Daily Slop – 21 Apr 24: Only 4 days left until all the pre-draft chatter ends

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East and the NFL in general

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Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Jayden Daniels, Commanders

Instead of hosting each quarterback on their own individual visit, the Commanders invited Daniels, UNC’s Drake Maye, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. all at the same time. Based on reports that Daniels was caught off guard by this, they seemingly designed the group visit without informing the prospects that their competition would be in attendance.

Still, despite the surprise nature of the visit, it doesn’t seem like there are any hard feelings. Vacchiano reports that any issues have been settled, as the two sides have since spoken. Daniels hasn’t taken the issue personally, and the Commanders view the reported issue as “just noise” that won’t contribute to their eventual decision.

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Commanders Wire

Jayden Daniels reportedly believed Commanders visit was a one on one

What does this all mean?

Ultimately, it means nothing as the Commanders control the situation. If they want Daniels, they will select him. If not, they’ll choose Maye or McCarthy. There’s nothing wrong with Daniels thinking it would be a solo visit; the issue comes from his agent’s unprofessional actions, making this a much bigger deal than it actually was.

If Washington planned to take Daniels No. 2, nothing that occurred this week will change anything.

Daniels’ agent did him no favors this week, though, creating a bunch of unnecessary noise before the biggest week of his life.

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Riggo’s Rag

Curtis Samuel named among worst signings after Commanders departure

Samuel [was named] as one of free agency’s worst signings, especially given Buffalo’s departures. But again, he expects the organization to bring in a prolific pass-catcher with their first-round selection at No. 28 overall.

“It’s not that Curtis Samuel won’t produce or that he’s a bad player by any stretch of the imagination, but everything requires context. With both Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs now gone, it’s hard to believe GM Brandon Beane approached free agency with the mindset of just adding the parallel skill set of Samuel to pair with Khalil Shakir, two inside-out, smaller pass-catchers to be Josh Allen’s top targets.

“Again, I expect both Samuel and Shakir to do well this fall, but making a move for a legitimate ‘X’ wideout to add to the perimeter in say a Tee Higgins would have made sense for Buffalo. The departures of Diggs and Davis point all signs toward Buffalo prioritizing a pass-catcher on Day 1 of the draft.”

The Commanders seemed happy enough to let Samuel leave. This is something that became prevalent throughout the majority of Washington’s established veterans whose contracts had expired. He was a decent enough player when healthy, but Peters feels like there could be a better – and cheaper – option or two to bring in via the draft once other pressing priorities have been met beforehand.

Several wideouts will be taken in the first round. The Commanders have bigger plans with their opening selection at No. 2 overall, but this is a deep enough class to find players capable of generating targets immediately across Day 2 and early into Day 3.

As for Samuel, he needs to get on the same page with Josh Allen quickly. Even the most elite wide receiver prospects sometimes take time to adjust, so he needs to become a dynamic, reliable piece to Buffalo’s offensive puzzle under play-caller Joe Brady.

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Commanders Wire

Commanders showing interest in Virginia Tech defensive tackle

For the first time in a while, the Washington Commanders have no Virginia Tech players on their roster. This offseason, Washington released starting tight end Logan Thomas and allowed starting cornerback Kendall Fuller and kicker Joey Slye to depart via free agency.

No Virginia Tech players are expected to be selected in the first few rounds of the upcoming 2024 NFL draft. However, defensive tackle Norell Pollard has emerged as a candidate to be chosen sometime on Day 3 of the draft.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston, several teams, including Washington, met with Pollard throughout the pre-draft process.

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Podcasts & videos

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NFL Draft preview; Dane Brugler & “emoji-gate”

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Photos

PHOTOS | Offseason workouts, 04/18

Take a look at the top photos of the Washington Commanders going through Phase 2 of their offseason workout program.

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Blogging the Boys

The Tortured Fans Department: Cowboys keep refusing to do the simplest things

One of the toughest offseasons in recent memory keeps getting harder

The reality is that this team will field a talented roster in 2024 and will likely make the playoffs yet again. There will be some blowout wins here and there, and for a fortnight there will be all the optimism in the world in Cowboys Nation.

Beyond that, though? Hope for something to change come playoff time remains extremely low, and the Cowboys have set the deck in such a way that they could decide to blow it all up and start 2025 with a brand new coaching staff and a roster devoid of its biggest names and best players, adding even more pain to the prospect of another early playoff exit. Once again, Cowboys fans would be left wondering “how did it end?” and exclaiming “I hate it here.”

The added pressure of this season, all of which has been completely and totally engineered by the front office and their brazen inactivity and lack of urgency, has already turned into an albatross on the backs of each and every coach and player in Dallas. Just wait until the season actually begins, and that pressure will only ratchet up several notches.

So continues the struggle that has been the 2024 offseason for the Cowboys. While other teams are making aggressive moves to bolster their roster or extending star players without a knock-down, drag-out saga, the Cowboys are still doing the same thing they’ve been doing for several ring-less decades.

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Windy City Gridiron

Caleb Williams on leadership, his family, goal setting, grudges and more

This is a must-see video for Bears fans to get to know your future quarterback.

Soon-to-be Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams sat down for an interview with The Pivot Podcast from his residence in L.A., and he opened up candidly about various topics.

Former NFL players Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor spent over an hour getting to know Williams, and every possible topic you’d expect to be brought up was discussed. What drives him? The importance of setting goals. His family’s impact on his journey. His reaction when the Bears traded Justin Fields. His desire to play for one team for twenty years and chase Tom Brady’s records.

It’s a fascinating discussion that covers his entire football career from grade school to his eventual place on stage being announced as the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Pats Pulpit

Patriots draft preview: Deep offensive tackle class plays into New England’s hands

A look at some offensive tackle prospects the Patriots might have their eyes on in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Brandon Coleman (TCU): While not the tallest tackle prospect at 6-foot-4, Coleman has exceptional length and the effortless moving skills to become a factor from early in his career. Add his tackle/guard flexibility and you get a “just find a way to get him onto the field”-type of lineman. | Expected round: 2-3

Blake Fisher (Notre Dame): The Yin to Joe Alt’s Yang, Fisher started opposite the projected first-rounder the last two years. He has the frame and baseline athleticism to make the move to the left side if asked to do so, but might need some time to fully reach his potential. | Expected round: 3

Kiran Amegadjie (Yale): Amegadjie offers good size, but is far from a finished product. Not only is he coming off a season-ending quad tear suffered last October, he also has limited reps on his résumé and needs to continue refining his technique. | Expected round: 3

Roger Rosengarten (Washington): Rosengarten doesn’t offer ideal size, with his arm length, wingspan and hands all far below average for a tackle prospect. What he does bring to the table, though, is starter-caliber athleticism and a well-developed technical makeup. | Expected round: 3-4 | Draft profile

Christian Jones (Texas): Jones combines experience with good build and left/right flexibility. Will he become more than a third swing option? That remains to be seen, but teams will likely not be afraid to find out. | Expected round: 3-4

Javon Foster (Missouri): The foundation is there, Foster only needs more development before turning into a starter option. But even if he never does, he could provide plenty of value as a swing tackle. | Expected round: 4-5

Caedan Wallace (Penn State): All 40 of Wallace’s career starts came at right tackle, and asking him to move over and start at left tackle Day 1 would be a tall task. However, he could serve as a developmental third option with starter upside right out of the gate. | Expected round: 4-5

Frank Crum (Wyoming): Crum is not just an imposing figure at 6-foot-8, 313 pounds, but also an outstanding athlete and highly experienced player. While not a ready-made starter, he could turn into one — both on the left and the right — further down the line. | Expected round: 5-6

Ethan Driskell (Marshall): Like Crum, Driskell also is a towering developmental tackle — he measured over 6-foot-8 and 313 pounds at the Combine — who knows how to use his size to his advantage. He offers less versatility, though. | Expected round: 5-6

Walter Rouse (Oklahoma): A 56-game starter at left tackle for the Sooners, Rouse has prototypical size and length. While not a top-tier athlete, he offers plenty of NFL-caliber traits. | Expected round: 5-6

Travis Glover (Georgia State): Glover improved each year throughout his college career. If he can stay on that upwards trajectory, he could become a top swing tackle who can start no-questions-asked when needed too. | Expected round: 6-7 | Draft profile

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