Tag: 2024 nfl season

Ryan Kerrigan ‘very excited’ to be back with the Commanders and Dan Quinn

Ryan Kerrigan is excited to be back and loves the energy Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. have brought to the organization.

Ryan Kerrigan is a Washington legend. There was a lot of heartbreak and disappointment in Dan Snyder’s 24 years as Washington’s owner, but Kerrigan was one of the bright spots.

A first-round pick in 2011, Kerrigan spent 10 seasons in the burgundy and gold before Ron Rivera inexplicably allowed him to depart for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021. After one season with the Eagles, Kerrigan announced his retirement and quickly joined Rivera’s coaching staff ahead of the 2022 season.

While initially joining to see if he wanted a career in coaching, the Commanders fired former defensive line coach Sam Mills III and promoted Jeff Zgonina to replace him. Rivera promoted Kerrigan to replace Zgonina, and he’s been a full-time coach since.

Rivera was fired last month and replaced by Dan Quinn. Quinn spent the next few weeks putting together his coaching staff and retained four coaches from Rivera’s staff — Kerrigan was one of those coaches.

Kerrigan’s new title is Assistant Linebackers Coach/Pass Rush Specialist.

This week, Kerrigan spoke about returning under a new coaching staff.

“I’m very excited,” Kerrigan said. “Coach Quinn has brought a really good jolt of energy to the program, and I’m excited to get going with it.”

What about new defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr?

“Coach Whitt has been very energetic in our meetings,” he said. “Same with Coach Quinn, so we’re excited to get going and get the ball rolling.”

Kerrigan spoke about what was next for Washington’s new coaching staff: player evaluation. Having Kerrigan return is a bonus for Quinn and new GM Adam Peters because he’s been here and knows the roster well.

Kerrigan can offer his opinion on Washington’s current linebacker group and the defensive line. What does he think of young defensive ends K.J. Henry and Andre Jones Jr? Which free-agent defensive end should the Commanders bring back between Casey Toohill and James Smith-Williams?

While it was a difficult 2023 season, and the franchise needed change, it’s good to see Kerrigan back in the burgundy and gold.

Ranking every NFL team’s salary cap space from 1-32 with the Commanders at the top

The Commanders are in excellent shape, while the Bills and Saints have some work to do.

NFL free agency opens next month, and now teams know how much they can spend.

On Friday, the NFL revealed the 2024 salary cap would be $255.4 million — an increase of $30 million per NFL team from the 2023 season. It was the largest year-to-year increase for the salary cap since its inception in 1994.

This was good news for the Washington Commanders and new general manager Adam Peters. No NFL team has more cap space than Washington in 2024, and Friday’s news gives the Commanders even more room to bring in outside talent. The salary was projected at around $242 million.

Peters has stated Washington will be a draft-and-develop team, using free agency to supplement the roster. Still, with so many holes in the first year of a new regime, the Commanders could use free agency to improve quickly in 2024.

How much cap space does the rest of the NFC East have in 2024? Courtesy of Over the Cap, we’ve ranked every NFL team’s cap space from 1 to 32.

NFL sets 2024 salary cap at $255.4 million, Commanders gain nearly $13 million more than anticipated

Even more good news for Washington ahead of free agency.

Earlier this week, it was revealed the 2024 NFL salary cap would be higher than anticipated, perhaps closer to $250 million.

On Friday, just ahead of next week’s NFL combine in Indianapolis, the league revealed the 2024 salary cap — a significant jump.

The NFL set the 2024 cap at $255.4 million, a $30.6 million increase from 2023. It’s the most significant increase since the NFL introduced the salary cap in 1994.

No team enters free agency with more cap space than the Washington Commanders, and that number is now $87 million, according to Over the Cap. Washington has $75.2 million in effective cap space, a projection after the team signs its draft class and top 51 players.

Over the Cap and Spotrac had projected the 2024 salary cap to be around $242 million.

Why the increase? This is from the NFL, via Ian Rapoport.

The unprecedented $30M increase per club in this year’s Salary Cap is the result of the full repayment of all amounts advanced by the clubs and deferred by the players during the Covid pandemic as well as an extraordinary increase in media revenue for the 2024 season.

Adam Schefter released the following graphic showing the increase in the cap in each year since 1994.

Commanders are ‘poised to make major progress’ in 2024

Can the Commanders make a Texans-like leap in 2024?

Every year, the NFL has surprise teams. In 2023, it was the Houston Texans. With a third head coach in three seasons, the Texans finished 3-13-1 in 2022 and won the right to pick No. 2 overall in the 2023 NFL draft.

The Texans fired head coach Lovie Smith and hired 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to replace him. With the No. 2 pick, the Texans drafted Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and the rest was history.

Houston went 10-7 and won the AFC South and a wild-card game. Ryans narrowly missed being named the NFL coach of the year, and Stroud was named the NFL offensive rookie of the year.

There is hope the Washington Commanders can follow a similar blueprint in 2024.

Washington has a new GM (Adam Peters) and head coach (Dan Quinn) and has the No. 2 overall pick in 2024, which it will likely use on a potential franchise quarterback.

The Commanders have the most salary cap space in the NFL and hold five selections among the top 100 picks in the draft.

Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports recently named 10 teams that are positioned to make major progress in 2024. He was Washington at No. 2 behind Chicago — much like the NFL draft order.

With nearly $74 million in the coffers, most in the league, heading into free agency, no team will have more spending power – and that likely wouldn’t diminish much even if CB Kendall Fuller remains. But new GM Adam Peters and HC Dan Quinn should really be able to get their tenure off to a nice start in the draft, where the Commanders are slotted second overall – a spot almost sure to be ticketed for their latest crack at a franchise passer – and also have two picks in Rounds 2 (36th and 40th overall) and 3 following the midseason trades of DEs Montez Sweat and Chase Young.

Repeating Houston’s success seems almost impossible. While Washington should land an elite prospect under center, so much would need to go right for the Commanders to win the NFC East in Quinn’s first season.

Washington will be better in 2024. How much better? We shall see.

PFF believes the Commanders could shake up the NFL offseason with this move

The Commanders could shake up the entire offseason with this move.

One football publication Monday suggested the Washington Commanders should sign former Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Though the Commanders own the second overall selection in April’s NFL draft, and though the top three expected selections are quarterbacks, Pro Football Focus writer Sam Monson thinks Washington should pursue and sign Cousins.

Yes, Cousins is probably the top quarterback in the 2024 free-agent class. Yet, Cousins is rehabbing a torn Achilles tendon, and at age 35, that must be given serious weight.

Secondly, it is also true Washington has not posted a winning record since Cousins was the starter in the 2015 and 2016 seasons when Washington went 9-7 and 8-7-1.

Commanders’ new head coach, Dan Quinn, will want to win quickly, and who can blame him? Yet, he does have Kliff Kingsbury as his offensive coordinator to develop a young quarterback. If Washington makes a good selection and they coach him well, their next quarterback could be their guy for the next decade.

It is understandable that Kingsbury and Quinn might not want to start a rookie quarterback in 2024. Cousins would be tempting to get the Commanders back on track. Quinn might want to instruct a rookie quarterback for one season, yes. But does Quinn really want to draft a quarterback that high and sit him for three seasons behind Cousins?

If they are going to sign Cousins (hypothetically speaking), then why draft a quarterback with the second overall selection? They could trade down a few spots, select the best offensive tackle, and pick up a couple of extra draft choices, helping rebuild their roster.

Monson actually suggested the Commanders trade down six spots with the Falcons. Monson then utilized this scenario with the PFF Mock Draft Simulator.

Here is what transpired in Monson’s mock draft while implementing the trade. You will notice the Commanders also gained selections number 43 and 74.

Personally, I doubt Cousins would want to return to Washington, seeing how some were quite vocal in opposition to him, unable to accept the readily proven fact that Cousins was indeed a much better quarterback than Robert Griffin. Cousins has remained in the top half of the NFL’s starters, while Griffin proved unable to develop into an NFL passer.

2024 NFL offseason: Key dates and Ravens contract options that’ll free up millions in cap space

We’re looking at key dates and contract options that’ll free up millions in cap space for the Baltimore Ravens ahead of 2024 NFL free agency

With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror, the Ravens and 31 other NFL teams will start financially retooling to advance to the 2024-25 postseason.

Joel Corry of CBS Sports recently looked inside at key offseason dates starting with the first week of the 2024 league year, which begins March 13.

Some dates will free up cap space for Baltimore, while others will force GM Eric DeCosta to make hard decisions.

Here’s a look at the key dates and players impacted via Over The Cap. 

2024 NFL offseason: Key dates and Eagles contract options that’ll free up millions in cap space

We’re looking at key dates and contract options that’ll free up millions in cap space for the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of 2024 NFL free agency

With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror, the Eagles and 31 other NFL teams will start the process of financially retooling with the goal of advancing to the postseason.

Joel Corry of CBS Sports recently looked inside at key offseason dates starting with the first week of the 2024 league year, which begins March 13.

Some dates will free up cap space for Philadelphia, while other dates will force GM Howie Roseman to make some hard decisions.

Here’s a look at the key dates and players impacted via Over The Cap. 

Twitter reacts to Commanders’ DC Joe Whitt’s first press conference

New Commanders DC Joe Whitt Jr. had everyone fired up.

New Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. was introduced to the local media and fans on Thursday and it couldn’t have gone any better.

The veteran NFL assistant and first-time coordinator was honest, direct, passionate, energetic and grateful in his first meeting with the local media. Whitt described his philosophies, such as “the ball is life,” meaning his defense would be focused on turning the ball over as much as possible.

There was the moment when he said the Commanders will have a way of doing things, and if you can’t follow, then you probably won’t be around too long. Or, how about the moment where Whitt discussed winning streaks, losing streaks, and coaches working longer hours when their team was on a losing streak?

“So, when coaches started to stay later when we’ve lost two or three games, man, you were cheating us,” Whitt said. “Because if you thought that was going to give us a better chance of winning, you would’ve done it before we lost.”

Great stuff.

Whitt impressed everyone. We go to X — formerly Twitter — to see the reactions to Whitt’s first press conference with the Commanders.

Here is the Commanders’ coaching staff for 2024

Introducing Washington’s 2024 coaching staff.

The Washington Commanders appear close to having a full coaching staff. New head coach Dan Quinn has assembled an impressive coaching staff over the past two weeks, adding three more names on Wednesday.

Washington hired Anthony Lynn, the former Chargers head coach and current 49ers assistant head coach and running backs coach, to coach running backs and lead the running game. Additionally, the Commanders hired Tom Donatell (defensive backs) and Darryl Tapp (defensive line) to complete the staff.

From all indications, everyone around the NFL believes Quinn has hired an elite staff. Washington hired two former head coaches and three former coordinators (four, if you count special teams coach Larry Izzo). There were concerns about some positions, and the Commanders alleviated those concerns by layering them with another tremendous hire.

Washington returns four coaches from last season’s staff, including franchise legend Ryan Kerrigan.

Here is the Commanders’ 2024 coaching staff.

Note: We will add anyone Washington announces that isn’t on this list.

10 players who could have bigger roles for the Eagles in 2024

We’re looking at ten players on the Philadelphia Eagles roster who could have bigger roles in 2024

The 2024 NFL offseason is officially underway after the Chiefs’ 25-22 win over the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII from Las Vegas.

The league will take the next month to catch its breath, but the slowdown won’t last long, as potential free agents will face the franchise tag, and all 32 teams will head to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February.

With the Bears now on the clock, we’re looking at ten Philadelphia Eagles who see an increased role in 2024.