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Commanders’ Laremy Tunsil on the early list for new Protector of the Year award
For the first time in NFL history, the league announced on Wednesday that it will add an annual ‘Protector of the Year’ award to its end-of-year ballots. The award will go to the league’s top offensive lineman in an effort to recognize the league’s big men who are integral to the success of every NFL team.
Of course, as with anything new in the league, NFL analysts and insiders are already giving us an early peek at some of the players we might see on the inaugural ballot at the end of the 2025 season. One of those players is Washington Commanders offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil.
Tunsil has been more mercurial than some of the NFL’s most respected left tackles; it’s one reason he’s already been traded twice in his career. Relocating from a messy Houston Texans front to Washington, where the slippery Jayden Daniels is now his quarterback, could shoot his stock to the moon.
ESPN
How the Commanders have helped Jayden Daniels this offseason
While Washington finished fifth in scoring and seventh in yards in 2024, this season will present more challenges. The Commanders play eight games against defenses that finished top-seven in scoring — facing the Eagles twice — and nine vs. teams in the top 10.
They also play in a division that has top defensive linemen such as Dallas Cowboys end Micah Parsons, Eagles tackle Jalen Carter, and a New York Giants front that includes end Brian Burns and tackle Dexter Lawrence II, as well as rookies Abdul Carter and Donovan Ezeiruaku in the draft.
Fixing the line
Washington could have new starters at three positions this season, and four if you include a temporary fill-in for injured right guard Sam Cosmi. And Cosmi would be the only one still starting from the 2023 season.
The Commanders traded for Tunsil, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and drafted tackle Josh Conerly Jr. with the 29th overall pick in the draft last month. This will allow them to move Brandon Coleman, a third-round pick in 2024 who started 15 of their 20 games at left tackle, to guard — a position multiple scouts and analysts said was a better fit for him coming out of college.
Adding playmakers
Washington re-signed Daniels’ security blanket in tight end Zach Ertz, who caught 66 passes with seven touchdowns in 2024. They also re-signed wide receiver Noah Brown, who caught 35 passes in 11 games before injuring his kidney and being placed on injured reserve. They allowed Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown to leave in free agency.
But the Commanders wanted to add more dynamic ability to their offense.
Washington’s offense ranked 22nd in pass plays of 20 or more yards. To help, Washington traded for Samuel and drafted speedy receiver Jaylin Lane in the fourth round. In the past four years, Samuel has recorded 55 such plays — 18th most in the NFL. But 23 of those occurred in 2021.
Retaining key staff members
[Jayden] would conduct early-morning walkthroughs three days a week with Kingsbury and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard. Daniels would text them and assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough often. Daniels also had fun with them: Every Friday he and Blough would compete in a quarterback version of Horse — throwing a ball into a net with three targets. They talked trash quite often during these times. But Daniels also said Blough, only 29 and an NFL quarterback as recently as 2023, knew how to motivate him.
With Kingsbury, though, Daniels gets his playcaller back and someone he clicked with from the beginning.
“He’s meant a lot, obviously, for my development and my growth,” Daniels said in December, “from the day I stepped foot here to this point now.”
Sports Illustrated
Quan Martin praised by analyst
“While we’re talking about underappreciated players, how about an underappreciated NFL pipeline? The Illinois secondary has churned out a bevy of ballers in recent years,” NFL.com writer Gennaro Filice wrote.
“Martin took over as a full-time starter in Washington last season, acquitting himself quite well at free safety. He stuffed the stat sheet with 87 tackles, three forced fumbles, three passes defensed, one interception … and two separated shoulders? Yup, apparently, he played most of the year with janky joins in each arm before undergoing offseason surgery. I appreciate your preposterous pain tolerance, Quan.”
Podcasts & videos
Episode 1,079 - Guest: @JohnKosko3 of @PFF on his ranking of all 32 NFL QB1s. Has Jayden Daniels No. 6. Explains why. What it'll take to be top-five. Analysis of huge gap between JD5 & other five 2024 first-round QBs. Why Dak Prescott is No. 17. And more.https://t.co/soZiBzbpqE
— Al Galdi (@AlGaldi) May 23, 2025
Photos
PHOTOS | Commanders begin Phase 3
Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders as they begin Phase 3 of their offseason workout program.
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Bleeding Green Nation
How many games on the Eagles’ schedule do they have a quarterback advantage in?
QB vs. QB look at Philadelphia’s 2025 schedule.
Jayden Daniels
GS: 17
Rec: 12-5
TDs/INTs: 25/9
Pass completions: 331/480 (69.0%)
Yds: 3,568
QB Rating: 100.1
Jalen Hurts
GS: 15
Rec: 12-3
TDs/INTs: 18/5
Pass completions: 248/361 (68.7%)
Yds: 2,903
QB Rating: 103.7
Summary: The difference between these two is very thin. Right now, Hurts holds the edge, based mostly on experience. Daniels did wonders his rookie season, including engineering a 36-33 Week 16 win over the Eagles on Dec. 22. The Eagles played the last three quarters of that game without Jalen Hurts, who left with 9:29 left in the first quarter due to a concussion when Washington linebackers Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner converged on him after a 13-yard scramble. Though this is what Daniels did against the No. 1 defense in the NFL: 22 fourth-quarter points, five touchdown passes, four combined to Olamide Zaccheaus and Jamison Crowder, who each had not caught a TD pass until that Week 16 game, completing 24 of 39 passes for 258 yards, and coming back from two 14-point deficits, despite Washington turning the ball over five times. Hurts rebounded to lead the Eagles by the Commanders in the NFC championship, making Commanders’ owner Josh Harris hide after scoring a record 55 points in a 55-23 victory. Hurts completed 20 of 28 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown, scoring three touchdowns in getting the Eagles to the Super Bowl.
Winner: Hurts
FINAL TALLY
Hurts is the better QB in 12 of the Eagles’ 17 games in 2025.
Big Blue View
Did the Giants close the talent gap? Ranking NFC East offenses position-by-position
Here are the final results for the NFC East offense:
23 points: Eagles
13 points: Giants
12 points: Cowboys
12 points: Commanders
The Eagles missed a clean sweep thanks to Jayden Daniels, and the NEW YORK GIANTS are second!
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys RB Jaydon Blue predicts he will win Offensive Rookie of the Year
The Dallas Cowboys needed more playmakers on their offense heading into the 2025 season. They got one in the fifth round of the draft by taking running back Jaydon Blue out of Texas. Instantly, the Cowboys get electrifying speed and explosiveness with him on the roster.
Blue wasn’t one of the premier backs coming out of college. However, the 21-year-old isn’t lacking any confidence in his ability as he enters his inaugural NFL campaign. In fact, he predicted that he would win Offensive Rookie of the Year honors earlier this week.
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Pro Football Talk
14 years after the rookie wage scale, the No. 1 pick’s pay has nearly closed the gap
One of the things the NFL wanted as of 2011 was a rookie wage scale. And the NFL got the restriction it craved on the value of the deals given to new players.
The argument was simple. The prior system allowed busts to take millions out of the system. Those millions could go instead to established player.
Of course, the rookie wage scale also prevented those big contracts from becoming part of the leverage for veterans to get better deals, by pointing to the average annual salary given to a high draft pick at the same position.
But it was far easier to get the current members of the union to pick the pockets of players who weren’t yet in it. Even if it indirectly impacted them. Making the argument even easier was the inherent zero-sum game of the salary cap. If more money goes to a hotshot who has never worn an NFL helmet, less money is available to everyone else.
It worked. And here’s the latest evidence of it. Fourteen years later, with the salary cap skyrocketing from $120.375 million to $279.2 million per team, the value of the contract given to the No. 1 overall pick still hasn’t caught the value of the No. 1 overall pick from 2010, the last year with no rookie wage scale.
In 2010, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford signed a six-year, $78 million contract, with a maximum value of $86 million and $50 million guaranteed.
In 2025, Titans quarterback Cam Ward signed a four-year, fully-guaranteed $48 million contract.
Bradford’s base deal paid $13 million per year. Ward’s pays $12 million annually. Bradford got more in guarantees, although it’s likely that the $50 million wasn’t fully guaranteed. (The reporting on and analysis of contracts in 2010 didn’t delve into such details the way it does now.)
Yes, Ward is committed for only four years, not six. But the Titans have a fifth-year option, so the contract puts him on the market (or gets him franchise tagged) only one year sooner.
Here’s the broader point. It has taken nearly 15 years to get the No. 1 overall pick to the contract the No. 1 overall pick received in 2010. Even though the salary cap has increased since 2011 by 231.9 percent.
Which means that the rookie wage scale was a massive win for the NFL and its owners.
Pro Football Rumors
Details Revealed Regarding Shemar Stewart-Bengals Contract Dispute
Specifically, the Bengals want to include a clause in Stewart’s contract “that causes a default in the current year to trigger a default in all remaining years,” per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Essentially, if Stewart were to default in one year of his contract, the rest of his contract would automatically default, voiding the remaining money on his fully guaranteed rookie deal.
Mims does not have the same language in his contract, though he was taken with the 18th pick in 2024 and Stewart was drafted one spot earlier at No. 17 this year. The recently signed contracts of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins don’t contain a similar default clause, either.
Defaults are rare in the NFL. They happen when a player breaches the terms of his contract, typically by sustaining an injury while participating in a prohibited activity or committing conduct detrimental to the team. Stewart certainly has no intention of triggering a default, but it remains a possibility against which he wants to protect himself.
But why refuse to participate at all over a relatively minor contract detail? Stewart could still sign his rookie waiver and get on the field, but he appears to be standing on principle and holding the Bengals to their contract precedent. Cincinnati has typically lagged behind the rest of the NFL when negotiating with players, particularly in terms of guaranteed money. Stewart is witnessing firsthand the struggle of fellow edge rusher Trey Hendrickson to reach a favorable agreement with the team and is sending a clear message that he will not accept a contract with unfavorable terms, now or in the future.
Stewart also has leverage in this situation. If Hendrickson refuses to budge, the Bengals could be without their best defensive player heading into the regular season. At that point, Stewart would be called upon to step up as a pass rusher and may struggle to produce if he misses valuable developmental time this summer. His profile as a raw athlete with unrefined technique suggests that Cincinnati has extra motivation to get him practicing as soon as possible.
NFL Contract Notes: OL Award, Olympics, Rookie Bonuses, Collusion
The NFL is creating a new end-of-year award for offensive linemen called Protector of the Year, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. Troy Vincent, the league’s executive vice president of football operations, said that current Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins and former Rams and Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth were key advocates for establishing the new honor.
Protector of the Year will be a welcome addition to the NFL’s annual awards season, which has largely focused on quarterbacks for Most Valuable Player and skill positions for Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. Offensive linemen typically have to settle for for Pro Bowl or All-Pro nods, as they almost never contend for the main awards slate despite their impact on the field.
Protector of the Year will be determined by a prestigious panel of former NFL offensive linemen based on the following five criteria (via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe): “skills, metrics, impact, leadership, ability, and strength of the opponents.”
Whitworth, who helped developed the award, will be on the panel. It also includes Orlando Pace and Will Shields, who are already in the Hall of Fame, and Jason Kelce, who is all but certain to join them once he’s eligible. The last two members, LeCharles Bentley and Shaun O’Hara, are less legendary offensive linemen, but both earned at least two Pro Bowls in their career and have remained connected with the league since their retirement.
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Class is in session
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) May 24, 2025
Coach Todd Bowles says the Bucs didn't sign 400-plus-pound DT Desmond Watson to counter the tush push. (Still, if he's lined up next to Vita Vea when the Eagles run it in Week 4, things could get interesting.) https://t.co/CkTX37XdJ1
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) May 24, 2025
Two months from today, all 32 NFL teams will be back together, and back on the field, for the first full weekend of training camp.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) May 24, 2025
“There are no formal plans on any discussions. We obviously continue to be in close communication with the union on a variety of matters, but no start of negotiations have been set or are under consideration really at this point. We did spend time today talking, at length, about… https://t.co/HNLViEfnZq
— COMMANDERS FOOTBALL (@HogsHaven) May 24, 2025
Really good win for the Nats.
⚾️ James Wood’s 13th HR
⚾️ Jake Irvin: 8 shutout, 7 Ks.
⚾️ Daylen Lile: Hit, diving catch.
⚾️ Robert Hassell: 1st MLB RBI
That’s 6 of 7 and 7 of 9 for the good guys. pic.twitter.com/LdvTGfGuUx
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) May 24, 2025