Tag: DT Phidarian Mathis

Commanders make roster move for NFC championship game

Commanders make roster moves ahead of NFC title game.

It’s Saturday, and it’s time for the weekly Washington Commanders’ roster move.

This afternoon, the Commanders, having declared defensive tackle Daron Payne out against the Eagles due to an injured finger and knee, elevated DT Carl Davis to the active roster for Sunday’s NFC championship contest against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Payne played in all 17 regular-season games and the playoff wins over the Bucs and Lions. However, he was slowed by injuries, including a finger injury against the Bucs and an aggravating knee injury against the Lions.

Diehard Commanders fans will recall that Davis was brought up to the 53-man roster three times this season, appearing in three games (Titans, Saints, Eagles).

 

Davis, each time he was elevated previously to the roster, was taking the place of former second-round choice and Alabama Crimson Tide tackle Phidarian Mathis. The Commanders then released Mathis when fellow DT Jon Allen returned from his partially torn pectoral muscle.

The Commanders are also elevating to the active roster for the third consecutive game, CB Kevon Seymour. The previous two games meant CB Michael Davis, who had been signed as a free agent in March, was inactive. So look for this move again this week.

With Payne out against the Eagles, look for Davis to be active and get some reps at defensive tackle in a rotation involving Jon Allen, Johnny Newton, and Sheldon Day.

 

Commanders releasing Mathis further highlights Ron Rivera’s ineptitude

On Saturday, the Commanders released another high Ron Rivera draft pick.

Saturday brought another reminder of just how ineffective Ron Rivera was as an NFL general manager.

Commanders Wire wanted sincerely to give Rivera the benefit of the doubt often when it came to personnel moves while Dan Snyder was still the team’s owner. However, after some time, evidence showed Snyder was less active than he had been in previous seasons.

The Commanders’ release of DT Phidarian Mathis on Saturday was predictable. It was predictable not in isolation but because it marked yet another example of Ron Rivera’s utter futility as a general manager.

In his four seasons, Rivera not only failed to produce a winning record, but his free agent acquisitions and draft selections are glaring examples of his deficiencies as a talent evaluator and a team roster constructor.

Anyone following the Commanders knows that Mathis has been released. We all noticed that despite being healthy, Mathis has been declared “inactive” for the last three games.

Ask yourself, “How many Commanders fans even remember the name of the defensive tackle elevated from the practice squad in substitution for Mathis in the last three weeks?” I guarantee you 50 percent wouldn’t come up with the name Carl Davis.

Davis is a journeyman at age 32, and the Commanders still have not signed him to the active roster. Yet, GM Adam Peters and HC Dan Quinn chose him for three consecutive weeks over Mathis.

Mathis being released raises the question if a contender needing some defensive tackle depth will now sign Mathis to their active roster. If not, will the Commanders sign Mathis to their practice squad?

As the 2024 regular season winds down, Rivera made 33 draft selections in his four seasons (2020-23). Only G Sam Cosmi, RB Brian Robinson, and S Quan Martin are starters, and only ten are still on the active roster.

You think about that.

Commanders roster moves: Another high Ron Rivera draft pick released

Jonathan Allen is officially back. Another high draft pick is gone.

It’s Saturday, and the Washington Commanders have made a few roster moves.

First, they have activated Jonathan Allen from the injured reserve list. Allen partially tore a pectoral muscle back in a Week 6 contest against the Ravens and was expected to be out the remainder of the season.

Secondly, the Commanders have waived defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis. Washington drafted Mathis in the 2022 NFL draft (No. 47 overall).

Thirdly, the Commanders have elevated two players, cornerback Kevon Seymour and wide receiver Brycen Tremayne, from their practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s game against the Falcons.

Seymour was a sixth-round pick by the Buffalo Bills out of USC in 2016, appearing in 64 games, starting seven prior to being signed by Washington in September. However, the NFL recently suspended Seymour for six games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy.

Tremayne was undrafted out of Stanford and signed by Washington in 2023. He did not appear in a game in 2023 and was elevated once this season for the Browns game on October 6.

Allen is a welcome addition to the team, having been a defensive line anchor for eight seasons. Allen can now contribute to a team with a winning record for the first time in his career since joining Washington in the 2017 draft.

Sadly, Mathis is another reminder of how poorly former GM/HC Ron Rivera drafted. Mathis was immediately declared to be an example of Rivera again reaching in the draft because nearly all drafting services had Mathis to be drafted in rounds three or four.

Mathis had been a healthy scratch, made inactive in the last three games, while defensive tackle Carl Davis was elevated each game to play instead of Mathis.

 

Commanders’ Quinn expects more from the D-Line vs. Cardinals

The head coach expects more from his DL vs. Cardinals.

Though the Commanders’ offense is now rolling, the defense has been extremely disappointing through the first three games this season.

The defense has surrendered the second-highest yards per play in the NFL (6.6). Three teams have produced only one takeaway, and the Commanders are one of them. Only the Colts have given up more first downs (71) to Washington’s 70.

In scoring percentage defense, the Commanders are so bad that they are dead last in the NFL, permitting a score on 69 percent of the opponents’ possessions. How bad is it? Well, the Rams are second at 55 percent and the Jaguars third at 53 percent.

So, on Friday, a member of the press asked Dan Quinn, “What are you looking to see from the defensive line this week?”

“Number one, I have a lot of respect for (RB) James Connor,” opened Quinn. “He’s a factor. They have a good run game and the play passes that go off of it. So, being stout, being physical up front, that is going to be a key. Then finding ways on third down to making our presence felt, to when can get the individual rushes to go.”

Playing a mobile quarterback like Kyler (Murray) presents its own challenges. So, having the discipline from them to do that, will be front and center for us.”

Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Clelin Ferrell, Dorance Armstrong, and Dante Fowler have all really struggled. The Commanders need healthy substitutions from Johnny Newton, Phidarian Mathis, and Javontae Jean-Baptiste.

As Quinn was succinct and direct in his response, so too must the Commanders be direct in responding. Otherwise, Kyler Murray, James Conner, and the Cardinals’ offense will make Commanders Nation miserable on Sunday.

Commanders’ rookie DT Newton pushing hard to make NFL debut

The Commanders are hopeful about rookie DT Johnny Newton making his debut soon.

Johnny Newton, a defensive tackle out of Illinois, was drafted 36th overall by the Commanders last April and is apparently closer to playing.

Newton had to undergo surgery to repair a Jones fracture shortly after the Commanders drafted him. Head coach Dan Quinn was asked Wednesday regarding Newton’s rehab and return.

“When you are coming back from this, you may see him out today (Wednesday), but that’s to set up for tomorrow,” began Quinn. “So we pushed it hard with him conditioning yesterday (Tuesday). Hold today, but we wanted the padded day for him tomorrow then. So we are trending in the right way, much like we were talking about with Noah (Brown).”

The Commanders played four defensive tackles in the hot, muggy Tampa season opener. Of the defensive snaps, Jon Allen and Daron Payne both played 64% and 62%, respectively. They were given breathers by Phidarian Mathis and Sheldon Day, both seeing action on 36% of the defensive snaps.

The Commanders could use someone like Newton, inside making some penetration as Matt Ioannidis used to do, coming in to spell Allen and or Payne.

https://twitter.com/JPFinlayNBCS/status/1832840617342251025

“We’ll kind of have a better sense for when we get to Friday,” continued Quinn. “But he’s definitely trending in the right spot. So, we’re close for sure. But I’ll trust my eyes and make sure he is going through all the whole process to get ready. But he’s definitely pushing it hard to get into this mix.”

It’s not certain the Commanders would have five defensive tackles active Sunday in the home opener against the Giants. If the Commanders declare four again as active, and Newton is active for the first time, he would replace either Mathis or Day.

2024 NFL preview: How ready are the Commanders at defensive tackle?

Previewing the Commanders’ defensive tackle position in 2024.

“With the 36th pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Washington Commanders select Jer’Zhan Newton, defensive tackle, Illinois.”

Immediately, there was a surprise in the DMV. If Washington was going to select a tackle at No. 36 overall, certainly it would be an offensive tackle, correct? That’s true for teams when they panic and start drafting for need. But for Adam Peters, he saw the highest-rated player on his board still available, so defensive tackle it was.

A lot has changed since the second night of the draft. Everyone in the DMV who knows Newton refers to him as “Johnny.” In addition, Newton underwent foot surgery for a Jones fracture and, as a result, missed the preseason games.

The Commanders do return two of their better starters on the team: defensive tackles Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen. Ironically, the duo accumulated 53 tackles in 2023. Payne led in tackles for a loss 13-10, while Allen led in quarterback hits 19-11 and quarterback sacks 5.5-4.0.

Newton was drafted to provide these two needed rest during games and to become a starter in the future. Newton missed valuable reps and game action in the preseason. Yet, defensive tackle does not have the same learning curve as offensive tackle, where Brandon Coleman also missed the preseason games.

So, if healthy and ready, Newton could still supply some needed snaps in games early. How much of a factor Newton will be in his rookie season is completely up in the air. Not having played any in the preseason, the coaches’ expectations may already be descending.

His college film reveals that one of Newton’s issues at Illinois was keeping his lanes and overrunning some plays. Hopefully, he has been listening closely to Allen and Payne about what is expected of him when he begins getting game snaps.

John Ridgeway was traded to the Saints last week, while Phidarian Mathis apparently outplayed Ridgeway for a roster spot, making Ridgeway expendable. Mathis (age 26) has suffered injuries in each of his first two NFL seasons, accumulating only eight tackles thus far.

The Commanders also have two men on the practice squad who, if needed, would be called upon to help at defensive tackle: Haggai Ndubuisi, age 23 (6-6, 298), and Carlos Watkins, age 30 (6-3, 305). Ndubuisi is part of the International Pathway program, and Watkins, from Clemson, played for Dan Quinn in 2021 and 2022.

Second-half observations from Commanders vs Patriots’ preseason finale

Some observations from the second half of Washington’s preseason finale against the Patriots.

The Washington Commanders wrapped up the preseason with a 20-10 victory over the New England Patriots. Here are some observations from Sunday’s second half of the Commanders’ final preseason game.

  1. A play that illustrates how hard it is to evaluate a wide receiver: Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint clearly had his corner defender beaten deep. However, Trace McSorley badly underthrew him, forcing him to slow down. The defender caught up to him, and the pass was incomplete. Had the pass been better thrown, it would have been a 40-yard gain for Rosemy-Jacksaint. Later, Rosemy-Jacksaint made an adjustment to make a nice catch on a pass underthrown by McSorely.
  2. I don’t know if Phidarian Mathis is going to make the squad. However, he just batted down his second pass of the second half. Is the last tackle spot a battle between Mathis and John Ridgeway?
  3. Running back, Michael Wiley took an inside run, bounced it outside, and then displayed the ability to stay in bounds while diving to the pylon. Excellent footwork by Wiley for the 9-yard touchdown.
  4. When I was ready to declare Colson Yankoff the fourth tight end, Cole Turner made a very nice catch with his arms extended. It was clearly Turner’s best catch of the preseason. I have no idea how coaches are evaluating this battle. Last week, I noticed Yankoff really hustling on special teams.
  5. Another area where this is so deceptive is that a decent quarterback would have had a touchdown on three opportunities on this fourth-quarter drive alone. Joe Milton has no sense of touch or how to pass, though he has a huge arm. The Patriots had people wide open for touchdowns three times in that drive, and Milton could not deliver. On the other hand, Commanders’ coaches saw how badly those plays were being defended.
  6. But 34 players did not dress for the Commanders tonight. Martavis Bryant exhibited his size on Sunday night, making contact on the goalline and catching a touchdown pass from McSorley. It’s been since 2018 since he played in an actual NFL game. I have no idea what coaches are thinking here, other than maybe how thin they think the receiver room might actually be?

Logan Paulsen responds to Commanders trading Jahan Dotson

The former Washington TE offers some excellent insight into the trade.

Logan Paulsen is level-headed, reasonable, and really attempts to be fair when evaluating Commanders’ personnel, coaching, and management.

So, what did the former Redskins tight end have to say upon learning the Commanders had traded Jahan Dotson?

Paulsen chatted with Craig Hoffman (The Team 980) an hour following the trade. Here are some selected quotes from Paulsen.

“I wasn’t really surprised. I think a lot of people are surprised when I say that.”

“I like Jahan as a person. I like some of the stuff he does as a receiver. Obviously, I was very high on him coming out in the draft. However, when you watch him, compared to the rest of the receivers in the room, there just seems to be a lack of urgency at times.”

“When you look at his production through practice and through the games, is he really offering that much more than a guy like Luke McCaffrey, who you brought in? When you talk about Luke McCaffrey, one thing you will never say about him is that he’s not urgent. He is one of the most urgent and deliberate players I think I’ve seen as a rookie.”

“This is just my opinion, I haven’t talked to anybody in the building about this specifically. But it appeared to me that Jahan was not engaging with the new culture, the way the other players we just mentioned are and have done (Jamin Davis, Emmanuel Forbes, Phidarian Mathis, McCaffrey).”

“This is a tough thing because I think we all have become fans of Jahan. We all wanted to see him succeed. I was really high on him coming out. But I do think in terms of watching practice and watching the games, it didn’t seem like it was working out for whatever reason.”

Here is the video of the entire discussion.

Several Commanders defenders must stand out vs. Dolphins

Some defensive players who need to stand out against the Dolphins.

It’s not too complicated; who was the worst defense in the NFL last season?

For starters, the Commanders gave up the most in the entire league, surrendering 518 points.

If that is not enough, the Commanders surrendered 6,612 yards, and the closest to Washington was the Bengals, with 6,368. Imagine giving up 5.9 yards every play, and that’s just what the Commanders did, second only to the Bengals, who surrendered 6.0.

The passing defense was so bad that it gave up 4,447 passing yards (dead last) and 39 passing touchdowns, again, dead last.

Saturday against the Dolphins, some returning players are going to need to stand up and frankly show they want to make the 53-man roster. So, let’s start by looking up front at who needs to make a good impression.

Defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis was a second-round Ron Rivera selection (2022), and he needs some good tape soon. Returning ends KJ Henry and Andre Jones, chosen by Rivera in 2023, need to make some plays if they are to convince coaches not to replace them.

Not to be overlooked is defensive end Clelin Ferrell. He was not drafted by Rivera but signed by Adam Peters as a free agent. Amazingly, the Raiders selected him 4th overall in 2019. Yet, he only received a one-year deal from the Commanders that no one else was looking to better. Ferrell needs to show Dan Quinn and Peters he can play effectively, producing a pass rush on the edge.

Then there is Jamin Davis. He is going to see time again at defensive end. Davis made some nice plays against the run while also giving up a big run of 20 yards. He has also been working with assistant coach Ryan Kerrigan, attempting to learn and develop some pass-rushing moves.

Peters said he had a lot of work to do when he took the job, rebuilding the roster. It’s up to these players to step up and keep their jobs and their place in the NFL.

 

Which Commanders/Rivera draft choices are in danger?

Which Ron Rivera draft picks could be in danger of not making the 53-man roster?

With a new coaching staff, new general manager and plenty of new free agent additions, which Commanders draft choices made by Ron Rivera are in danger of not making the 53-man roster?

Rivera’s drafts have proven to be largely ineffective. So, why would the new administration feel any obligation to hang on to anyone from a 4-13 team?

From Rivera’s 2023 draft class, clearly, Braeden Daniels needs to be impactful, or he is gone. In the 2023 training camp, Daniels proved he was not ready for the NFL and was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list.

Defensive back Quan Martin and running back Chris Rodriguez were the two most promising rookies during the 2023 regular season. First-round selection cornerback Emmanuel Forbes struggled tremendously, and third-round choice C/G Ricky Stromberg was injured, only playing in four games. Defensive ends Andre Jones and K.J. Henry also need to have good camps, with Henry having flashed more in 2023.

From the 2022 class, only Jahan Dotson and Brian Robinson are safe, while Sam Howell has already been traded. With the drafting of defensive tackle Johnnie Newton, are both Phidarian Mathis and John Ridgeway sure to make the roster? Mathis was a second-round choice in 2022, while Ridgeway was claimed from Dallas. Mathis has battled injuries keeping him off of the field, while Ridgeway has flashed more often than Mathis.

Defensive backs Percy Butler and Christian Holmes have both performed well on special teams, while tight end Cole Turner and guard Chris Paul have not produced as well as Rivera had sometimes proclaimed they would in their two years.

Guard Sam Cosmi (2021) appears to have become the best of the Rivera draft choices (2020-23), and tight end John Bates might be safe at tight end. However, 2024 is a must-year for linebacker/edge Jamin Davis, receiver Dyami Brown, corner Benjamin St-Juste, safety Darrick Forrest and receiver/returner Dax Milne.

Eight players were drafted in 2020 by Rivera, but heading into training camp in 2024, not a single of those players are still with the team.

Plain and simple: Adam Peters and Dan Quinn don’t owe anything to the players drafted by Rivera. So, why would it surprise any of us if several of the above players are cut during this upcoming preseason?