Tag: Dwayne Haskins

Another season brings more quarterbacks for Commanders, McLaurin

Could 2024 be Terry McLaurin’s first winning season in the NFL?

Terry McLaurin is hoping to lead the Commanders in receiving for the sixth consecutive season.

McLaurin was drafted in the third round (76 overall) out of Ohio State in the 2019 NFL draft. On draft night, immediately, there was talk by analysts that McLaurin was a hard enough worker and a good enough athlete that he could make an immediate impact on special teams in his first NFL season.

In addition, Jay Gruden, the Redskins head coach, in his first press conference regarding the team drafting McLaurin, expressed, “He was the #1 special teams player on our board, but it’s really about what he is as a receiver.”

However, when the preseason began, head coach Jay Gruden mysteriously didn’t play McLaurin much at all. Was McLaurin injured? Why was he not getting reps to develop into an NFL receiver?

The season opener was in Philadelphia against the Eagles, and all of the Washington fan base quickly learned that this rookie was already making an impact, not on special teams but as the team’s No. 1 receiver.

In his first game, McLaurin not only started but also caught five passes for 125 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown. He continued to impress, finishing his rookie season of 14 games with 58 receptions for 919 yards (15.8), seven touchdowns, and 43 first downs.

Continuing to be the Commanders top receiver, McLaurin has totaled 1,118 receiving yards (2020), 1,053 (2021), 1,191 (2022) and 1,002 yards (2023).

Perhaps even more noteworthy are the quarterbacks who have played the position for Washington while McLaurin has been wearing the Burgundy and Gold: Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Colt McCoy, Alex Smith, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Garrett Gilbert, Carson Wentz, Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett.

McLaurin is not a youngster anymore. He has taken hundreds of NFL hits and will turn 29 in September. Washington will again have new coaches and quarterbacks for McLaurin this upcoming 2024 season.

The NFL is not a Disney make-believe movie. The new offensive system will need to be learned and performed under pressure. A struggling veteran (Marcus Mariota) and a rookie (Jayden Daniels) will need to be protected by a very unproven offensive line.

So yes, there are several questions about the 2024 offense, and Commanders fans are hoping, with McLaurin, that he will experience his first winning season in Washington.

 

Commanders land a tight end in 2019 redraft

Terry McLaurin, Montez Sweat go in the first round of 2019 NFL redraft, but not to Washington.

The Washington Commanders entered the 2019 NFL draft with the No. 15 overall pick. Jay Gruden was heading into a critical sixth season as head coach and badly needed to win.

Of course, Washington had no shot with Bruce Allen as general manager and Dan Snyder as owner. Still, Gruden needed a solid draft to give him any chance of lasting another entire season.

As the draft neared, rumors swirled that Snyder wanted Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Why? Because his son went to high school with him in Maryland. Still, no one believed Snyder would eventually overrule the scouts, primarily Kyle Smith, and pick Haskins.

He did. But to appease the football people, he allowed the team to move back into the first round and draft Mississippi State defensive end Montez Sweat.

In the third round, Washington stole Ohio State wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

That season was a disaster, though. Gruden was fired after an 0-5 start, and Allen was finally fired after the season. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out for Haskins, and he was released late in the 2020 season, while Sweat became a consistent performer on a solid (at times) defense.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently looked back at that draft and did a redraft. It looks much different for Washington. Sweat lands at No. 5 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and McLaurin goes No. 12 to the Green Bay Packers.

Washington’s pick is former Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson. The Detroit Lions initially selected Hockenson No. 8 overall and later traded him to the Minnesota Vikings, where he thrived.

In a redraft, Washington instead selects Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson, who was originally drafted eighth overall by the Lions.

The Commanders had a need for a quality tight end in 2019, as Jeremy Sprinkle went on to lead the position group with a mere 241 receiving yards and a touchdown that season. Washington did eventually find a capable tight end by signing Logan Thomas in 2020. However, Thomas was more good than great and had his fair share of injury issues in Washington.

The Commanders signed Zach Ertz this offseason, and Thomas has since made his way to San Francisco.

Hockenson has been a great tight end when healthy and has made the Pro Bowl in both Detroit and Minnesota. While he’s currently working his way back from ACL and MCL tears, the 26-year-old should still have a bright future ahead of him.

Adding Hockenson here would help stabilize a key position for the Commanders and allow them to come away from the draft with a playmaker despite missing out on Terry McLaurin.

Washington fans would be pleased with Hockenson, but they will never accept any circumstance in which McLaurin is not with the franchise. Fans haven’t had a lot to root for over the past five seasons, but McLaurin has been a consistently positive presence on and off the field.

It’s all hypothetical, but it’s a fun exercise nonetheless.

Is Commanders punter Tress Way giving his No. 5 to Jayden Daniels?

Could Jayden Daniels officially be wearing the No. 5 by the end of this week?

Tuesday morning, the airwaves in the DMV conveyed that the Commanders are releasing a video on Friday.

During the “Kevin Sheehan Show” on The Team 980, Sheehan and his producer, Denton Day, discussed the rumor that the Commanders are releasing a video on Friday. The video is said to consist of Tress Way and newly drafted quarterback Jayden Daniels. The logical conclusion is that the Commanders are about to issue Daniels his first Commanders jersey.

Daniels wore No. 5 at LSU, so it would not be surprising that the Heisman Trophy winner wishes to wear No. 5 during his NFL playing career as well.

Way earned the Washington punting job for the 2014 season and has maintained a strong hold on in each of the ten NFL seasons (2014-23). Way was issued the No. 5 jersey during his initial Washington season and has worn it all ten of his NFL seasons.

If Daniels were going to be issued a jersey other than No. 5, then why would Way be included in the video? Consequently, it appears Way has agreed to part with No. 5 after ten seasons, permitting Daniels to begin wearing No. 5 this 2024 season.

After all, in this case, we are talking about Tress Way. Way has demonstrated love to his fellow teammates, resulting in his being a true team leader. More importantly, Way has exhibited maturity in placing his NFL employment in proper perspective in his life.

The former Oklahoma Sooner recently declared during an interview with “Sports Spectrum” that making the Pro Bowl a second time did not necessarily fulfill his life. He talked of losing his life for Jesus’ sake and actually finding a truer significance in his life as a result.

Thus, it would not be a surprise to find Way gladly giving over his No. 5 jersey to the younger Daniels as a token of welcoming Daniels to the franchise and, more significantly, demonstrating a selfless love for his new teammate.

Commanders’ Rivera: ‘We’re going to stick with Sam’

Sam Howell will be the first QB to start every game under Rivera.

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera announced Wednesday that Sam Howell will be the starter Sunday against the Cowboys at FedEx Field.

The first question directed at Rivera was regarding who would start Sunday, and Rivera’s succinct reply was, “Yes, we are going to stick with Sam.”

When asked if it was due to his play last Sunday or Jacoby Brissett’s hamstring injury, Rivera responded, “Well, I think it’s a little bit of both. But I thought what Sam did, he did the things that we were hoping he would be able to do. He did some really good things. I thought he managed a couple of the drives very well, very nicely. I want to see him get an opportunity to finish it out.”

Rivera expressed that he thought early on Howell had been able to connect with Terry (McLaurin) and that was something he wanted to see, and that this Sunday gives them a chance again to do some more of that.

Rivera pointed out that Howell took his benching well during last week’s game preparation. “He handled it no differently than I thought he would. He’s a very solid young man, a very mentally tough guy, and I thought he handled it nicely”, expressed Rivera.

With this decision, it means it could most likely become the first season of Rivera’s four seasons where he was able to start the same quarterback all season that he desired to start in preseason.

Last season (2022), Carson Wentz was the starter for whom Rivera had traded in the offseason. Wentz started seven games last year, struggled at times and also suffered a broken finger on his passing hand against the Bears. Taylor Heinicke started nine games, with Howell starting the season finale against Dallas.

In 2021, Rivera made the decision to sign free-agent Ryan Fitzpatrick to be Washington’s starter. However, in the opening half of the opening game, Fitzpatrick badly injured a hip and was lost for the season. Heinicke then started the other 15 games.

In Rivera’s first season in Washington, he started Dwayne Haskins in the first six games, Kyle Allen received four starts, and Alex Smith made the other six starts. Heinicke then was the starter for the playoff game.

When they last met: Commanders and Jets

These teams last met in 2019 and it was ugly.

“When they last met” is an ongoing series during the NFL season, recalling the preceding game between Washington and the next opponent on the Commanders’ schedule.

NY Jets 34, Washington 17 – Week 11, November 17, 2019

Sam Darnold passed for four touchdown passes as the Jets easily defeated the Redskins 34-17 at FedEx Field.

This was one of the more embarrassing games of 2019 as the Jets actually led at one point 34-3 before two late Washington touchdowns made the final score closer than the actual game.

The game was so lopsided that the Jets actually outgained Washington 400-225 in total offensive yards. Darnold completed 19 of his 30 passing attempts for 293 yards, four touchdown passes and one interception. His day computed to a passer’s rating of 121.2.

On the other hand, Dwayne Haskins also completed 19 passes in his 35 passing attempts for 214 yards, two late touchdowns and one interception for a 79.9 passer rating.

The Jets rushing attack was led by Le’Veon Bell as he gained 59 yards in 18 carries and Bilal Powell rushed for 42 yards on 7 carries. The Washington running game was very anemic all day as Adrian Peterson could only generate 25 yards in his 9 carries, and likewise, Derrius Guice only accumulated 24 yards in his 7 carries.

Trailing 34-3 in the final quarter, Haskins connected with Guice on a 45-yard touchdown pass. Then, with only 1:11 remaining, Haskins found tight end Jeremy Sprinkle for a one-yard touchdown to conclude the scoring.

Questions at quarterback? First-time Ohio State starters in recent years have been outstanding.

It’s been quite amazing really with the level of production first-year quarterbacks have had at Ohio State recently. #GoBucks

There’s a big question mark for Ohio State entering the 2023 season, and it has everything to do with who will take the place of outgoing, two-time Heisman finalist, CJ Stroud.

So far, there’s not been an answer to that because, according to head coach Ryan Day and the coaching staff, both Kyle McCord and Devin Brown have been worthy of time under center, with neither separating himself. Now just a week away from the first game of 2023, it’s looking like both will get playing time and that this thing is going to go into the season.

At some point though, you have to think either Brown or McCord is going to be named the starter. Either way, it’s a year in which Ohio State is ushering in a new player at the most important position on the field.

A lot of the national media has tempered expectations for the Buckeyes because of the unknowns at quarterback, even though OSU is still inside the top five in most preseason polls and opinion rankings.

But hold the phone. Is a new quarterback really a problem at Ohio State, especially under Ryan Day? Believe it or not — and most Buckeye fans know this — first-year quarterbacks at Ohio State have not only been solid, but surprisingly out of this world.

We thought we’d take a look at some of first-year starers over the most recent of years, because it’s really been quite amazing the level of production those guys have had.

Colin Cowherd insensitively named the late Dwayne Haskins a QB who can’t win Super Bowl in 2023

This was so classless and offensive.

Just as Colin Cowherd whiffed on the fact that MLB teams can’t trade draft picks, the host completely struck out — and this time, it was worse.

During a recent episode of Cowherd’s radio show on FOX Sports 1, the host rattled off a segment about current NFL quarterbacks who can’t win Super Bowl 58 this February. At face value, it’s pretty standard fare for August, trying to fill the gaps between the dog days of summer and the NFL season.

There was just one major problem: Cowherd listed the late Dwayne Haskins, who died in April 2022 after a car tragically hit him. Even worse, at no point did Cowherd correct this error. He did, however, correct the list’s “can win a Super Bowl” typo. Because that’s apparently what was most important.

Otherwise, it was business as usual.

The Haskins error is by far the most egregious, but it’s not the only one on the list. For example, why does it feature guys like Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel, E.J. Manuel, Paxton Lynch, and Josh Rosen? None of those quarterbacks are still in the NFL. Some of them haven’t taken a snap in years. By the very definition, they can’t win the Super Bowl, and they’re not even worth discussing in this context in 2023.

It’s almost as if both the graphic and Cowherd’s entire segment were recycled, save for some new additions because he had nothing else interesting to talk about this time of year.

And that might be the most charitable interpretation.

Top five Ohio State quarterbacks of the last 10 years

Agree or disagree? What would your top five be?

We are starting a new series here at Buckeyes Wire. We are ranking the top Ohio State players at each position over the past 10 years. This includes the 2013 season, but no one who ended their Ohio State career earlier than that.

Up first: quarterbacks. It was a difficult ranking to make because the Buckeyes have been blessed with many star quarterbacks in recent memory. In fact, the top five quarterbacks on this list were in the top five in Heisman voting at least once in their career at Ohio State.

A case for any of these quarterbacks to be higher on the list can be made because everybody has different criteria. My criteria was to take into account what they accomplished with the team but focus primarily on the skills they brought to the table.

Now, let’s get to the list.

Minus ownership intrusion, Commanders’ Mayhew looks to freely draft

Mayhew and Ron Rivera are completely free to pick whoever they choose without owner interference in this week’s NFL draft.

The stories of the intrusions of Washington owner Daniel Snyder into the draft process for the NFL team are legendary…. and painful.

Last week, Commanders Wire reminded readers of the 2008 NFL draft via Vinny Cerrato’s appearance on the Grant & Danny Show. Snyder insisted Malcolm Kelly be a second-round choice instead of Cerrato’s spoken preference for Texas running back Jamaal Charles. Charles had a great career, Kelly caught zero touchdown passes, never recovering from a college injury to his knee.

The 2019 NFL draft is another painful memory for Washington fans of Mr. Snyder’s insistence on getting his way in the draft, though hired professionals that knew much better. Snyder declared to the personnel department the first-round choice (15th overall) would be Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins.

There have been reports that Kyle Smith who invested the most time of the department in scouting college prospects for the draft waited and waited and when no one else who outranked him would stand up to Snyder, Smith made his frustration known…and with much volume.

To make matters worse, Snyder or Bruce Allen worked a trade where Washington traded back up into the first round to draft Montez Sweat at No. 26. Sweat has produced, Haskins did not, and the trade for Sweat cost Washington dearly as the leadership agreed to give the Colts two second-round choices in return for that No. 26 selection in 2019.

Washington sent to Indianapolis the No. 46 selection in that 2019 draft. Compounding matters, Haskins was not ready to be an NFL quarterback, Washington only went 3-13 in 2019, and thus the Colts ended up getting Washington’s 2020 second-round pick which was the second pick in the round!

Washington could have simply selected Sweat at No. 15 or someone else they wanted, and they would have retained these two second-round choices. However, fans are only left to wonder how much of an impact those two second-round choices might have made in the last couple of seasons.

Mr. Snyder did not intrude into the draft last year (2022), and Martin Mayhew engineered trades back in the draft which brought Jahan Dotson, Brian Robinson Jr. and Sam Howell.

Mayhew has already mentioned he likes the possibility of trading back in NFL drafts. If only Washington had done this more often during Mr. Snyder’s years.

Jacoby Brissett and Commanders’ Ron Rivera hope the sixth time is the charm

Six is the number for Ron Rivera and Jacoby Brissett.

Jacoby Brissett becomes number six for Ron Rivera.

Most recently with the Cleveland Browns, Brissett becomes the sixth veteran quarterback that Ron Rivera’s Commanders have obtained since his arrival in January 2020.

Brissett is certainly no stranger to change and the need to be flexible and adapt. The 30-year-old from West Palm Beach, Florida, has made NFL stops with the Patriots, Colts, Dolphins, Browns and now the Commanders.

Even more, Brissett was under center for the University of Florida in 2011 and 2012 before transferring to North Carolina State from 2013-15. He was a third-round choice of the Patriots (No. 91 overall) in the 2016 NFL draft.

Rivera has had plenty of adapting to do himself since coming to Washington. The quarterback position has been a rotating door for him for much of his three seasons.

Upon arrival, Rivera inherited Dwayne Haskins and Alex Smith. The first trade he made as head coach was for Kyle Allen. In December, he obtained Taylor Heinicke to be the quarantine quarterback.

The third and fourth quarterbacks Rivera obtained were Ryan Fitzpatrick and Garrett Gilbert for the 2021 season; however, each played in only one game.

A year ago, Carson Wentz became the fifth veteran quarterback Rivera brought to Washington. After his trade from Indianapolis, Wentz started seven games, but the team only won two of those. He was released after the season.

In summary, the pairing of Rivera and Brissett is of a coach and a quarterback for whom change has been the only constant. Both must be hoping for some stability — and soon.