Tag: Commanders

3 teams talking to the Seahawks about trade-up scenarios

The Seahawks are in a good position to trade down in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Seahawks are in a good position to trade down in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. Currently slated to pick at No. 16 overall, they are likely outside the territory where they can land an elite quarterback prospect or a blue chip defensive piece. While there’s something to be said for taking the best lineman available when they’re on the clock the best use of that pick will most likely be moving down and adding more capital.

If they want to do that, they have options. According to Chad Forbes, three teams are discussing trade-up scenarios with Seattle: the Eagles, Packers and the Commanders.

Of these three, the most likely trade partner is the Commanders. The Seahawks have already done a deal with their front office this offseason when they traded for quarterback Sam Howell. Washington also has the most total draft capital by far of these three trade suitors.

One potential exception to the trade down scenario is the status of Washington quarterback Michael Penix, who thrived under offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb the last two seasons. If he’s still available at 16 then all bets are off and Seattle has to at least seriously consider picking him. If he’s not, then trading down is definitely the best move they can make.

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Saints have more Washington 2020 draft picks than the Commanders do

There are more players from Washington’s 2020 draft class in New Orleans than on the Commanders’ roster. But they outnumber the Saints’ own 2020 draft picks, too:

Don’t look now, but the New Orleans Saints have rostered more players from the Washington Commanders’ 2020 draft class than Washington themselves. There isn’t a single player that the Commanders picked in 2020 remaining in Washington. Two of them landed with the Saints this offseason: defensive end Chase Young (a first-round pick) and linebacker Khaleke Kudson (a fifth rounder). The Times-Picayune | Advocate’s Matthew Paras, a former Washington beat writer, first shared this observation.

But here’s the twist. There are more players from Washington’s 2020 draft class now suiting up for the Saints than New Orleans’ own 2020 draft haul. The Saints went into the 2020 draft talking up a quality-over-quantity approach, trading up three times and coming away with just four players: right guard Cesar Ruiz, linebacker Zack Baun, tight end Adam Trautman, and quarterback-turned-tight end Tommy Stevens.

That plan blew up in their face. The Saints cut Stevens early in the season after initially stashing him on their practice squad. They traded Trautman during the 2023 draft (to the Denver Broncos, reuniting him with Sean Payton). Baun left in free agency last month to sign a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. The only player remaining from that four-man band is Ruiz, who signed a contract extension last September.

So the Saints have two players from Washington’s 2020 draft class and just one of their own. That’s not the best of resources by either team. Regime change has already come for the Commanders (plus a change in ownership), and it might be on the way for New Orleans if the Saints miss the playoffs for the fourth year in a row and the third season with Dennis Allen as head coach. Hopefully they can turn things around, one way or another.

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New Orleans Saints sign another free agent linebacker

NFL Network reports the New Orleans Saints signed another free agent linebacker, adding Khaleke Hudson from the Washington Commanders:

Here’s more help at linebacker. The New Orleans Saints are signing free agent Khaleke Hudson from the Washington Commanders, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, who says it’s a one-year deal. Hudson played a lot of snaps on both defense (405) and special teams (344) last season, and he’s looking to build on that growth in 2024. He had 74 tackles in 2023.

A former fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft out of Michigan, Hudson is stepping into a good situation to compete. The Saints lost Zack Baun in free agency and have not re-signed special teams aces like Andrew Dowell, Ryan Connelly, or Ty Summers. Another one of their top backups, Nephi Sewell, isn’t expected to be ready in time for training camp after suffering a late-season ACL tear. Hudson has a good shot at making the team.

So the Saints will have Demario Davis starting at one spot and Pete Werner competing with Willie Gay next to him. Hudson enters the mix with Sewell, D’Marco Jackson, Anfernee Orji, and Monty Rice to round out the depth chart. Last year five linebackers made the 53-man roster and four more were kept on the practice squad, so we should expect more additions in the months ahead.

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Former Chiefs OL Nick Allegretti reveals reason for signing with Commanders

Former Kansas City #Chiefs guard Nick Allegretti revealed his reason for signing with the Washington #Commanders.

Nick Allegretti’s gritty performance, playing through injury in Super Bowl LVIII, earned him legendary status in Kansas City Chiefs history. Travis Kelce recently praised Allegretti’s work in the trenches and said he was one of his favorite teammates.

The Chiefs’ offensive line depth was changed early in the offseason when the veteran decided to use free agency to exit ahead of the new season. Allegretti spoke with the team website about his decision to sign a multiyear deal with the Washington Commanders.

“I have a ton of respect for the guys in Kansas City,” said Allegretti. “I enjoyed my role there, but I think I had gotten to the point in my career where I wanted to come and be a starter in Week 1. That’s my goal coming to Washington.”

The 27-year-old was selected by Kansas City in the seventh round, with the 216th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Allegretti had spent his entire career with the Chiefs, primarily as a reserve offensive lineman. He stepped in for injured All-Pro Joe Thuney at guard, and the offense barely missed a beat during the postseason on its way to another Lombardi trophy.

2024 projected win totals for each NFC East team

We’re looking at a ranking of all four NFC East teams including the Philadelphia Eagles by 2024 win total predictions

We’re about 40 days from the 2024 NFL schedule reveal, but the world and Eagles fans already know who their opponents will be.

The league uses multiple factors to determine the year’s game schedule.

There’s a cycle of inter-conference faceoffs; each NFC division rotates through each AFC division every four seasons and the other NFC divisions every three seasons.

In addition, where a team finishes within their division dictates a same-finish matchup with one team from the opposite conference and whichever divisions aren’t in the rotation for that season.

Philadelphia previously had one of the more difficult schedules over the past two years, but 2024 will see the Eagles among the top ten easiest schedules based on win-loss percentages from last year.

Offering an early glimpse into where the Eagles could finish this season, DraftKings revealed a 2024 win total prediction for all 32 teams, and Philadelphia landed at No. 6 on the list.

Here’s where all four NFC East teams are projected to land.

Mike Macdonald talks about competing against new QB Sam Howell

New head coach Mike Macdonald also has some experience competing against him.

The Seahawks made a surprise move a couple weeks ago, swapping picks with the Commanders and picking up quarterback Sam Howell. A fifth-round pick out of North Carolina in 2022, Howell was effectively red-shirted in his rookie season. Last year, he took over as Washington’s starter and posted a 4-13 record. Howell also threw as many interceptions as touchdowns (21) and took more sacks (65) than any other QB in the league.

However, Howell also showed oodles of potential – especially in a shootout with the Seahawks in Week 10. New head coach Mike Macdonald also has some experience competing against him, as last year the Ravens held some joint practices against the Commanders ahead of the preseason. Here’s what Macdonald said he learned from those sessions.

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Ranking all 32 NFL teams by projected win totals for 2024

Ranking all 32 teams by 2024 projected win totals

We’re looking at a ranking of all teams including the Philadelphia Eagles by 2024 win total predictions

We’re about 45 days from the 2024 NFL schedule reveal, but the world and Eagles fans already know who their opponents will be.

The league uses multiple factors to determine the year’s game schedule.

There’s a cycle of inter-conference faceoffs; each NFC division rotates through each AFC division every four seasons and the other NFC divisions every three seasons.

In addition, where a team finishes within their division dictates a same-finish matchup with one team from the opposite conference and whichever divisions aren’t in the rotation for that season.

Philadelphia previously had one of the more difficult schedules over the past two years, but 2024 will see the Eagles among the top ten easiest schedules based on win-loss percentages from last year.

Offering an early glimpse into where the Eagles could finish this season, DraftKings revealed a 2024 win total prediction for all 32 teams, and Philadelphia landed at No. 6 on the list.

Austin Ekeler on Chargers’ free agency interest: ‘There was a misalignment’

Austin Ekeler revealed more about his free agency process.

New Commanders running back Austin Ekeler revealed more about his free agency process on Meadowlark Media’s “God Bless Football” podcast. In his conversations with the Chargers, Ekeler said there was a “misalignment” between his vision and what the team had in mind.

The Chargers came to me and kinda told me what they were looking at in the running back position and it wasn’t what I can offer as a player. There was a misalignment. Yeah, they’re interested, but are you really? If all else fails, bring Austin back in type of thing? Because I don’t want to be in that scenario. If that’s your philosophy and what you’re telling me and I don’t fit that, I gotta look somewhere else.

With the switch to a new offense and a Greg Roman-based rushing attack, it seems like Ekeler is directly referencing the scheme’s more downhill nature compared to what he has played in for most of his career. The Chargers moved pretty quickly in free agency to sign Gus Edwards to a two-year contract.

Ekeler also said he was specifically looking for a team that had a No. 1 running back that he could complement. He compared Brian Robinson and himself in Washington’s backfield to what the Melvin Gordon-Ekeler tandem used to be with the Chargers.

Prior to signing with Washington, Ekeler mentioned that Baltimore and Green Bay had interest in him. The Raiders “went silent” on their interest after losing Josh Jacobs despite GM Tom Telesco being in charge, per Ekeler. Vegas eventually went on to sign Alexander Mattison.

It never seemed likely that Ekeler would be back after being injured last season and showing some signs of decline when he did return. The Kellen Moore scheme never fully fit what he did well in particular. The Roman run game, as mentioned earlier, is an even further departure from what Ekeler’s primary skillset is.

Ekeler also mentioned catching up with former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn as he’s now in Washington as the Commanders’ running back coach. Former Chargers cornerback Michael Davis also signed with Washington earlier this week.

Jaguars sign Commanders K Joey Slye to 1-year deal

After Brandon McManus joined the Commanders last week, the Jaguars are signing the kicker he replaced.

After losing their kicker to the Washington Commanders in free agency, the Jacksonville Jaguars are picking up the player he replaced. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Jaguars have signed former Commanders kicker Joey Slye to a one-year deal.

Slye, who turns 28 next month, began his career as an undrafted signee with the New York Giants and made stops with the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, and San Francisco 49ers before joining Washington in 2021.

In two seasons and change with the Commanders, Slye made 56 of his 66 field goals and 65 of his 73 extra point tries. During the 2023 season, Slye was 19 of 24 on field goals and 32 of 35 on extra points. Slye made three of his five attempts from 50-plus yards, including a 61-yarder he made in October.

Shortly after the tampering period of free agency began last week, the Jaguars struck a deal with Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz on a three-year deal. But before the end of the day, Lutz changed his mind and opted to stay in Denver.

Following the departure of McManus, the only kicker on the Jaguars’ roster was Riley Patterson, the team’s 2022 kicker who returned in February on a reserve/futures deal.

Terms of Slye’s contract haven’t yet been revealed, but it would factor into the NFL’s compensatory formula if it reaches a certain pay threshold — likely upwards of $3 million next year.

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Trade charts radically conflict on value of Sam Howell pick swap

That makes the trade much easier to swallow.

When the Sam Howell trade first went down last week, we got a sinking feeling when we read the Seahawks had effectively given up a third-round pick to get him, according to the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart.

However, a more modern pick valuation chart has a radically different take on the deal. According to the Fitzgerald-Spielberger chart, Seattle only gave Washington the equivalent of a seventh-round pick, No. 241 overall.

That makes the trade much easier to swallow. Howell has a lot of the same characteristics as Drew Lock, who performed well in backup duty behind Geno Smith last season. If the Seahawks really believe they can get Howell to cut down on his turnover-worthy plays they might get a potentially high-quality starter down the line. For now, Howell is still a largely unknown commodity.

Our take on the trade is that it’s fine in a vacuum, but if it stops the Seahawks from picking a quarterback in the upcoming draft then it’s not so good. There are a lot of ways to build a winning roster in the NFL, but finding a strong starting quarterback on a rookie contract is still the quickest path to being a contender.

Most likely the Howell deal means we won’t be seeing Seattle pick one of the top six quarterbacks in this class – including Washington’s Michael Penix. However, there’s still a chance they may roll the dice on one in Day 3. Our favorite developmental prospect is South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler, but there are many other options in this class that will likely still be available in Rounds 4-5.

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