think Wilson will fit in great. He’s already been spotted at a Knicks game. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him throwing out the first pitch at a Yankees game or going to a Broadway show. Last year, he regularly took the linemen out to dinners in Pittsburgh. I’m sure he and Ciara, his wife, are going to love all that New York City has to offer.
On the field? Look, he was 6-1 through his first seven games and at one point he was playing so well people were talking about Mike Tomlin for Coach of the Year. The biggest positive is that he absolutely can still throw the moon ball, which has been a staple of his game from the very beginning. Supported by the NFL’s highest-paid defense in Pittsburgh and a commitment to running the ball, that was enough for a while.
The problems for the Steelers started cropping up when Wilson’s best deep threat, George Pickens, went down with a hamstring injury and opponents started game planning with two-high looks to take away deep shots. In his younger days, Wilson would use his excellent mobility to turn those plays into four- and five-yard scrambles. Now, his wheels aren’t the same and those often turn into throwaways or sacks. The Giants’ offensive tackles had better get ready for a QB who wants to hold the ball. Steelers left tackle Dan Moore Jr. gave up the most sacks in the league (12) last season and right tackle Broderick Jones was tied for the second-most allowed (11), according to PFF.
NFL league links
Articles
The Athletic (paywall)
How Oilers throwback uniforms stoked the embers of a decades-long NFL relocation fight
The Tennessee Titans fired off the latest salvo in the battle over blue.
On Thursday morning, the Titans announced “Titans Blue” as their primary home jersey color starting in 2025. The move came nearly a year after the Houston Texans unveiled an alternate uniform combination that features a color the franchise coyly calls “H-Town Blue.” The blues are nearly indistinguishable, and the battle over which NFL team owns the hue rages on.
There’s a lot of contempt in that color. Conflict remains over terms never formally settled in Houston three decades ago, when a city consumed by scorn banished the owner of a team whose departure was once unthinkable. Call it a Texan standoff — regretted only after everyone shoots. There’s still no ceasefire over the physical remains of the Houston Oilers, now the Titans, and the ongoing feud is defined by petty antagonism and proxy wars.
In each of the last two seasons, Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk raised eyebrows and stoked outrage by authorizing the wearing of throwback Oilers uniforms against the Texans, the team embraced by the city that rebuked her father. In Thursday’s news release, the Titans revealed they will not wear their Oiler throwbacks in 2025. But in making “Titans Blue” its primary color, the team is quite literally marking its territory.
“It’s been one constant for the organization since 1960, the first days of the Houston Oilers,” the release said.
Tennessee’s uniform switch is also a strategic maneuver. Strunk has blocked moves by the Texans, who, urged by fan council members still mourning the loss of the Oilers, pursued expanding their usage of a color they argue belongs to Houston. The Texans settled for using “H-Town Blue” as an accent color in their alternate uniforms. Given the rigidity of the NFL’s uniform policy, the Titans could all but monopolize the use of the blue in their primary uniforms for several seasons.
The Texans built their case during the NFL’s annual league meetings in 2023. As explained in a team-sponsored podcast, they presented a “120-year story” referencing a “light blue color” found in Houston’s city flag, old curb tiles and classic cop cars. “H-Town Blue isn’t just a color,” Bruce Matthews, a Hall of Fame player for both the Oilers and Titans, narrated in a video released by the Texans in October. “It’s a part of our story.”
Athlon Sports
464-Pound Florida Gators Prospect Could Make NFL Draft History
[Desmond] Watson is a massive human being. He also has a chance to make draft history.
Standing in at 6-foot-6 and 464 pounds, he has turned the heads of any college football fan that has seen him on the field for Florida. He also showed off his strength at the NFL combine with 36 bench press reps at 225 pounds.
He could become the heaviest player ever drafted.
That record has been held by offensive linemen Trent Brown and Daniel Faalele in 2015 and 2022 respectively.
Discussion topics
Athlon Sports
Travis Hunter Scouting Report: Can He Play Both Ways in the NFL?
After talking to experts and checking out the tape, Doug Farrar presents a case for the Heisman Trophy winner to remain a two-way player when he’s drafted.
In football’s olden days, it was no big deal for a player to, say, start at both halfback and linebacker, or quarterback and defensive back. Today, it’s a big story if a guard has to switch to tackle during a game for whatever reason. When the New England Patriots asked receiver Troy Brown to play defensive back as well in the early 2000s (Brown had three interceptions and five passes defended in the 2004 season), it was a novelty. As it was when Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders caught 36 passes for 475 yards and a touchdown as receiver for the Dallas Cowboys in 1996.
Now, as Colorado’s head coach, it’s Sanders who has helped to develop the most remarkable two-way player in decades. Travis Hunter isn’t just a one-position player who occasionally gets snaps on the other side of the ball. Hunter has become a legitimate first-round draft talent at two of the game’s most difficult and nuanced positions — cornerback and receiver. Over the past three seasons, from Jackson State to Colorado, Hunter has continued to refine his skills, and there’s been no dropoff on either side. In fact, Hunter has only become better at both positions.
Champ Bailey, who played receiver, cornerback and returner for the Georgia Bulldogs from 1996-98 and then became a Hall of Fame cornerback in the NFL, spoke with ESPN.com in December about the sheer amount of work that goes into playing both ways.
“I wanted to play both sides of the ball when I got to the league, too, and had some chances to line up and play some offense,” Bailey said. “But I think the difficulty of really doing it is hard to comprehend.
In 2024, Hunter caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns. As a cornerback, Hunter allowed 22 receptions on 38 targets for 205 yards, 91 yards after the catch, one touchdown and a passer rating of 42.0, while posting four interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
As Colorado’s passing game developed through the 2024 season, Hunter showed more of the required nuances of the position as his route tree expanded. As a receiver prospect, he doesn’t have an obvious flaw. If you’re going to make him a primary receiver and shelve his remarkable defensive abilities, you had better be able to turn Hunter into an elite No. 1 receiver over time.
On his positive off -coverage plays, Hunter will mirror and match receivers through their routes smoothly, and he displays excellent transitive movement as the routes develop.
When in zone situations where he has to diagnose the intentions of more than one receiver, Hunter has an excellent eye for reading the quarterback before the throw, and he’ll close on the right receiver more often than not. He’s also a great route-jumper in short areas.
Multiple experts who have spoken with Athlon Sports on the subject align with the idea that Hunter should lead with his best punch, and that’s universally thought to be as a cornerback. But there’s no opposition to using Hunter as a receiver in certain packages. Perhaps the ideal blend would be something that Sanders himself did with the Cowboys in 1996. In that season, Sanders made his fourth All-Pro team as a cornerback, and he also had career highs in receptions (36) and receiving yards (475). But even at Sanders’ athletic peak, none of his NFL teams made the mistake of spreading him too thin.
It was the right way to play it for Travis Hunter’s college coach, and it’s the right way for Travis Hunter.
Free agency contract trends
Over the Cap
Breaking Down Free Agent Contract Signings From 2021 to 2025
All aTwitter
I keep seeing folks debate if @Bwagz is an All-Time great LB and the answer is simply yes. I don’t need your list or who you thought was better. 11x All-Pro is beyond contestation. You can feel however you want to feel about Eras or other stats but saying he’s not among the…
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) March 28, 2025
Rick Snider’s Washington discusses fan polls of NFL GMs. You’ll be surprised where Washington Commanders ranks.: Gimme two minutes. pic.twitter.com/1p5Yl2G5LB
— Rick Snider's Washington (@Snide_Remarks) March 28, 2025
Maryland will not be getting a squadron of fighter jets from the D.C. Air National Guard. Maryland officials hoped the F-16s would allow the state to keep a flying mission. The plan became entangled with D.C.’s efforts to redevelop the RFK Stadium site. https://t.co/N4BnNzjdoE
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 29, 2025
A look at this year's edge rush draft class measuring their production (min. 10% pressure rate) against their Next Gen athleticism score. pic.twitter.com/nPQ7evMGLz
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) March 28, 2025
Patriots WR Stefon Diggs' 3-year, $63.5 million deal.
• $16.6M fully guaranteed.
• $22.6M injury guarantee.
• $18.5M base pay in '25.
• $3.4M in per-game roster bonuses in '25.
• $5.5M in total incentives.
It's a year-to-year deal. Full detail ⤵️https://t.co/87C9FrrsZC
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 29, 2025
Updated NFL analytics staffer list!*
As always, this list is to the best of my understanding based both on what teams list and conversations with analytics folks around the league.
(*Re-posting because I had a mistake on previous post) pic.twitter.com/8h97F7Q3FN
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) March 28, 2025
. @CharlesRobinson reports that Roger Goodell and NFL owners will discuss the possibility of adding an 18th game to the regular season at next week's NFL Owners Meetings.
Would you want to see 18 regular season games? pic.twitter.com/WnG6TIRwgx
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 29, 2025
UFL players decided to participate as scheduled in tonight's season opener in Houston, despite failing to secure a CBA. But they have written a letter to @TheUFL co-owner Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and plan to deliver it to him in person. Here's the letter: pic.twitter.com/jyV4TiFGJv
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) March 28, 2025
The @XFLDefenders kick off their new season at 3 PM this Sunday va the defending league champs.
Fan friendly stadium! Plenty of fun activations are planned for their Red Zone opening celebration. It’s a blast to go to the games,
Get your tickets at https://t.co/0Y4C27mKjq.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) March 28, 2025