Commanders links
A to Z Sports
Jayden Daniels is set to make his preseason debut for Washington Commanders on Monday night matchup against the Bengals
The starting offense needs to get real game reps together, especially with WR Terry McLaurin coming back, and the injuries on the offensive line. McLaurin obviously won’t be playing Monday night, but the rest of the team gets to gel before he returns. This is also our first look at the Daniels and Deebo Samuel connection, which has been strong all of training camp.
Not everyone will be out there, though, as Zach Ertz, Brandon Coleman, Noah Brown, and Laremy Tunsil will be out once again for the offense. This gives other players a chance to get on the same page, especially on the offensive line, with Sam Cosmi still on the PUP list as well.
Quinn said that the starters won’t be out there for a long time, but every snap counts before the season, and the starters lost a lot of reps when the joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens got called off. This might be the only real reps we see from the starting offense before the season kicks off.
Commanders.com
Bengals offense will be ‘great test’ for Commanders defense
While Washington opted to sit starters for the preseason opener, the Bengals have taken a different approach, choosing instead to give the ones reps before the regular season kicks off. Paulsen added to Smoot’s point that giving players the opportunity to matchup with starters on the oppositional team throughout the preseason will be beneficial in terms of growth and could help solidify spots on the roster.
Paulsen and Smoot brought up the improvements they were looking for.
“I just want to see an efficient start,” Paulsen said. “Can we compete with the football? Can we run efficiently with the football? I actually thought the offensive line played really well. I know a lot of backs played really well against New England. Can that continue? Can we build on that?”
On what he wants to see from the Commanders, Smoot said he wants them to “get in, get the plays, get the ball moving. On defense, three and outs. Can we make plays?”
Smoot and Paulsen agreed that they also wanted to see a match in energy from what they’ve been watching in training camp throughout the week.
“Everything we’ve seen in practice, let’s see it on the field.” Paulsen Said. “I mean, that’s really as simple as it is. Like these practices have been incredibly sharp. Let’s bring that to the game on Monday.”
Commanders Wire
Commanders’ DC Joe Whitt Jr. believes Bengals will be great test for rookie CB Trey Amos
Whitt explained that this week the Commanders are not getting to a full game plan, “but we will do what we call a ‘snapshot game plan’ where we’ll give them a little bit of what the normal game week will be. But it won’t be a full, detailed, deep dive like we normally do. We’re still in sort of a training camp mode, so we’re working both sides of it.”
Facing perhaps the league’s best receiver in Ja’Marr Chase and another top receiver in Tee Higgins, Amos could really be going against some real threats to his confidence. On the other hand, if Amos plays fairly well when against Chase and Higgins, it could be a tremendous boost to his confidence.
“I think it’ll help a lot,” expressed Whitt, Friday, when asked about Amos facing Chase and Higgins. “I value (Chase) so much, man. I think this kid is the premier receiver in the league. I mean, he’s second to none. He can run the routes; and run after the catch. The ability to be able to go up there and defend a guy like that, and at some point, he’s going to beat you, and then how do you respond?”
Commanders.com
Paulsen: NFL consistency is like climbing Mount Everest
“There’s problems, but you hear Dan talking about solutions,” Paulsen said. “I think it’s process driven by the coach, meaning I don’t really care about the result as long as the process and effort is there. If the effort’s out there, we’ve got to make that better. We’ve got to make sure everybody shows up.”
Sorry! Looks like there was a problem with the video.
Despite the loss to the New England Patriots last Friday, head coach Dan Quinn’s post-game press conference stood out to Command Center podcast analysts Logan Paulsen, Santana Moss and Fred Smoot.
“If you get your ass kicked and you were in the fight the whole time, I could live with that,” Quinn said, “Ones that I can’t are when we didn’t play to the style, the attitude, the penalties. Those are the ones. I can live with almost any result when you do it all right. When it’s sloppy and not to the standards, that burns.”
The response to the loss was notable to Paulsen, a former Washington tight end who also played for Quinn during his time as head coach in Atlanta. He cited the solution-oriented approach, noting the effort and consistency.
“There’s problems, but you hear Dan talking about solutions,” Paulsen said. “I think it’s process driven by the coach, meaning I don’t really care about the result as long as the process and effort is there. If the effort’s out there, we’ve got to make that better. We’ve got to make sure everybody shows up.”
The elements of consistency and effort were part of Quinn’s philosophy in Atlanta, too, according to Paulsen. After Paulsen retired from the NFL in 2018 after a nearly 10-year career, he was brought in to speak with the rookies about what it took to stay in the NFL.
“All you’ve got to do is show up on time and study your playbook,” Paulsen said. “You’re in the door. Now you’ve got to do those little things the right way to make sure you’re on the roster and make sure that they can’t cut you. What I like about this quote from Dan is the first thing he said. It bothers me that we didn’t hit the standard.”
After Washington’s successful 2025 season with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels at the helm, there are expectations for the team to be consistent and meet that same standard. Washington reached 12 wins for the first time since the 1991, making Quinn the second coach in franchise to accomplish the feat since Joe Gibbs.
“That’s one of the things I’ve always told myself,” Moss said. “It’s crazy how it’s translated through every level. Be mindful of every play. Win this down. Win this play. Win your rep.”
A to Z Sports
Young standout players for the Washington Commanders continue to miss valuable time, and it could heavily impact their seasons
Jordan Magee
Jordan Magee has all the makings of an all-around pro LB in the NFL, but injuries have been the headline of his young career. He only saw the field on 16 defensive snaps in his rookie season with a handful of injuries, and he’s been battling another in training camp for a few weeks now. He recently started working on the side field at practice, but not in the team drills.
He missed time in Week 1 of the preseason and didn’t travel with the team for the joint practice or the game. The coaching staff has loved what they’ve seen from Magee going into his second season, and he’s poised to be LB3 behind Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner, but it won’t matter if he doesn’t see the field.
Brandon Coleman
Second-year offensive lineman Brandon Coleman made the move to left guard after playing left tackle his rookie season, which fits more of his mold and offers a higher ceiling, but he’s also missing time gelling with the rest of the line.
He’s the only player projected to start among the young players missing time, but he also has the most importance for the 2025 season. Veteran Andrew Wylie has been filling in for Coleman’s absence, and might be the starter against the Giants if Coleman doesn’t heal up.
Javontae Jean-Baptiste
Jean-Baptiste is another player Quinn has praised when he’s talked about second-year players developing, but we haven’t been able to see it on the field yet, with him missing the first two preseason games. There’s been a window of opportunity for him to have a role this season, but it could be closed with guys like Von Miller and Jacob Martin producing this season.
Commanders Exploring Potential Brian Robinson Jr. Trade
Behind Robinson, the Commanders have Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, and Chris Rodriguez Jr. at running back, and all three of those guys were involved in the team’s offense last year. Add in star quarterback Jayden Daniels’ rushing abilities, and it’s fair to wonder if Washington could get by without Robinson leading its ground game.
For now, a trade doesn’t exactly appear imminent, but Robinson’s time with Washington could quickly be coming to an end. His status will certainly be watching over the next couple of weeks, especially with roster cuts on the horizon, because if the Commanders get a deal they like for Robinson, it seems like he could be on the move.
Riggo’s Rag
Commanders insider highlights late surge from Demetric Felton, but it might not be enough
Zach Selby from the team’s website spotlighted Demetric Felton as someone who’s made a lasting impression over the last week. The insider acknowledged that his roster status remains a long shot, but he’s making a strong case for the practice squad if he doesn’t do quite enough to make it.
“The Commanders have a tough decision to make at the running back position, and players like [Demetric] Felton aren’t making things easy for them. As it stands now, Felton faces a long road toward making the roster, as he was listed as seventh on the team’s unofficial depth chart. However, the starters are expected to play limited snaps against the Bengals, which means there will be more opportunities for Felton to at least show he can be a practice squad player during the regular season.”
Zach Selby
Felton hasn’t seen an NFL regular-season field since the 2022 campaign with the Cleveland Browns. He’s bounced between the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts over the last year, but the Commanders thought enough of the former UCLA standout to give him a reserve/futures contract this offseason.
One has to wonder just how many more chances Felton will get to keep his NFL dreams alive. He’s elusive and explosive, but the 5-foot-9 frame makes it difficult to become a genuine bellcow option for anybody. What the Commanders need to figure out is whether allocating a spot for him behind Robinson, Ekeler, and Croskey-Merritt is worth the extra spot.
Podcasts & videos
Jayden Daniels & Starters to PLAY vs Bengals | Are Commanders Shopping Brian Robinson Jr.?
NFC East links
Giants WR Malik Nabers has minor back issue, sources say
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers hasn’t practiced in 11 days while dealing with what multiple sources told ESPN was a minor back problem. One source characterized it as “normal camp tightness.”
Nabers was held out of Saturday night’s 31-12 win over the New York Jets. He has missed each of the Giants’ first two preseason games.
At this point it would seem logical for Nabers to miss the entire preseason. The regular season opens in three weeks.
Bleeding Green Nation
John Metchie trade: Eagles acquire Texans wide receiver
The Philadelphia Eagles are trading for Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III, according a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter.
The terms of the deal:
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES RECEIVE — WR John Metchie III, 2026 sixth-round pick
HOUSTON TEXANS RECEIVE — TE Harrison Bryant, 2026 fifth-round pick
Funny enough, the pick swap is a reversal of the one that took place in the C.J. Gardner-Johnson trade back in March.
With that in mind, the Eagles effectively gave up CJGJ and Bryant to acquire Metchie and Kenyon Green.
Metchie, who turned 25 last month, played college football at Alabama (making him the ninth Crimson Tide player on Philly’s roster, including Jalen Hurts). He was then selected by the Texans with a second-round pick (No. 44 overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Metchie missed his entire rookie season after being diagnosed with cancer (acute promyelocytic leukemia). After being cleared to play, he made his NFL regular season debut in Week 2 of the 2023 season.
Making just four starts in 33 games played (including playoffs) over the past two years, Metchie’s 80 career targets have resulted in 49 receptions for 519 yards (10.6 average) and one touchdown. For those who didn’t already do the math, that’s only 15.7 yards per game.
So, it’s not exactly like this is exactly a blockbuster acquisition for the Eagles.
Grading the deal: Texans trade WR Metchie to Eagles for TE Bryant
Texans get: TE Harrison Bryant, 2026 fifth-round pick
Eagles get: WR John Metchie III, 2026 sixth-round pick
Eagles’ grade: B
Texans’ grade: B+
The most interesting part of this trade of depth pieces was that the Eagles and Texans both reacquired their own original picks from a trade they made in March. The Texans regained the fifth-round pick they dealt to Philadelphia for C.J. Gardner-Johnson and the Eagles took back the sixth-rounder they traded for Kenyon Green.
It represents a classic preseason deal in which Houston traded from a position of surplus to help Philadelphia fill a need. Even with Tank Dell injured, the Texans have more players at wide receiver who could reasonably make their 53-man roster. Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, Christian Kirk, Justin Watson, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, Braxton Berrios were all in that room, so the 2022 second-rounder might have been on the outside in terms of making Houston’s roster.
Metchie, who missed what would have been his rookie season in 2022 after being diagnosed with leukemia, has made a limited impact since his NFL debut in 2023. He has caught 40 passes for 412 yards and a paltry 1.1 yards per route run the past two seasons. But the Eagles are quite barren at wide receiver after A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, so they must figure it’s worth a shot to see whether they can extract Metchie’s potential. The bar is fairly low considering the Eagles’ receiver depth consists of players such as Jahan Dotson, Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson.
On the other end of this deal, Bryant -- who has 98 career receptions in five seasons but just nine in 2024 with the Raiders -- was buried on the Eagles’ depth chart. He’ll join a group that features starter Dalton Schultz and depth players Cade Stover, Irv Smith Jr. and seventh-round pick Luke Lachey.
Given the importance of the wide receiver position, it makes sense for the Eagles to roll the dice on a long-shot player who could help. But this was a solid move for the Texans to get something for a player whose roster spot wasn’t guaranteed.
Blogging the Boys
The current state of the Cowboys running back room
With just one preseason game remaining for the Dallas Cowboys, only one thing has become almost inevitable at the running back position—Javonte Williams will likely be the first one in the huddle when the offense takes their first snap of the regular season in Philadelphia on opening night.
Although Williams is expected to be the starting running back, it doesn’t mean he will dominate the carries on offense. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer has emphasized his desire to implement a committee of running backs who will each receive their fair share of touches throughout the season, meaning several players will get an opportunity to contribute. The real question is who will be the second and third players in the rotation.
On Saturday night against the Baltimore Ravens, veteran Miles Sanders got the start and made his Cowboys debut after recovering the last few weeks from a knee injury he suffered in practice. Sanders was the Cowboys’ leading rusher with just 15 yards off seven carries.
If both Williams and Sanders make it to the 53, that would leave Hunter Luepke, Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis, and rookie draft picks Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah.
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys’ edge rushers have yet to record a sack through two preseason games
With Micah Parsons still without a new deal and holding out during the Cowboys training camp practices, the Cowboys have relied on Marshawn Kneeland, Sam Williams, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and James Houston heavily through their two preseason games. Houston, the newest addition to the Dallas defensive line room, has been the most impressive edge rusher so far in the Cowboys preseason matchups, but the others have struggled to generate any consistent pressure. So far, they don’t have a single sack between them in the preseason.
Even when/if Parsons returns, the Cowboys will heavily rely on Kneeland, Williams, and Ezeiruaku to be key contributors on defense in 2025 behind the anticipated starters — Micah Parsons and Dante Fowler.
Discussion topics
The Josh Harris sports empire
Crystal Palace prepare for takeover battle just days after John Textor saga saw Eagles booted out of Europa League
CRYSTAL PALACE’S new major shareholder Woody Johnson is set to be a target for a ‘takeover’ bid by Josh Harris.
Johnson recently became Palace’s biggest shareholder when he bought out John Textor’s 43 per cent stake in the club — but may be willing to quickly sell that on for the right cash.
The 78-year-old American has yet to go public on his plans at Palace and may have got involved to help compatriot Textor, who needed out of Selhurst Park because of multi-club ownership issues.
Harris already owns 18 per cent of Palace and is keen to extend his influence at the club.
A snag for Harris would be that adding Johnson’s shares to his own would go against Palace rules.
No individual is currently allowed to own more than 50 per cent — unless Palace vote to change that.
aBit o’Twitter
This embedded content failed to load.