Daily Slop – 29 Mar 24: “It’s…befuddling how [Zaccheaus] didn’t earn more offensive playing time in Philly”

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Riggo’s Rag

Brian Kelly sets Commanders QB rumor mill ablaze with Jayden Daniels claim

A slip of the tongue, or something more?

Brian Kelly gaslights Commanders QB rumors

LSU head coach Brian Kelly did nothing to squash the rumor mill. He set it alight without even trying.

When discussing Daniels following the Tigers’ pro day, he was naturally complimentary of his former quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner. Kelly also seemed pretty convinced he was going to be the choice at No. 2 overall when it’s all said and done.

“He’s going to be so committed to taking care of himself. You’re not going to have to worry about size or whether he weighs enough. Lamar [Jackson]’s done a good job with his size. [Patrick] Mahomes, I wouldn’t consider him a giant. He’ll get the ball out to the playmakers and make plays, for Washington.”

– LSU head coach Brian Kelly

For Washington…

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Commanders Wire

Commanders sign WR Olamide Zaccheaus

Not only were the Commanders meeting with Drake Maye at the UNC pro day on Thursday, but they also signed wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus.

The former Virginia Cavalier was undrafted in 2019 but signed by the Falcons. During his four seasons with the Falcons (2019-2022), he started 23 games, contributing 94 receptions for 1,328 yards (14.1), 8 touchdowns, and 65 first downs. Here are some NFL highlights of Zaccheaus.

Zaccheaus’s signing with the Commanders might not be that much of a surprise, seeing as he spent the 2023 season with the Eagles. Brian Johnson, the Commanders’ passing game coordinator/assistant head coach, served as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator last season and must have developed a relationship with Zaccheaus.

Last season as an Eagle, Zaccheaus made one start and caught 10 passes for 164 yards (16.4), resulting in 2 touchdowns and 7 first downs. Following his 2022 season with the Falcons, he filed for free agency in March of 2023 and one month later signed with the Eagles.

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Commanders.com

Five things to know about Nick Allegretti

1. He was an all-state wrestler and dominant high school athlete.

The term “athlete” is mostly associated with skill players in the NFL, but Allegretti is proof that there are offensive linemen who go against that stigma.

Allegretti, ranked as the No. 11 high school center in the country by 247sports, was a stalwart for the Lincoln-Way East High School. Not only did he know how to finish plays — he did not allow a sack during his junior or senior seasons — but he also knew how to finish blocks. He had 125 pancake blocks in his career, highlighted by 56 in 2013.

Allegretti drew heaps of praise during his senior campaign, earning all-state Army All-American accolades as he helped his team reach the IHSA class 7A quarterfinals. Allegretti also wrapped up an impressive wrestling career, finishing with a 45-2 record and ranking third in class 3A.

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Burgundy & Gold Report

Malachi Corley “The YAC God” | Commanders NFL Draft

Malachi Corley

5’11” 215 lbs | WR | WKU

Proj Late 2nd-3rd Rd

Career (49 games)– 259 rec 3,035 yds and 29 TDs (11.7 avg)

‘23 (12 games)– 79 rec 984 yds and 11 TDs (12.5 avg)

In Corley’s 2022 season he played in 13 games and had his best statistical season while at WKU. He finished the year with 90 catches for 1,168 yards with 9 touchdowns with an average of 13.0 yards per recep

Corley made 1st Team All-Conference USA and was on the Biletnikoff Award Watch list.

As a senior the Campbellsville receiver was active in 11 games. He concluded the ‘23 season with 75 catches for 959 yards for 11 touchdowns (12.8 yards per catch) and a QB rating when targeted of 117.2.

Outlook

The Western Kentucky receiver clocked a 4.45 at his pro day, recorded a 4.08 second short shuttle time and benched an impressive 355 pounds.

The comparison to former Gamecocks and current 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel is warranted. Corley’s ability to break tackles and be used in a variety of ways gives offensive coordinators options and should lead to a seamless transition.

He’s certainly not at the level of Deebo, but either was Samuel when he came out of S.Carolina.

The Western Kentucky receiver put together impressive back-to-back seasons with over 2,200 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns during that span.

His recent pro-day impressed teams per reports and the Western Kentucky receiver could end up drafted earlier than expected.

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Podcasts & videos

From Ocean City bouncer to Commanders head coach, Dan Quinn ready to win

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NFC East links

Bleeding Green Nation

Olamide Zaccheaus is not returning to the Eagles

But he is staying in the NFC East.

OZ is reunited with former Eagles offensive coordinator and current Commanders assistant head coach/offensive pass game coordinator Brian Johnson.

Zaccheaus is also back together with Marcus Mariota, who he played with in Atlanta before coming to Philly. OZ overlapped with new Commanders head coach Dan Quinn on the Falcons from 2019-2020.

The Eagles seemingly signed OZ to compete with Quez Watkins for the third wide receiver role last year. OZ began the season as WR4, though, and never really climbed higher on the depth chart despite making the most of his limited opportunities. Whereas bad things happened whenever the Eagles targeted Quez, good things typically happened when OZ’s number was called.

Zaccheaus caught 10 of his 20 targets for 164 yards (16.4 average), two touchdowns, and zero drops. His two scores came in high-leverage situations:

In addition to these flashes, OZ was a player who did the dirty work. He contributed on special teams, logging 112 snaps there (25% of the team’s total). He caught a fake punt throw from Braden Mann late in the season against the Cowboys. OZ also did a good job of downfield blocking on some catch-and-run touchdown scores by DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. It’s a bit befuddling how he didn’t earn more offensive playing time in Philly.

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Articles

Front Office Sports

NFL’s Global Reach Expands: Four Teams, Five New Markets

• Only seven of the league’s 32 teams are not participating with 19 countries.
• The program started with 18 teams in eight countries.

Before the program’s inception in 2022, NFL teams were not allowed by league rules to market overseas, with the exception of the Jaguars in the U.K. The program started with 18 teams in eight countries.

New this year are the Giants with Germany; the Lions with rights to Austria, Canada, Germany, and Switzerland; the Colts with Austria and Germany; and the Browns with Nigeria, which is a new market.

The other four new markets are Japan and South Korea—claimed by the Rams, who also have China—and Argentina and Colombia, both claimed by the Dolphins.

There are now 10 teams with rights to Germany, which has hosted widely successful games over the last two years. That equals Mexico as the most in any market.

In addition to the new teams and markets, several clubs added existing markets to their portfolio:

• Rams: Have Australia, China, Mexico, and New Zealand, adding South Korea and Japan
• Dolphins: Have Brazil, Spain, and the U.K., expanding to Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico
• Patriots: Have Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, adding Brazil
• Jets: Have rights in the U.K., adding Ireland
• Steelers: Have Mexico and Ireland (both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland), expanding to Germany
• Seahawks: Have Canada, expanding to Austria, Germany, and Switzerland

The seven teams not in the global program are the Bengals, Bills, Chargers, Commanders, Packers, Ravens, and Titans.

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NFL.com

Seahawks QB Sam Howell confident in ability to play consistent, smarter football if ‘opportunity’ arises

The issues for Howell arose from hero-ball tendencies, as the former fifth-round pick’s 21 interceptions led the NFL by three. Rather than early on, while he was first adjusting to the speed of the game, the hiccups curiously took place largely down the stretch. After just one contest with multiple INTs in his first 10 games of the season — albeit the lone one was his biggest clunker overall, a four-INT embarrassment in Week 3 against the Bills — Howell tossed an interception in each of his final seven games, four of which included two or more picks.

His falling off derailed what at one point was a promising, declarative campaign.

“The interceptions, I’ve just got to do a better job,” Howell said. “There were some times where we were down in some games and I was just trying to be a little aggressive and at times maybe just tried to do a little too much, trying to give us a chance. But I’ve got to be smarter, got to play smarter football, got to play winning football. And at times I was doing it, so just doing it at a more consistent rate. And I feel confident about my ability to do that. It’s just a matter of if I get an opportunity, I’ve got to go out there and show it.”

Regardless of how the year transpired, Howell gets a fresh start on the opposite coast and shows an understanding of where he went wrong during his first foray as an NFL starter.

Still 23, there’s ample room for development. The QB came just shy of the 4,000-yard mark, throwing for 3,946, and his penchant for gutsy runs led to 263 yards and five scores on the ground.

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Deadspin

Report: Big bidding expected for NFL Christmas games

The league plans to auction off the TV rights to those two games to the highest bidder, with the price starting at $50 million per game, Front Office Sports reported Thursday.

In an unexpected move, the NFL decided to schedule a doubleheader on Christmas Day, which falls on a Wednesday in 2024. NFL executives pointed to the ratings the three Christmas games got in 2023; each were among the top 10 in ratings in the regular season, per the Wall Street Journal.

Because games on a Wednesday would not fall under any preexisting contract, the league will allow all its TV and streaming partners — CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN-ABC and Amazon Prime — to duke it out for the rights.

There have been only two NFL games played on a Wednesday since 1949. One was when the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants were moved off a Thursday to avoid conflicting with the 2012 Democratic National Convention. The other was when the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers were scheduled to play on Thanksgiving but the game was pushed back three times due to COVID-19.

This will be the fifth straight season the NFL has played on Christmas, encroaching on a sports day typically dominated by the NBA.

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