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***OFFICIAL*** Washington Commanders Thread (9 Viewers)

I don't understand all the talk of trading Howell. He's on a super cheap rookie contract and he's at worst, one of the best backups in the league (I personally think he's a starter that needed a reboot with awful play calling and a horrific line) but I'd much rather keep him than move him for a day 3 pick like some writers are throwing around.
 
ffmail4me said:
I don't understand all the talk of trading Howell. He's on a super cheap rookie contract and he's at worst, one of the best backups in the league (I personally think he's a starter that needed a reboot with awful play calling and a horrific line) but I'd much rather keep him than move him for a day 3 pick like some writers are throwing around.
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Yeah, it makes no sense to me either. The team needs a backup because injuries happen more often than not. And Daniels/Maye might not be ready day 1. Howell is a great option and I doubt he's worth much in a trade . Now if they draft two QBs, then maybe Howell can be traded for like a 4th rounder. For instance they could draft Pratt or Milton late. But if I'm a WR on this roster, I want Howell to be there even if they draft Daniels/Maye. He might still be the best chance to win week 1.
 
Howell's better than any other backup they can get (Brissett is gone), he's cheap and he has a year of starting experience. Teams without a decent backup QB are completely sunk if there's a QB injury. It makes no sense at all to trade Howell. He may turn out to be their starter again this year even if they do draft a rookie QB high in the draft.
 
I'd be thrilled if they could find a way to keep Brissett, and my ideal QB room would be Howell, Brissett and a Rookie - either a premium one selected on Day 1 or 2, or a Day 3 or Undrafted Free Agent who shows enough promise to survive the final roster cuts.

Whether they select a Rookie on Day 1 or Day 2, I think they ought to invest a Day 3 pick in another one with potential, for a cheap audition, as well as rotate through a series of 'camp arms' while they have the opportunity. Gotta take every opportunity you can, to mine for the precious commodity that an NFL-caliber QB (whether starter or backup) is.
 
Faust said:
The negative impact Kliff Kingsbury poses on the Commanders' Wide Receivers | Yahoo Fantasy Football Show
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I can't disagree Kliff has mixed results. I hope he adds pre-snap motion to his scheme because to me that is what was lacking with him other places and with EB last year. The top teams like KC and MIA use pre-snap motion almost 80% of the time. WAS was like 50% last year. Kliff may have even been lower at ARI. But anything has to be better than the offense this team ran under Ron, Turner, and EB. The lack of pre-snap motion hurts everyone. The OL The WRs. The QB. All are at the mercy of the D knowing exactly what is coming rather than making the D adjust. Does anyone really think Dotson, Samuel and Brown are as bad as they've been the past 2 years? I don't. Dotson seemed like EB's fall guy. And I think Terry is even better than what we've seen. I'm pretty exited for anything. I imagine another WR will be drafted.

Even if they trade down and start Howell (which they won't). ... I'd still be excited because all of these player are going to be better under position coaches that didn't come from a HS gym. Dan was really skimping on paying at that level, and Ron went into friends and family mode. There's a reason we have $80M of salary cap. Dan was being cheap from top to bottom. We likley only have 1 salary cap cut and that is Logan Thomas ($6.5M savings). They could cut Leno but there's not much reason to. I wouldn't be surprised if they aren't shopping Jon Allen post June 1 ($15M savings). But that would have to be for the right return. He seems like a good guy and can obviously play, but I fear he's been here so long it's taken it's toll on him. A new environment might help both sides.
 
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Brunell4MVP said:
But anything has to be better than the offense this team ran under Ron, Turner, and EB. The lack of pre-snap motion hurts everyone. The OL The WRs. The QB. All are at the mercy of the D knowing exactly what is coming rather than making the D adjust. Does anyone really think Dotson, Samuel and Brown are as bad as they've been the past 2 years? I don't.
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I'm in agreement with you there.
 
Dude had 7 surgeries in his career. It takes a toll. It was a weird move to sign him last year IMO.

St Juste is up for cutting too. They may be forced to keep him since they are short on DBs. But he's too slow for the position. He'd only count as $260K of dead space.
 
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Absolutely solid, from both an age and talent standpoint. I'm just a bit surprised they invested in Defensive End right out of the gate, when there are so many other holes to fill on both sides of the ball.

With a DL anchored by Allen/Payne, IMHO it would be possible to get a 'value rotational foursome' at DE, and be better served by dramatically improving the LB corps, which is all but nonexistent, and finding some help for the secondary as well.

Patrick Queen, please.
 
WFTskins hit the Cowboys again, giving Cosmi a solid neighbor in C Tyler Biadasz!

Now that's more like it!

After all we've put up with for the last 2 decades, building the foundation from the inside-out on both sides of the ball, and raiding our hated Divisional foe in the process!

Been a very, very long time since we've had any competence around these parts.
 
Armstrong and BIadasz two very solid signings IMO.

Both are 26-7. Very productive but also not top of market to break the bank. Not over 30, injury-prone, or on the downslope.

Two doesn't make a "trend" but I do like where this is going.

I guess the early Cowboy signings make sense in that Quinn was probably already talking with these dudes on the downlow.

Now,how bout Dem Comms! haha.
 
Ekeler to a two-year deal worth "up to" $11M. After watching him last year, I think there's a good chance he's washed.

From a fantasy perspective, I wonder if this makes BRob a better value. People will assume Ekeler will be Gibson+, doing the pass catching while also taking on goal-line carries. But if I'm right that he's washed, Robinson could end up outperforming his ADP yet again
 
Added an OG from the Chiefs and a kicker. Like those moves. Slye was inconsistent.

Ekeler is likely splitting the job w Robinson. Pushes the need for a RB in the draft down the road 2 years. I wouldn’t expect a major resurgence from him at his age.

Fixing holes slowly. Edge, LB, OG, C, RB, K so far. FA wont fill all the needs but its a start.
 
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Brunell4MVP said:
Frankie Luvu, LB to commanders. Couldn't pick him out of a lineup if he had a name tag on. Didn't watch any CAR games

www.hogshaven.com

Washington Commanders Free Agency: LB Frankie Luvu expected to sign 3-year deal

New LB!
www.hogshaven.com www.hogshaven.com
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I didn't really know much about Luvu either but the more I read, the more I like him. Followed that link and Brad Speilberger shares the following interesting stat:
"New Commanders LB Frankie Luvu ranked 1st among off-ball LB’s with a 90.1 PFF pass rush grade in 202320 QB pressures and 5.5 sacks in 2023 after putting up 23 and 7 in 2022"

Quinn seems to like those aggressive LBs that can get after the QB

Of course, any starter quality LB signing for us is basically an automatic upgrade. Seems like a good signing, and much in line with the same general trend of grabbing ascending 26-7 year old players on reasonable contracts...
 
ignatiusjreilly said:
Ekeler to a two-year deal worth "up to" $11M. After watching him last year, I think there's a good chance he's washed.

From a fantasy perspective, I wonder if this makes BRob a better value. People will assume Ekeler will be Gibson+, doing the pass catching while also taking on goal-line carries. But if I'm right that he's washed, Robinson could end up outperforming his ADP yet again
Click to expand...
Ben Standig had a LA Chargers beat guy on his pod yesterday and they discussed the extent to which Ekeler was washed or not washed. The beat guy -- can't remember what is name was -- was convinced that Ekeler never really fully recovered in-season from a high ankle sprain that hobbled him early. Implied we'd see a much better player this year. Of course, we'll have to see. Either way, I do think BRob is still gonna get plenty of carries as you say. But Ekeler will definitely cut into his snaps...not just as a pass catcher but around the goal line as he's always had a nose for TDs. Fantasy production for RBs is so difficult because lots of teams are like this and have multiple RBs to use.

Great for Washington in terms of "real football" though!
 
ffmail4me said:
We clearly have a competent GM. FINALLY. :pickle:
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Even though Washington made several FA signings yesterday, I like that Peters is slow-playing this from a cash perspective. Just because Washington has $90mm in cap space doesn't mean they should spend it all at once. There's a ton of infrastructure that has to be rebuilt there (personnel & otherwise) and it's gonna take a while.
 
Uruk-Hai said:
ffmail4me said:
We clearly have a competent GM. FINALLY. :pickle:
Click to expand...
Even though Washington made several FA signings yesterday, I like that Peters is slow-playing this from a cash perspective. Just because Washington has $90mm in cap space doesn't mean they should spend it all at once. There's a ton of infrastructure that has to be rebuilt there (personnel & otherwise) and it's gonna take a while.
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This is a key point. Washington should not be planning to be a playoff team THIS year. They are not looking for that final piece to put them over the top. Leaving cap space and flexibility for the future will be key to adding those final pieces (or retaining an existing player) if and when they find themselves on the cusp of competing in the playoffs. It's probably never a great idea to spend up to the limit of your cap unless you expect to make a run in that current year.
 
Peters has made the correct releases and picked up free agents for nice prices at the positions of need. He wont' be right all the time, but there's a pretty obvious thought process that went into how they are going to get deeper at every position. So nice to see. Remember when Bruce Allen didn't even tell his coach he was trading for Alex Smith. Ughh

Also, if you look at SF's draft thistory you will see they went after small football college players in the later rounds of the draft. 2022-2023 included players from UTSA, Fordham, Toledo, South Alabama, SMU, UCF, West Mich, and LA-Lafayette. Will be interesting to see if Peters uses the same diamond in the rough late round strategy in April.
 
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MikeApf said:
Uruk-Hai said:
ffmail4me said:
We clearly have a competent GM. FINALLY. :pickle:
Click to expand...
Even though Washington made several FA signings yesterday, I like that Peters is slow-playing this from a cash perspective. Just because Washington has $90mm in cap space doesn't mean they should spend it all at once. There's a ton of infrastructure that has to be rebuilt there (personnel & otherwise) and it's gonna take a while.
Click to expand...
This is a key point. Washington should not be planning to be a playoff team THIS year. They are not looking for that final piece to put them over the top. Leaving cap space and flexibility for the future will be key to adding those final pieces (or retaining an existing player) if and when they find themselves on the cusp of competing in the playoffs. It's probably never a great idea to spend up to the limit of your cap unless you expect to make a run in that current year.
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That's right. First, the organization needs to get settled in. Then the new brain trust needs to figure out exactly which players are going to be part of the future. That's probably going take 2 years. If they hit the jackpot on a QB like Houston did (doubtful, as Stroud had the best rookie season in NFL history), things get accelerated some. In any case, they seem to have a method and they need to stick to it.
 
MikeApf said:
ignatiusjreilly said:
Ekeler to a two-year deal worth "up to" $11M. After watching him last year, I think there's a good chance he's washed.

From a fantasy perspective, I wonder if this makes BRob a better value. People will assume Ekeler will be Gibson+, doing the pass catching while also taking on goal-line carries. But if I'm right that he's washed, Robinson could end up outperforming his ADP yet again
Click to expand...
Ben Standig had a LA Chargers beat guy on his pod yesterday and they discussed the extent to which Ekeler was washed or not washed. The beat guy -- can't remember what is name was -- was convinced that Ekeler never really fully recovered in-season from a high ankle sprain that hobbled him early. Implied we'd see a much better player this year. Of course, we'll have to see. Either way, I do think BRob is still gonna get plenty of carries as you say. But Ekeler will definitely cut into his snaps...not just as a pass catcher but around the goal line as he's always had a nose for TDs. Fantasy production for RBs is so difficult because lots of teams are like this and have multiple RBs to use.

Great for Washington in terms of "real football" though!
Click to expand...
Yes, I had thought of that, and it's definitely possible. But I just worry that once a RB starts to fall off, they rarely make a comeback. I strongly doubt we'll see the Ekeler of 2020-22, though I do hope a slightly diminished Ekeler can still be a valuable contributor. As of now, I'm betting against it, but I'd love to be proven wrong
 
Not a fan of the Mariotta signing. What’s the point? I’m not a believer of the vet in the qb room to help a youngster. The only way this makes sense to me is if they plan to start Howell next season or wait until round 2 for a qb, then have all 3 of those in the room to fight it out for the job. But I’m an idiot so there’s that.
 
If we put on our thinking caps, which of the highly-touted Rookie prospects does Mariota's game and skill set most closely identify with?
 
Faust said:
The negative impact Kliff Kingsbury poses on the Commanders' Wide Receivers | Yahoo Fantasy Football Show
Click to expand...
Don't know if we can substantiate the claim that Kingsbury had Hopkins line up in what was traditionally the X-slot 98% of the time. The last year they were together was '22, Hopkins serving a six game suspension & ultimately plays just 9 gms. But he ends with 64 receptions off 96 targets. Over 10 targets per is really good. Their 1st year in AZ ('20) Hop had 115 rec off 160 targets! Not trying to suggest that your source has no merit, but rather there's evidence to the contrary. I'm hopeful McLaurin gets fed like the machine he is. Get him downfield, isolated against smaller men, um, viewer discretion advised. :)

Cardinals wideout DeAndre Hopkins ‘loves’ Kliff Kingsbury’s play-calling​

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins hasn’t seemed to miss a beat after missing the first six games of the season ... In two games this year, Hopkins has reeled in 22 catches on 27 targets for 262 yards and one touchdown... Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has utilized the three-time All-Pro all over the place in 2022, including both the left and right sides, as well as in the slot. The duo has also been seen talking on the sidelines during games, scheming from what each of them sees from their respective viewpoints on the field. ... While still lining up the five-time Pro Bowl WR both inside and outside the numbers, all 13 of his targets came when starting on the left side of the formation. The head coach has also been putting Hopkins in motion pre-snap. https://arizonasports.com/story/336...izona-cardinals-kliff-kingsbury-play-calling/
 
Brunell4MVP said:
Not a fan of the Mariotta signing. What’s the point? I’m not a believer of the vet in the qb room to help a youngster. The only way this makes sense to me is if they plan to start Howell next season or wait until round 2 for a qb, then have all 3 of those in the room to fight it out for the job. But I’m an idiot so there’s that.
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Yeah, I don't get that either. Mariotta's just a bad QB.
 
Clelin Ferrell agrees to one-year deal with Commanders

According to multiple reports, Ferrell has agreed to terms with the NFC East club. It’s a one-year deal in Washington for Ferrell.

Ferrell was the fourth overall pick in 2019 and he spent four seasons with the Raiders before moving on to the 49ers last year. He had 28 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery while helping the Niners secure the top seed in the NFC.
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Brunell4MVP said:
Not a fan of the Mariotta signing. What’s the point? I’m not a believer of the vet in the qb room to help a youngster. The only way this makes sense to me is if they plan to start Howell next season or wait until round 2 for a qb, then have all 3 of those in the room to fight it out for the job. But I’m an idiot so there’s that.
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According to Daniel Jeremiah (NFL Network), he believes the Mariota add means they're going to move Howell.
 
I think it means one of two things, they are either moving Howell OR, he's their starter and Mariotta is the backup (since Brissett is gone) I REALLY hope this means Sam is the starter and they trade down. Someone will give up the farm for this 1.2 pick.
 
ignatiusjreilly said:
MikeApf said:
ignatiusjreilly said:
Ekeler to a two-year deal worth "up to" $11M. After watching him last year, I think there's a good chance he's washed.

From a fantasy perspective, I wonder if this makes BRob a better value. People will assume Ekeler will be Gibson+, doing the pass catching while also taking on goal-line carries. But if I'm right that he's washed, Robinson could end up outperforming his ADP yet again
Click to expand...
Ben Standig had a LA Chargers beat guy on his pod yesterday and they discussed the extent to which Ekeler was washed or not washed. The beat guy -- can't remember what is name was -- was convinced that Ekeler never really fully recovered in-season from a high ankle sprain that hobbled him early. Implied we'd see a much better player this year. Of course, we'll have to see. Either way, I do think BRob is still gonna get plenty of carries as you say. But Ekeler will definitely cut into his snaps...not just as a pass catcher but around the goal line as he's always had a nose for TDs. Fantasy production for RBs is so difficult because lots of teams are like this and have multiple RBs to use.

Great for Washington in terms of "real football" though!
Click to expand...
Yes, I had thought of that, and it's definitely possible. But I just worry that once a RB starts to fall off, they rarely make a comeback. I strongly doubt we'll see the Ekeler of 2020-22, though I do hope a slightly diminished Ekeler can still be a valuable contributor. As of now, I'm betting against it, but I'd love to be proven wrong
Click to expand...
Yeah, I agree I don't see him returning to his top seasons next year. I am just hoping that he can be a more productive second back than Gibson. So, I'm setting my bar and expectations at that level...
 
ffmail4me said:
I think it means one of two things, they are either moving Howell OR, he's their starter and Mariotta is the backup (since Brissett is gone) I REALLY hope this means Sam is the starter and they trade down. Someone will give up the farm for this 1.2 pick.
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Unless their scouting tells them that Maye and Daniels are both truly crapola, then they are gonna take QB at # 2. I'd bet my cow on it.

Now, I think if we were sitting there at pick 15, you may roll the dice with Sam another year and see what happens. Because you don't have the potential franchise QB staring you in the face at # 2.

But, new GM, new Coach, this pick is really important not only for the team but for their careers. They may not be picking in the top 5 again for many, many years. This may be their one chance to draft one of the first QBs off the board. In that context, I think the classic human behavior is going to be if you are gonna take a risk, you are going to risk it on Maye or Daniels, who the whole world is telling you is gonna be franchise players.

You are not going to risk it on Howell, who the entire league is saying that *maybe* they'd give you a fourth round pick for him but more likely a fifth.

Obviously, this goes out the window if scouting is telling you that Maye and Daniels are both crap. But short of that, they are going QB IMO. Not saying it's right or wrong...just a guess what they may do.
 
"Ever since Dan Quinn was named the head coach of the Commanders in the offseason, there was a feeling that a few Cowboys players might make their way east. So far, defensive end Dorance Armstrong and center Tyler Biadasz have decided to leave and join Quinn, now another Cowboys player is hopping on board.

Defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. plans on a reunion with Quinn."

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...quinn-washington-commanders-dorance-armstrong
 
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Ummm, are we starting to look good? Like if we draft a QB at 2 and OT in the second, are we looking at a positive win loss record this year and serious contention in 2025?

Because this feels like that right now.

I've had this team absolutely crush my hopes so many times that I had grown completely numb to off-season hope increases and yet, they're back right now and kinda strong.
 
(HULK) said:
Ummm, are we starting to look good? Like if we draft a QB at 2 and OT in the second, are we looking at a positive win loss record this year and serious contention in 2025?

Because this feels like that right now.

I've had this team absolutely crush my hopes so many times that I had grown completely numb to off-season hope increases and yet, they're back right now and kinda strong.
Click to expand...

It’s actually really easy to become a playoff team overnight if you 1) solve QB and 2) have draft picks, cap space, and a good front office. Emphasis on #1.

There’s really no reason they couldn’t snag a wildcard next season if they hit on QB at 2. Could even win the division.

If you do that for 2 or 3 off seasons, boom, you’re a Super Bowl contender.
 
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