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Daily Slop – 10 Apr 25 – Long-time Washington trainer Al Bellamy honored with prestigious honorary league award

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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

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Articles

NFL.com

2025 NFL Draft: One burning question for each NFC team before Round 1 begins

BURNING QUESTION: What kind of payday is Terry McLaurin looking at?

McLaurin is entering the final year of a three-year deal he signed in 2022, and there are many reasons why he should be looking for a raise in his extension talks with Washington. For one, he’s the favorite target of star quarterback Jayden Daniels. McLaurin finished 2024 with 82 receptions, 1,096 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns, helping Daniels claim Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He also appears to be a stand-up guy who brings valuable leadership to a team that went from being a bottom-feeder to playing in the NFC Championship Game. Even though McLaurin turns 30 in September, he’s still a productive player at a position where top-end talent is paid between $30 million to $40 million annually. The Commanders have cap space, and they’ve been spending plenty lately. McLaurin shouldn’t be paid at the top of the market, given his age, but he certainly deserves a hefty bump from his current annual average salary of $23.2 million.

Commanders.com

10 draft prospects for Commanders fans to watch in 4th round

The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect those of the team.

Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State: Burke was a four-year starter for Ohio State and was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection with a team-tying two interceptions in 2024. He excels at run support and has a good feel for zone coverage.

RJ Harvey, RB, UCF: Although there are several viable options at running back this year, teams will be hard-pressed to find a player who scored as much as Harvey. He had 38 rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons and back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He’s also averaged over six yards per carry since 2022.

Kyle Williams, WR, Washington State: Williams is small but knows how to make plays, as he had 14 touchdowns for the Cougars last year. He also had one of the fastest 10-yard splits at the combine, so he can get separation quickly for explosive plays, which somewhat makes up for his limited route tree.

Kyle Kennard, EDGE, South Carolina: Kennard moved up a step by transferring from Georgia Tech to South Carolina and had his best season yet with 11.5 sacks. He’s another developmental project with high upside if he gets with the right coaching staff.

Ed Block Courage Award Foundation

Honorary Ed Block Award: 2024 Co-Winners – Al Bellamy & Joe O’Pella

Since 2021, the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation has recognized members within the NFL community for their courage and inspiration.

Their story is featured during the Ed Block Courage Award events, culminating in receiving the same Courage Award trophy presented annually to the NFL players. In 2024, two members of PFATS (Professional Football Athletic Trainer’s Society) were selected for their determination through in-season serious medical issues.

Washington Commanders Head Athletic Trainer, Al Bellamy, served the franchise starting in 1998-2001 (winning a Super Bowl in 1991) as an assistant before returning in 2022. He was nominated for the Honorary Ed Block Courage Award by Head Coach, Dan Quinn, after receiving a cancer diagnosis in early 2024, which would lead to a year-long battle. Through multiple surgeries, treatments, trials and tribulations, Bellamy continued to work tirelessly to help the team find success. He worked throughout the rigors of training camp, eventually being hospitalized for several days due to unforeseen complications. His dedication and commitment to the Washington Commanders was evident, as the team is proud to honor him with this award for his perseverance in the face of the harshest battle.

The admiration by members across both organizations and their resolve to support the team even through the toughest challenges make them ideal candidates to be recognized as a 2024 Honorary Ed Block Awardees.

PAST HONORARY ED BLOCK AWARDEE

  • 2023 – OJ and Chanda Brigance
  • 2022 – Brandon “Poe” Williams
  • 2021 – Wade Harman
Sports Illustrated

Gabriel to the Commanders?

ESPN writer Ben Solak believes Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who holds the FBS record for most touchdown passes, could be a fit for the Commanders in undrafted free agency.

“Gabriel leaves college as one of the most productive passers in NCAA history, but he does not project as an NFL passer,” Solak writes. “He’s 5-11 and does not have the movement traits or arm talent of Bryce Young or Kyler Murray. Gabriel has a quick release and fast eyes, so he could work in college-inspired offenses like those in Washington (Kliff Kingsbury) or potentially Las Vegas (Chip Kelly).”

Gabriel would also get a chance to learn from Marcus Mariota, who both went to Hawaii and attended the University of Oregon, so that further connects the two sides to a deal.

Podcasts & videos

NFC East links

Blogging the Boys

Cowboys free agency: Dallas will sign OL Saahdiq Charles to a 1-year deal

After working out offensive lineman Saahdiq Charles a few days ago, the Cowboys will sign him to a one-year contract.

Charles is coming out of retirement after leaving the game last year during training camp with the Tennessee Titans. He was originally a fourth-round pick by Washington. He started 18 games for the team, and participated in 35 games during his four years with the franchise. He signed with the Titans in free agency last year, and was even given a starting guard designation, but he abruptly retired.

NFL league links

Articles

The Athletic (paywall)

Dane Brugler’s 2025 NFL Draft guide – The Beast

The goal for “The Beast” is the same each year — to create the most comprehensive and detailed NFL Draft guide available. From background information to scouting analysis and NFL-verified testing data for thousands of prospects, this is a passion project that takes more than a year to put together. This version of “The Beast” includes more than 400 player profiles and rankings for nearly 2,700 prospects.

Whether you’re trying to learn about your favorite team’s newest star, want to dig deep into a specific position or simply hope to drop a little knowledge on your draft watch party, we’ve got you covered. This year we are also excited to launch a brand new, interactive experience to explore the depths of “The Beast,” and the classic, printable version is still available to download.

For many of you, the draft guide has become an annual part of your draft prep, and I can’t thank you enough for the support over the years. If this is the first time you’re checking it out, I know you won’t be disappointed.


Examining Commanders’ potential needs using ‘The Beast’ NFL Draft guide

The Commanders’ first pick is No. 29. Predicting which players will be available to choose from is a dart throw. Due to free-agent signings and two recent trades, Washington has no screaming needs, which means numerous positions and paths are in play. That includes trading out of the first round to add more picks, a possibility when you have a mere five with only three in the first 128 selections, plus two picks post-200.

A few positional scenarios stand out. Brugler’s voluminous guide will help direct this journey.

Edge rusher

The Commanders have constructed a viable yet unsexy defensive end rotation for the coming season. However, no prominent performer exists at a critical position, nor is there an apparent pass rusher likely to replace the 10 1/2 sacks generated last season by new Dallas Cowboys edge Dante Fowler Jr. Projected starters Dorance Armstrong and ex-New England Patriot Deatrich Wise combined for 10 sacks in 2024.

As Brugler’s rankings reflect, this class offers ample opportunity for improvement. Six edge rushers received first-round grades. Even if the Round 1 shelf is clear by No. 29, Brugler has 14 edge rushers worthy of second-round picks and 17 among his top 100 prospects. By comparison, cornerback (11), another area of need for Washington, thins out deeper into the first 100. Same with wide receiver (12) and running back (nine).

In a stick-and-pick world, the bendy Ezeiruaku is the best bet to be there at 29, though don’t hold your breath after a season with 16 1/2 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. Another wave of edge defenders will go before Washington’s second-round pick (No. 61), but the potential options are interesting. Arkansas’ Landon Jackson and Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton are highly competitive all-around linemen who fit the Commanders’ preferred traits, including being college team captains.

UCLA’s Oluwafemi Oladejo, a linebacker until switching positions during the 2024 campaign, is the wild card, having received some first-round buzz. Expand the list into the fourth round, and Brugler’s rankings include 24 edge defenders versus 16 cornerbacks. That doesn’t mean Washington should plan to wait before drafting one, but it can. Positional importance puts edge defenders high on any logical needs list for the Commanders.

Front Office Sports

LA28 Flag Football Push Pits Goodell and Players Against NFL Owners

Flag football in the 2028 Summer Olympics has been a buzzy topic for nearly two years. Participation in that event by active NFL players is a much more complex situation.

Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league office united with the NFL Players Association in likely opposition with team owners over the issue of player participation.

For nearly two years, NFL leaders have been openly enthused about the prospect of active players being part of the talent pool for Olympic teams, both to help promote youth participation and advance the league’s expanding global ambitions. As several individual stars, such as Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill, have been similarly bullish about competing in Los Angeles, the union has also been publicly supportive of the concept.

Some team owners, however, have expressed injury concerns, while others have cited potential issues between the 2028 Olympics and the start of NFL training camps, both happening in late July.

“I think that’s something we’ll continue to discuss with, not just the union, but also the clubs,” [Goodell] said. “I think both of those are things that we’ll probably resolve in the next 60 days.”

Discussion topics

Football Zebras

NFL relegates 3 officials to work in college conferences

Football Zebras has learned that three officials recently hired by the NFL have been dismissed, but it is the novel way that this was carried out that is noteworthy.

The three officials were essentially relegated back to Power conferences in college football, a move that was specifically brokered by George, according to five officiating sources. Previously, officials that have been dismissed were on their own accord to return to collegiate football.

The three officials that the NFL has placed back into the Power 5 conferences are second-year umpire James Carter, third-year line judge Robin DeLorenzo, and first-year down judge Robert Richeson. Carter was an alternate official in the wild card round last season, but due to multiple injuries at the position, that may have been a necessity. DeLorenzo did not qualify for a postseason game in her two eligible seasons. Richeson was not playoff eligible as he was only in his first season.

All three officials do have the ability to work at the college level, re-enter the development program, and work their way back into the NFL. Some of the sources we spoke to were skeptical that it is possible for an official to return to the league, but most of those we spoke to acknowledged that there is no way to be certain, since this hadn’t been done before.

“The culture is is changing, it’s changing rapidly,” said an official who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity. “It’s changing into a competitive environment where everybody’s equal. There are no favorites. There’s no favoritism. There’s none of that; it’s all about performance.”

Another source stated that the union was not involved in the relegation process. As it was described, by these officials accepting the offer to the college conference, it bypasses the union entirely and an grievance process.

Over the Cap

New OTC Page: Rookie Classes By APY

Last month, Ben Baldwin had a fun tweet I found quite intriguing, reranking the 2020 NFL Draft by size of players’ second contracts by APY:

Given that the source for this data is right here at OTC, it was evident to me that this exercise could be done for any draft. I also decided to use a different twist on this–instead of ranking by second contract, I looked at ranking to the highest APY each player has ever signed for.

This led to the construction of the Rookie Classes By APY page, found within this link.

The methodology is fairly simple: obtain each player’s maximum APY in his career, then rank all the players on such, and give an estimation of which round, if any, they would have been drafted in based solely on this APY relative to the total number of draft picks that season (~256). Obviously, maximum APY is not going to be a precise overlap on the overall player performance–some positions, particularly quarterback, get paid higher even as backups, and plenty of times a team has overestimated how much a player is worth when they sign such players in free agency. But there is enough correlation that I found this exercise to be useful.

Here were some of the notable trends I saw, and it’s worth comparing to Jason’s earlier work of positional drafting strategies:

  • Quarterback is very feast or famine–as is well known, the pay between starter level and backup level is vast, resulting in very few contracts ranked in the 2nd or 3rd round. However, even backups get sizeable contracts that end up in that 4th to 6th round range, roughly within a rank of 100th to 200th.
  • The ends of both lines–tackle and edge rusher–are very first round heavy, with pluralities between one fourth and one fifth falling within the top 32 ranked players. This is more confirmation that along with quarterback, these positions should be drafted highly
  • Wide receiver shows a bit of a U curve, with high 1st round rankings descending to a trough right in the middle, at the 4th round, before ascending again to frequent numbers in the late rounds. This likely indicates the difference between #1 and #2 WRs, versus slot receivers and backups.
  • Interior defensive line and cornerback are distributed fairly evenly throughout the rankings, showing value all throughout each round of such a hypothetical draft.
  • Guard salaries lag behind the above a bit, with most falling in the 2nd to 3rd round range–however, the trend of increased salaries at the position could see this change in the future.
  • Most remaining positions on offense and defense show low quantities in the early rankings, and increasing amounts later on, again suggesting that these are not priority positions to pursue.
  • Fullback and the special teams positions of course round out the bottom, but even viable starters there tend to cluster in the rankings around the 3rd round (kicker), 4th round (punter), or 5th round (long snapper and fullback). This does not suggest that these positions should be drafted then, or anywhere. But it does demonstrate that players that stick here are still able to earn APYs higher than fringe players, including some draft picks, that end up having shorter careers, not even becoming vested veterans.

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