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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Commanders Wire
New Commanders QB explains differences from his first stint in Washington
Josh Johnson said last time he was here ” a lot of things were going on… so the energy was different. Just walking in today you could tell the vibes were high.” Said his first impressions of the new regime has been “A+ + + “
— John Keim (@john_keim) April 11, 2025
Johnson explained his decision to sign with the Commanders.
“I saw the opportunity to win here,” Johnson said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “I saw an opportunity to continue to get better and be a part a system that is exciting and looks a lot of fun on tape.”
ESPN
2025 NFL draft: Latest news, questions for all 32 team picks
Does trading for Deebo Samuel Sr. check the Commanders’ offensive skill position box, or could they draft more playmakers?
They could definitely add more playmakers. Washington would like to find a dynamic running back capable of playing on every down. In the Commanders’ past 11 games, including three games in the postseason, their running backs averaged 3.0 yards per carry or less six times. Subpar run blocking didn’t help, but they need someone capable of creating more yards on the ground apart from quarterback Jayden Daniels. A speed receiver on the outside opposite Terry McLaurin remains an option, too. — John Keim
What we’re hearing about the Commanders’ draft: The Commanders have only five picks, so they could try to trade down to accumulate more. General manager Adam Peters targeted players who were ready to play immediately in last year’s draft, and I expect the same this year. Washington needs help along the defensive line, but running back might be an early play. Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler are entering the last year of their contracts. — Reid
The Athletic (paywall)
Commanders free-agency tracker: A look at Washington’s signings, trades and cuts
April 11
Commanders sign veteran QB Josh Johnson
Washington is signing the journeyman quarterback to a one-year contract, according to a team source.
Johnson, who turns 39 next month, made three starts for Washington in 2018. He most recently served as Lamar Jackson’s backup in Baltimore and spent time with San Francisco in 2022 when general manager Adam Peters was part of the 49ers’ front office.
March 10
WR Dyami Brown agrees to 1-year deal with Jaguars
The Commanders already had a need for speed entering free agency. That deficiency intensified now that Brown is heading to Jacksonville on a one-year deal, according to a team source.
The 2021 third-round pick will reportedly receive $10 million in salary this coming season with a maximum upside of $12 million. That’s a shocking amount for anyone who watched Brown fail to produce over his first three seasons. However, he became a favorite of new coach Dan Quinn for his energy and hustle. Brown became a viable rotation receiver as the season progressed, especially following Noah Brown’s season-ending injury, finishing with a career-high 30 receptions for 308 yards and one touchdown.
Then, Dyami Brown used the playoff platform for his real breakout by catching 11 passes for 187 yards and one touchdown in wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions. The timing could not have been better. Not only was he entering free agency, but the market lacked depth at receiver, specifically with younger, fast targets. His price jumped when the Los Angeles Rams kept wideout Tutu Atwell, a comparable player to Brown, on a one-year, $10 million deal.
Despite Brown’s positives, the Commanders didn’t chase him. That’s fine, even though Washington now must find a speedy replacement. Re-signing Noah Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus would be sound choices, for sure, but they do not offer the take-the-top-off skill set.
The positive is that the coaching staff helped develop a player who languished under the prior regime. Dyami Brown acknowledged that he matured with his preparation and mentality going into the 2024 season.
Commanders agree to terms with DT Javon Kinlaw
Washington has agreed to terms with Kinlaw, a team source confirmed to The Athletic. According to ESPN, it’s a three-year, $45 million deal with $30 million guaranteed.
Kinlaw, the 14th selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, played his first four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers with Washington general manager Adam Peters in the front office. He joined the New York Jets in 2024.
Injuries, including a torn ACL, limited him to 41 games — 28 starts — with the 49ers. Kinlaw, who spent part of his childhood in the Washington area, did start 17 games with the Jets last season. He played 61 percent of New York’s defensive snaps and registered a career-high 4 1/2 sacks.
Washington needed options behind projected starters Daron Payne and Johnny Newton. More big bodies are required to fill out the rotation. Free agents Sheldon Day and Jalyn Holmes could be re-signed.
Commanders agree to re-sign punter Tress Way to 1-year deal
There are no-brainer transactions, then there are no-brainer transactions. Re-signing Way, Washington’s longest-tenured player, is the latter.
Way, 35 in April, agreed to a one-year contract, team sources confirmed to The Athletic. He averaged 46.9 yards on 50 punts last season, his 11th with Washington. The offense’s high efficiency kept Way off the field for games at a time, but he still contributed as a flawless holder amid a constant revolving door of place kickers.
There was seemingly no reason to think the fan favorite and highly popular teammate would sign elsewhere. Now we know.
Podcasts & videos
Dan Quinn Joins the John Keim Report
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
Ranking 18 wide receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft
Tier 2
4. Luther Burden III, Missouri, 6-0 206
Overall: A tough evaluation due to a highly schemed role in college. Burden is a dynamic playmaker with outstanding contact balance who didn’t get enough chances to show off his talent in college, but there’s a lot of risk. His production dipped after a standout 2023, and questions remain about his route refinement, effort on every snap, and whether he can succeed outside the slot at the next level.
5. Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State, 6-0 7/8 202
Overall, Egbuka is a savvy receiver with NFL-ready instincts, excellent hands, and smooth route-running ability, making him a quarterback-friendly target. He wins with pacing, footwork, and the ability to uncover rather than athleticism. He’s a plug-and-play WR2 who lacks vertical juice and should develop into a high-volume receiver.
6. Jayden Higgins, Iowa St, 6-4 1/8 214
Overall: Higgins is a big-bodied outside receiver with strong hands, excellent ball tracking, and enough movement skills to threaten vertically. He’s not dynamic or sudden and unlikely to be a game-changer. Higgins has the physical tools you want to see from a starting outside WR.
7. Elic Ayomanor, Stanford, 6-1 3/4 206
Overall: Ayomanor is a two-year starter with great physical tools and the ability to challenge vertically. His technical refinement remains a work in progress, especially in areas like press coverage but his highlight reel and blocking skills suggest that he has real upside.
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys fans confident this season will be better than last
The Cowboys 2024 season seemed to fall apart early and quickly. They were 3-2 after five games, but a few of those were non-competitive losses. Then a Week 6 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions sent things into a tailspin. Dak Prescott was lost for the season in the midst of a five-game losing streak which eventually lead to a 7-10 season.
We bring this up to say that with everything that went wrong in the 2024 season, including the stagnant offseason, the team still got to seven wins. That’s why it was surprising when we saw that FanDuel had the Cowboys current over/under for wins in 2025 at 7.5 wins.
Bonus question: How many wins do you think the Cowboys will get in 2025?
NFL league links
Articles
Over the Cap
Snaps Lost for 2025
As we head into draft season I like to look at what teams are in the most and least need of snaps to replace from the last season. While the number of snaps can be skewed by returning injured players more often than not it does help give us an indication of which teams may be focused more on immediate help in the draft and better opportunities for undrafted free agents as well as teams that may be more interested in street free agents come summer time.
Leading the way on offense are the Minnesota Vikings who need to replace about 24% of their offensive snaps. About a third of this will be covered by the returning JJ McCarthy who takes over for the departing Sam Darnold, but the team still has a high number of offensive snaps that will need to be filled. Number 2 are the Steelers at 22% who will have to make a play for a QB and add more security for their offensive line.
On defense the Dolphins lead the NFL with a whopping 33% of their snaps lost so far. I think if we took a two year overview no team would have lost more players than Miami. While some of their snaps lost have been to retirements they have quietly been ravaged by the cap in free agency the last two seasons. The Raiders are just under 30% with a good chunk of those coming from the secondary.
With the NFL average at just 8% the Vikings and Dolphins both really stand out at 26.4% and 24.5% of all snaps needing to be replaced this year. Minnesota has a really low amount of draft capital so this may be a team that looks at summer signings and the trade market to keep building off of last season. Miami needs a home run draft to get back on track this year.
Discussion topics
Washington Post (paywall)
NFL will look to convince players to wear better-performing helmets
The league said nearly one-third of its players “will need to upgrade their helmets … to ensure that they are wearing the best-performing helmets in 2025.”
According to the NFL’s data, about 18 percent of players wore top-performing helmet models last season. About 50 percent of players wore models that put them at a 5 percent increased risk of concussions. About 30 percent of players wore helmets that put them at a 27 percent increased risk. Less than 2 percent of players wore helmet models that put them at a 35 percent increased risk.
As technologically superior helmet models that perform better in lab impact testing are released annually, the league moves older models into categories that are either not recommended or prohibited entirely. While the models worn by the 30 percent of players last season will not be prohibited next season, officials said, the league and the NFLPA will attempt to convince those players to switch to newer helmets that performed better in testing.
Helmets in the “not recommended” category each have a comparable, updated model made by the same manufacturer so that players can make a seamless transition, Aponte said, adding that players can wear customized helmets made to fit after head-scan measurements and with adjustable padding.
The league said last year that wearing one of the best-performing helmet models would enable a player to avoid the requirement to wear protective Guardian Caps over their helmets during practice. Even as some players opted to wear Guardian Caps during games last season, league officials stressed that wearing a top-performing helmet offered an amount of protection comparable to wearing a traditional helmet plus a Guardian Cap, without the additional weight from a cap.
The results of the annual helmet testing are displayed on posters in teams’ locker rooms.
The NFLPA’s influence kept the NFL from immediately prohibiting more models, according to Miller.
“I think if it were solely up to the NFL, we would prohibit more helmets immediately,” Miller said. “The Players Association wants to work with players and educate them and encourage them to move to the best-performing helmets. And we will work with them on that.”
All aTwitter
Wishing all who celebrate a happy Passover! pic.twitter.com/UY1USAv9ck
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 12, 2025
CB Car’lin Vigers will have a top 30 visit with Washington this week per source. Interesting Day 3 possibility. Has length at 6-foot-2; did a nice job vs WR Matthew Golden when Louisiana-Monroe played Texas, from what I was able to watch.
— John Keim (@john_keim) April 12, 2025
posting a photo from last season every day until OTAs pic.twitter.com/HoWv1Z2yCz
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 12, 2025