Baltimore Sports Today

Baltimore Sports News Continuously Updated

Daily Slop – 1 Apr 25 – Owners, meeting in Miami, may vote today to ban the ‘tush push’ play

by


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

Commanders links

Articles

Washington Post (paywall)

Commanders hold preliminary talks on new deal for Terry McLaurin

Washington GM Adam Peters has high expectations for additions Deebo Samuel, Laremy Tunsil and Javon Kinlaw.

McLaurin’s current deal — which is worth just $2.8 million guaranteed but as much as $19.65 million including bonuses — ranks 16th among NFL wide receivers in average annual value, according to Over the Cap. He reasserted his status as one of the best wideouts in the league last year with Jayden Daniels at quarterback, finishing with 82 catches, 1,096 yards and a franchise-record 13 touchdown receptions. His receiving scores were second most in the league.

If McLaurin and the Commanders can’t reach a new deal or make significant progress by May, he could decline to participate in voluntary workouts, as he did in 2022. That June, he agreed to a three-year contract worth more than $70 million, including incentives.

The Athletic (paywall)

Washington GM Adam Peters has long-term plans for Terry McLaurin: ‘He’s a great Commander’

The two sides have not discussed specific extension numbers, according to a league source close to the situation, but finalizing terms is the common goal. Somewhere between Metcalf and Higgins may become the starting point. Peters declined to say whether agreeing to terms by the start of the regular season or another calendar marker is the goal. McLaurin held out during offseason workouts in 2022 before signing the extension.

“We’ve had talks with Terry’s representation,” Peters said, “and I think just like any talks, those (details) will stay in the house, but it’s been really positive.

Commanders.com

Mock Draft Monday | James Pearce Jr. could have tools to elevate Commanders’ pass rush

This week, Sports Illustrated’s Daniel Flick has the Commanders adding a fast, disruptive SEC pass-rusher to their defense.

James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee

No one can accuse Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. of not having enough self-confidence.

There are a bevy of talented edge prospects in this year’s draft class — so many that several draft analysts are claiming that it could be the deepest group in years — but Pearce believes he stands out among the rest, saying at his pro day that he’s determined to show that he’s “the best edge…defender in this draft.”

It’s true that Pearce wasn’t quite as successful in 2024 as he was in the previous season, when he tied for the SEC lead with 9.5 sacks to go with two forced fumbles and a 52-yard defensive touchdown. What he did was still enough to get First Team All-SEC honors from coaches for recording 7.5 sacks, including at least a half-sack in six consecutive games.

Pearce’s main criticism throughout the draft process has been his lack of NFL size in certain parts of his frame. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein describes Pearce as “long but narrow through his hips” and suggests that he’ll need to add more mass and play strength to maximize his talents and develop against the run — something the Commanders are also looking to fortify this offseason.

Still, Pearce has shown that his athleticism can be enough to work around those limitations. He received a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.35 out of 10 for his combine performance, ranking him 118 out of 1,802 defensive ends who received an RAS over the last 38 years.

NFL.com

NFL schedule: Bears-Commanders, Eagles-Chiefs among top 10 revenge games in 2025

Eagles – Commanders

This has always been a spirited rivalry, but the stakes were raised last year when the Commanders made a surprise run to the NFC title game behind Jayden Daniels — only to fall to Philly in a 55-23 laugher. I’m sure every team in the NFC East still wants to beat Dallas desperately, even with the Cowboys coming off a 7-10 record. But you know Dan Quinn is going to have his team ready for both matchups in this series, especially after Washington’s Eagles-esque moves to beef up in the trenches this offseason.

Bears @ Commanders

Some might argue the Commanders’ run to the NFC Championship Game was the result of a butterfly effect that can be traced to Week 8 — when they won on a Hail Mary after Chicago CB Tyrique Stevenson chose to engage with the Washington fans instead of covering his man. The Commanders went to the playoffs, while the Bears lost nine more consecutive games and fired their coach. This will also be the second career meeting between former No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and former No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels, with each fanbase claiming their quarterback is the best of the 2024 NFL Draft. Only this time, Daniels is an Offensive Rookie of the Year winner with a souped-up supporting cast, while Williams will have an O-line and offensive scheme built to help him reach his potential.

Commanders.com

Commanders granted international marketing rights in the United Arab Emirates through NFL’s Global Markets Program

“The Washington Commanders are excited to join the NFL’s Global Markets Program and become one of the first teams to expand our marketing and fan engagement efforts into the UAE, an increasingly influential financial, economic and sports hub,” said Josh Harris, Managing Partner, Washington Commanders. “This season, our fan base returned with passion, and we were reminded of the power of sports to galvanize and unite our community. Whether in the DMV or around the world, we always strive to create unforgettable experiences and memories for our fans, and look forward to being amongst the first to bring the passion and joy of NFL football to the UAE.”

Launched in 2022, the Global Markets Program awards NFL clubs international marketing rights to build brand awareness and fandom beyond the U.S., through fan engagement, events, commercial opportunities and NFL Flag development.

In total, 29 clubs will participate in the program across 21 international markets — up from 25 clubs across 19 markets in 2024 — as the NFL continues to prioritize global growth and connecting with more fans across markets around the world.

Podcasts & videos

NFC East links

NFL.com

Eagles GM Howie Roseman explains C.J. Gardner-Johnson trade

“Every dollar that you spend is a dollar less that you can spend on some of these younger players that maybe you want to retain,” Roseman said via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Getting out in front of it was important to us. And again, hard decisions. Not asking anyone to agree with them, but that’s part of our job.”

The Eagles shipped Gardner-Johnson to Houston in exchange for beleaguered guard Kenyon Green and a late-round pick swap in 2026. The deal gave Philly financial flexibility now instead of kicking the can down the road.

The starting safety was one of several players Philly lost this offseason, watching Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, and Mekhi Becton sign bigger deals elsewhere in free agency. Philly prioritized keeping linebacker Zack Baun and extending Saquon Barkley and Lane Johnson.

“Well, I think if you’re just taking the C.J. move in a vacuum, obviously, it’s kind of not giving the whole perspective of where we’re at,” Roseman said. “Chauncey did a great job for us in both the years that he was with us, obviously making the Super Bowl twice in two years with him as our starting safety. When you look at our team and you look at the amount of highly paid players who have earned their contracts — we’ve got eight guys who are making $15 million or more. We have, from 2022 to 2024 drafts, we have eight starters who are on the Super Bowl team. None of those guys have long-term contracts. In those drafts, we probably have five or six players that will be competing for starting jobs. So you have a lot of players coming through that aren’t under long-term contracts plus a lot of guys who are on long-term contracts and we never want to be in a situation where we have one year where we’re getting rid of 20 guys.

Big Blue View

New York Giants Evan Neal ‘open’ to idea of playing guard

Former No. 7 overall pick has [previously] been resistant to the idea

Evan Neal is “open” to the idea of playing guard, New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen told media on Monday at the NFL owner’s meetings.

The 2022 No. 7 overall pick has failed in three NFL seasons to establish himself as a reliable right tackle, the position Schoen drafted him to play.

There was speculation last season that the Giants might move Neal to guard with Jermaine Eluemunor paying well at right tackle. When Neal recovered from offseason ankle surgery, though, he remained at right tackle.

Near the end of the 2023 season Neal bristled at the idea of playing guard.

“As soon as I stepped out of the womb, I stepped out an offensive tackle. And that’s how I feel,” Neal said at the time.

Perhaps realizing that the Giants may have closed the door on the possibility of him being a starting tackle, along with the fact that he is entering the final year of his rookie contract, has helped Neal see the value in a potential switch to guard.

NFL league links

Articles

Front Office Sports

Sources: NFL ‘Virtual Lock’ to Opt Out of Media-Rights Deals

The NFL is already the most popular programming in all of U.S. television, and an early opt-out from its current media rights would allow the pursuit of even greater riches.

The NFL’s current rights deals with Amazon, CBS, ESPN, Fox, and NBC run through the 2033 season, but the league has opt-out provisions with most of them that allow it to exit instead after the 2029 season, and do so with ESPN a year later. Before Super Bowl LIX last month, commissioner Roger Goodell said the opt-outs were “incredibly valuable,” and that their deals are “undervalued” given the NFL’s status as by far the most popular programming in all of U.S. television, regardless of genre.

Sources said the opt-outs have become a virtual lock, even if NFL EVP and chief media and business officer Brian Rolapp isn’t confirming it.

Getting Flexible on Flexing

NFL team owners, meanwhile, approved an extension of flexible scheduling rules to allow Sunday games to be moved to Amazon’s Thursday Night Football on a permanent basis with 21 days’ notice.

Previously, the shifts were available with 28 days’ notice, but the reduced window gives the league additional time to optimize broadcast placements. It also further highlights the Amazon showcase as the streaming property continues to draw audiences more like its linear counterparts. Other standard rules around flexible scheduling will continue to apply, and league officials promised a careful application of the more liberalized approach.

The league also acknowledged that a shift from a Sunday afternoon game to Thursday is far more disruptive, particularly for attending fans, than simply going from Sunday afternoon to prime time on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

“We’re going to be very judicious when and how we do this, but in those instances where it arises, it’s very valuable to us,” said NFL Media EVP and COO Hans Schroeder.

Discussion topics

Washington Post (paywall)

Potential tush push ban debated as NFL league meeting gets underway

The proposal, made by the Green Bay Packers, would “prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap.” Such an action would result in a 10-yard penalty for illegally assisting the runner. The proposal says it is being made for player safety and pace of play.

A vote could come Tuesday.

“The first time I saw it, I couldn’t believe that it was legal because it was illegal on the field goal,” Tomlin said Monday of the quarterback push play. “That being said, you hate to be against it because when people are innovative, you want to respect that. And so there’s certainly been some teams that have been more innovative than the rest of us in that regard. And you hate to penalize them for it. But again, we got into the discussion on the field goal block because of player safety. And so that still remains … a component of the discussion.”

The injury considerations are not clear cut. League health and safety officials have said they have injury-related concerns about the play, given that it puts the quarterback in the middle of players on both teams applying tremendous force to attempt to move him in one direction or the other. But they also have said that because the play is rarely used, there is no injury data that would necessitate a ban.

It generally is difficult for any proposal to get 24 votes, particularly a measure that is put forth by a team rather than by the competition committee. Only eight teams would need to join the Eagles in voting against the proposal to keep the play legal. Even so, a person familiar with the voting dynamics said Sunday, “It has a chance.”

Washington Post (paywall)

The tush push is brutal and boring. Ban it before it’s too late.

It’s duller than cataracts, duller than home insurance, duller than Ed Sheeran and all the other tediums that creep unbidden into your life. It should be banned, not just for dulling goal line drama to death but also for ushering in a dangerous trend.

The play works, unfortunately; the Philadelphia Eagles have a better than 84 percent success rate with it, as do the Buffalo Bills, which means every team in the NFL soon will adopt it if it is not banned, which means ever more dullness, in addition to probable neck injuries. That would make the league duller than people who recount their dreams at dinner parties, duller than half-zip sweaters, duller than mugs. Until someone gets seriously hurt, at which point the NFL will have drama restored but not the kind it wants.

The NFL rules committee has two priorities: protect the players and protect the quality and balance of the game. The tush push threatens both. The entire evolution of football is about banning plays that make the game dull and/or dangerous; it’s why the wedge was done away with 120 years ago. Would a ban penalize the Eagles for perfecting the play? Sure, and deservedly so, for perpetuating such unimaginative boringness and for borrowing a play from the 1890s, an era in which football regularly killed and paralyzed people, one that has all the innovating quality of a foot-powered sewing machine in a sweatshop.

Pop Warner and his Carlisle Indian School teams probably did more to shape the modern game than any team in history, by always capitalizing on something that was not in the rule book and scandalizing Walter Camp until Yale, Harvard and Princeton passed a rule against them. Every time Carlisle made up a great trick play that embarrassed an Ivy, it got banned. Hence, when Carlisle’s great end Albert Exendine was pushed out of bounds on a receiving route and had the notion to race behind the bench and come back on the field near the goal line to catch a touchdown pass, such tactics were banned. When a Carlisle quarterback hid the ball under his sweater and ran for a touchdown — banned. When the Indians sewed leather patches on their sweaters to look like footballs to hide handoffs — banned.

[T]he NFL is a copycat league in which rivals adopt good innovations swiftly, and if they haven’t adopted this one, it’s because they don’t like or trust it. For one thing, it could ruin a quarterback, who is asked to launch himself, propelled by two men behind him, headfirst into the helmets of much larger defensive linemen. If you were Jayden Daniels’s coach, would you run it?

All aTwitter