Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
We’re taking an early look at the Philadelphia Eagles’ tight end position after OTAs and ahead of training camp
The Eagles have star power at every offensive position, and tight end is no different, with Dallas Goedert sitting on the brink of All-Pro status.
Still, Philadelphia loves to employ a ton of 12 personnel and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson will undoubtedly look for an upgrade in production at the No. 2 tight end spot.
With training camp fast approaching, here’s a training camp preview of the Eagles’ tight end position.
The team will hold a light workout and meetings before breaking for training camp.
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The Washington Commanders were docked two OTA practices this offseason for excessive contact during their 2022 OTAs. As a result, the Commanders headed into the final week of their offseason program with only one OTA practice away from breaking for training camp.
According to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, the Commanders will have no OTA on Tuesday. Instead, the team will hold a light workout and meetings before ending the offseason program.
Commanders won’t have an OTA day Tues. (would’ve been their last before the break). Coaches felt the offseason went well and was well-attended, and they didn’t want to risk further injury. Players will just have meetings and a light workout Tues. to cap their offseason program.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 12, 2023
Training camp begins on July 27.
Due to last offseason’s violations, the Commanders essentially lost a week of OTAs. While head coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio return, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is installing a new offense, and quarterback Sam Howell needs every rep he can get.
After losing tight end Armani Rogers on the first day of OTAs with an Achilles injury, you can understand Rivera not wanting to risk further injuries.
Washington’s OTAs, which are voluntary, were well attended. Only defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat, and left tackle Charles Leno Jr. did not attend. All three players were present for last week’s mandatory minicamp.
We’re previewing the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback position entering OTAs and the looming 2023 training camp
The Eagles 2023 NFL offseason is in full swing, and as Howie Roseman retools a roster that’ll look entirely different on defense, we’re previewing the quarterback position.
After two years of uncertainty, Jalen Hurts is the man in Philadelphia and the NFC after leading the franchise to its second Super Bowl appearance in the past five years.
An All-Pro and MVP Runner up, Hurts helped reset the market after signing a massive contract extension.
With the bulk of the offseason now complete and OTAs looming, we’re kicking off our Eagles 2023 training camp preview series by checking in on the quarterbacks.
One move gave the Commanders the edge over 31 other NFL teams.
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There has been much debate on if the Washington Commanders did enough this offseason to improve a roster that just missed the NFC playoffs in 2022. While much of the talk revolves around quarterback Sam Howell, it was Washington’s offensive line that needed the most work in 2023.
The Commanders added Andrew Wylie and Nick Gates in free agency to start. Additionally, Washington re-signed star defensive tackle Daron Payne to a four-year extension. In the draft, the Commanders added help in the secondary and more reinforcements on the offensive line, running back and edge rusher.
Most of those moves will help the Commanders. However, the biggest move Washington made will impact the franchise for years to come. And that move, according to Bill Barnwell of ESPN, is why the Commanders improved more than any other NFL team this offseason: The change in ownership from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris.
Let’s allow Barnwell to explain his reasoning:
What went right: Team owner Daniel Snyder entered an agreement to sell the franchise. What, you thought this was going to be about signing offensive lineman Andrew Wylie? You can make a reasonable case that no team made a more significant move to aid their chances of becoming a Super Bowl contender this offseason than the Commanders did by beginning to extricate themselves from their disastrous ownership group.
The difference is staggering. Washington went from being one of the league’s best teams to one of its worst. The pre-Snyder Commanders had more actual MVPs than the Snyder-era Commanders had of players who received a single MVP vote. They won more Super Bowls before Snyder than they did playoff games after he took over the team. One of those two victories came in 1999, the year he took over the franchise. The one playoff game the Commanders won after Snyder started to reinvent the franchise to his liking came in 2005, in a game in which quarterback Mark Brunell threw for 41 yards. Even in the most successful moment in the Snyder era, things weren’t pretty.
All of this is about what happened on the field. It doesn’t even begin to consider how the organization’s reputation was dragged through the mud by scandals involving inappropriate behavior toward the team’s cheerleaders. How the team’s stadium spewed fluids onto fans and its playing surface led to injuries. How the organization was forced to settle a lawsuit for allegedly defrauding its own season-ticket holders. How Snyder sneered at the idea of changing the team’s nickname until there was a real threat from sponsors. How the team used its PR department to attack the city it is supposed to represent.
The legacy of the Snyder era is just how great it is to be an NFL team owner. Snyder took over one of the most popular franchises and enjoyed virtually no success during his time in charge, and he will make billions of dollars for agreeing to move on.
Barnwell explained everything we’ve said since Snyder put the team up for sale in November. The Commanders have a chance to be a real NFL franchise once again with Snyder leaving. We’ve heard some 76ers fans complain about Harris. Let those fans spend 24 years under Snyder’s reign, and they’d appreciate Harris much more. By all accounts, Harris is an outstanding businessman, philanthropist and team owner, with many of the league’s top voices saying he’ll be a terrific owner.
There was no bigger acquisition Washington could’ve made this offseason than a new owner. Therefore, it’s a big win for the Commanders, and Barnwell is correct.
They say you can’t teach speed, but former Texas A&M RB De’Vone Achane is the expert on the matter. The former Aggie joined his Dolphins’ teammates at Tyreek Hill’s Football and Speed Camp.
They say you can’t teach speed, but we’ll leave it to a former Texas A&M running back as an expert on the matter.
De’Von Achane joined his new NFL teammates Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill at the latter’s Football and Speed Camp in Houston. Achane’s appearance also marks an unofficial homecoming for the Miami Dolphins‘ newest addition, as he attended Marshall High School in Fort Bend while playing AAU basketball with Waddle.
Waddle, who played for Alabama and was drafted with the sixth pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, grew up in Houston and attended Espisciol High School.
When given a moment to speak to reporters, Achane expressed his gratitude for Hill inviting him to join his camp as an instructor:
#Dolphins rookie Devon Achane @ffvmousvon_ veterans Tyreek Hill @cheetah and Jaylen Waddle at football camp @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/out9KNOl1R
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) May 27, 2023
One of the camp’s attendees asked the three Dolphins wideouts: “What’s the fastest they’ve run in MPH?”
Maybe Devon Achane wins the race?
A kid asked what’s the fastest they’ve ran in MPH.
Tyreek Hill: 24 MPH
Devon Achane: 26MPH (!)After hearing 26, Jaylen Waddle didn’t want to answer pic.twitter.com/26VlkVCemg
— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) May 27, 2023
Does Achane stand a chance of besting Hill in a one-on-one race? Either way, Waddle will gladly sit this one out and observe from the sidelines.
Since Achane was taken No. 84 overall by the Dolphins in the 2023 NFL Draft, there’s only been rave reviews and observations coming out of Miami’s offseason workouts. In light of his size and frame posing some concerns to NFL scouts, Achane has reportedly bulked up to 192 lbs this offseason, as he’s been able to take advantage of hitting the weights without a simultaneous commitment to the track team.
That’s on top of the latest reports that Achane has been turning heads in Dolphin’s OTAs. The former Aggies running back has been doing easy work in yards from scrimmage, highlighted by a growing rapport with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The Dolphins’ high-octane offense finished 11th in scoring last season (23.4 PPG), led by an innovative offense in which head coach Mike McDaniel routinely leveraged the versatile skillsets of Hill and Waddle.
Adding Achane to the mix only makes Miami more of a threat in the AFC next season, and based on the camaraderie the Dolphins’ rookie is building with his teammates, it’s clear their confidence in him is unrivaled.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee.
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With NFL teams working through their offseason workouts, former Texas A&M RB De’Avon Achane is emerging as a breakout candidate for the Miami Dolphins.
A former Texas A&M star turning heads at the pro football level? That doesn’t sounds surprising at all given the volume of talent the Maroon and White has sent to the NFL.
Travis Wingfield of miamidolphins.com tweeted on Tuesday that among the notable standouts from the Miami Dolphins‘ offseason workouts was running back De’Avon Achane. According to Winfield, the rookie, and former Aggie, was making easy work of yards from scrimmage as he noted Achane “was chewing up yardage.”
Among the highlight-worthy plays were a few explosive runs and passes, one off an Eric Saubert block and another on a deep ball from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Wingfield alluded to more than just these two plays that drew acclaim, but that he “lost count” given the sheer volume of plays made from Achane.
Achane might've been my practice player of the day. He was chewing up yardage. https://t.co/rU13Y9IKSt
— Travis Wingfield (@WingfieldNFL) May 23, 2023
Achane’s recent prowess in making plays after the catch is just the latest bit of positive news to come out of the Dolphins’ offseason workouts, which is an encouraging sign as the former Aggie transitions to face NFL-level competition.
Just a few weeks back, it was reported that Achane bulked up to 192 lbs (at the time of reporting) given he was able to take advantage of a full offseason to work out and add weight. Achane was listed at 5-9 and 188 lbs heading into the draft and didn’t have the luxury of a full offseason during college to gain weight because of his commitment to the track team.
While Achane’s 4.32 40-yard dash time had teams enamored with his speed, his relatively small size and frame is what likely factored in him being taken No. 84 overall to the Dolphins in the third round.
But now that he’s added on muscle, and with the coaching staff and observers alike raving about his ability to make defenses pay in the open field, Achane, and the Dolphins are clearly on track to make all 31 other NFL teams pay for their mistake in allowing the former Aggie to land in Miami, and in Mike McDaniel’s offensive system no less.
After supporting the Aggies on Saturday afternoons this season, be sure to dedicate your Sundays to watching Achane excel at the next level. And if you just so happen to dabble in fantasy football, take this latest report as an indication that Achane is more than well worth a roster spot on your team.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee.
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A good first impression for Sam Howell at OTAs.
There is a lot going on with the Washington Commanders right now. First, there is the team sale from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris. With the NFL owners meetings taking place this week in Minnesota, other owners and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell have spoken out regarding the Commanders’ sale.
There’s also defensive ends Chase Young, Montez Sweat and left tackle Charles Leno Jr. missing the first day of Washington’s OTAs Tuesday.
With all of that going on, it was easy to forget that the Commanders were on the field for OTAs Tuesday. While the media wasn’t present Tuesday, fortunately, Zach Selby of commanders.com was in attendance.
And in his practice report, one thing stood out: Quarterback Sam Howell.
Selby noted that, yes, while it is early, Howell’s accuracy is standing out.
Howell looked in command of the offense in the huddle and during plays, but his accuracy stuck out on several occasions. He only had four incompletions combined in both 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills: one was out of bounds targeting Brian Robinson, but the rest were drops. One of the more impressive passes was to Terry McLaurin with Benjamin St-Juste bearing down on him. Another highlight was a sideline toss to John Bates, who made the snag right before Jartavius Martin could break up the play.
Two things here: This is what you want to see. If there were nothing on Howell and the attention was focused on Jacoby Brissett, there would be questions.
Secondly, it is early and means nothing. But that doesn’t mean it’s not notable.
For all of the criticism Washington has faced for giving Howell an opportunity to start at quarterback in 2023, he needed a strong offseason. While Tuesday was just Day 1 of OTAs, it is the start that Howell needed. We’ll see if that carries over when the media watches and into the team’s mandatory minicamp next month.
A 28-year-old coming off a 9.5-sack season and a pair of prolific runners highlight the list of late-stage available veteran help.
The cupboard is mostly bare if you’re an NFL team looking for veteran help this summer. The typical free agent frenzy in March, followed by the low-simmer of pre-draft additions, has left a barren marketplace for teams in need of proven contributors.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t some good players still looking for jobs. Teams in need of an edge rusher can find a 28-year-old coming off a 9.5-sack season. Offenses in search of a powerhouse out of the backfield have their pick of former 1,000-yard rushers. And, since we can’t count him out after last year, a 45-year-old Tom Brady merely *says* he’s retired.
We’ll leave Brady off this list since he’s already doubled the length of his last retirement. Otherwise, these are the 12 best remaining players still looking for homes for the 2023 NFL season.
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Let’s run through every team’s flaw.
Almost all the NFL’s top free agents have been signed. The draft has come and gone. Barring trades and late preseason releases, anyone who is going to make a difference on a team’s run to Super Bowl 58 is already on their roster.
This doesn’t mean each franchise is complete; far from it. Every team in the NFL has remaining flaws opponents will look to exploit in order to gain an advantage. For 2023’s likely contenders, those flaws are pinholes in the mast of their boats. For rebuilding squads they could be the size of a Mercury Tracer, just waiting to drag their vessel to the bottom of the league’s ocean.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at each team’s remaining flaw — some significantly more concerning than others. We’ll run down each franchise in alphabetical order.
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Could Chase Young follow Daniel Jones’ path in 2023 and land a big contract after the Commanders declined his fifth-year option?
No one was surprised in 2022 when the New York Giants declined quarterback Daniel Jones’ fifth-year option for 2023. After four NFL seasons, Jones had already played for two head coaches and would be playing for his third head coach in 2022.
The Giants finally got it right when they hired Brian Daboll as head coach. It gave Jones stability, and Daboll schemed an offense around what his quarterback did best. Jones rewarded the Giants with his best NFL season, leading New York back to the playoffs and a trip to the NFC divisional round.
In the offseason, there was no bitterness from Jones’ camp. It was all business as the Giants handed Jones a new contract worth up to $160 million over four years.
It was undoubtedly a shocking number, but that’s the cost of doing business with NFL quarterbacks.
Shortly after the 2023 NFL draft, the deadline passed for NFL teams to pick up the fifth-year options on 2020 first-round picks. Surprisingly, several NFL teams declined fifth-year options on their 2020 first-rounders, with the most prominent name being the No. 2 overall pick that year — Chase Young of the Washington Commanders.
Young was the NFL defensive rookie of the year in 2020 but has just 1.5 sacks since. Much of that is due to a significant knee injury suffered in Nov. 2021. However, in the nine games before his injury that season, Young had only 1.5 sacks.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports recently named four players from Young’s draft class who could follow a similar path as Jones. Young was tops on his list:
This one isn’t rocket science, considering Young was the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and considered a nearly can’t-miss player coming out of Ohio State. He didn’t exactly “miss” with Washington, as much as simply having a promising start completely derailed by injuries. The questions for the Commanders are fairly simple. Can Young recapture the explosive ability that made him the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in the 2020 season? And if he can, how much more of the salary cap can the Commanders pour into their defensive line, which is already carrying substantial extensions for Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen (not to mention facing defensive end Montez Sweat’s contract expiring after 2023)? In a way, it might be a race of sorts for Young and Sweat. The Commanders can’t apply a franchise tag to both, so it’s very likely if they both have banner seasons in 2023, one will be heading to free agency and the other will be tagged in an effort to carve out an extension. Simply due to salary cap realities, it seems unlikely Washington would want to devote four mega contracts to four defensive linemen. Barring another hollow season, Young will have suitors. When his option was declined, one AFC general manager was already talking about how attractive it would be to add him in a reboot of their defensive line. He isn’t alone, and plenty of eyeballs will be on Young this season.
Young’s situation is unique. We wonder, if a new owner was already in place, would they have picked up that fifth-year option? Young still has superstar potential — on and off the field.
Robinson makes some excellent points. Washington was never going to pay all four first-round picks. The Commanders were likely planning to pay three, but most figured those three would be Allen, Sweat and Young. Payne’s career year last season changed everything for the better.
Sweat and Young — while close friends — will be competing to remain in Washington past next season. Regardless of which player remains with the Commanders beyond 2023, both will have multiple suitors.
