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Daily Slop – 3 Jan 25: Scary Terry & the Slim Reaper head to Pro Bowl while Kliff may have HC coaching interviews in his future

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NFL: OCT 13 Commanders at Ravens
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Riggo’s Rag

Commanders duo Terry McLaurin and Jayden Daniels earned Pro Bowl honors

There was enormous anticipation — for the first time in years where Washington is concerned — heading into the Pro Bowl pick reveal. The Commanders had no fewer than 11 alternates, ranging from perennial All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner to long-snapper Tyler Ott after performing well above expectations in Year 1 of this drastic rebuild.

Only two made it as Pro Bowl starters. Unsurprisingly, they were Daniels and McLaurin.

This is McLaurin’s second Pro Bowl distinction. Daniels accomplished the feat at the first time of asking. Both were richly deserving.

ESPN

Commanders’ Kliff Kingsbury would like to be HC again ‘at some point’

As of now, only three NFL teams have head coach openings, including Chicago, and ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reported last month that Kingsbury was among the candidates the team hoped to interview. The Bears talked to Kingsbury for their offensive coordinator opening last offseason before offering the job to Shane Waldron.

Kingsbury’s work in his first season with Washington — and with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in particular — could lead to interest in other jobs that open after the season. The Commanders rank fourth in yards and fifth in points — the first time they’ve been top-10 in each category since 2012. The organization had not ranked better than 20th in either category since 2017.

Daniels has thrown 25 touchdown passes, rushed for six and was named to the Pro Bowl. He’s part of the reason Kingsbury isn’t in a hurry to leave, multiple people close to Kingsbury have said

Kingsbury said being around Washington coach Dan Quinn has helped him see what he needed to do better.

“I don’t think I set the foundation [in Arizona] the way I would do it after watching DQ and how he set the foundation from day one,” Kingsbury said.

Washington Post (paywall)

Kliff Kingsbury wants to be a head coach again, and there could be a market

The Commanders’ offensive coordinator could be a hot candidate this coaching cycle after working with rookie QB Jayden Daniels and a directing a prolific unit.

Kingsbury said Thursday he wants to be a head coach again “at some point” but declined to comment on whether he plans to interview this hiring cycle.

“We’ll see how everything plays out, but I’m very happy here,” he said. “This has been an awesome, awesome place and has really helped me rekindle my love for the sport.”

By NFL rules, teams can request to interview Kingsbury starting Jan. 6 but cannot actually interview him until three days after the Commanders’ opening-round playoff game. The interview must be conducted virtually by the end of the divisional round Jan. 19, and if the Commanders (11-5) are still in the postseason, it cannot last more than three hours.

For the Commanders, who have their first 11-win season in more than three decades, a coach or executive potentially getting poached is another sign of organizational improvement. It hasn’t happened since offensive coordinator Sean McVay left after the 2016 season to coach the Los Angeles Rams, a potential first-round playoff opponent for Washington.

Kingsbury isn’t the only member of Quinn’s staff who could receive interest elsewhere: other targets for elevated positions include assistant head coach/offensive pass game coordinator Brian Johnson and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard. In addition, assistant general manager Lance Newmark could garner interest.

Commanders.com

Practice notes | Whether it’s ‘O.Z.’ or ‘Oz,’ Zaccheaus has been wonderful addition to Commanders’ WR room

Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury dubbed it as “the whitest mistake ever,” but for the first two months of Olamide Zaccheaus’ tenure with the Washington Commanders, he referred to the receiver as “Oz” rather than his preferred nickname of “O.Z.”

“Nobody would tell me that his name wasn’t Oz, even him,” Kingsbury said. “So, one day, Dyami [Brown] comes up to me and says, ‘Yo, dude, he really doesn’t like Oz.’ I’m like, ‘It literally says O-Z,’ and he goes, ‘It’s O.Z.’”

Zaccheaus has since forgiven Kingsbury of the phonetic faux pas, but regardless of whether he’s known as “O.Z.” or “Oz,” he has helped the Commanders fill the gap at wide receiver since Noah Brown suffered a season-ending kidney injury. Over the past two weeks, he has 13 receptions on 18 targets for 155 yards and three touchdowns.

Washington Wire

These Commanders could bank some extra cash Sunday vs. Cowboys

Last week, Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz had a big day. Ertz caught six passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner, but it was also a financial success for the 12-year veteran. Ertz’s performance triggered three bonuses in his contract:

  • His sixth TD catch of the season triggered a $250,000 bonus.
  • Ertz earned another $250,000 by going over 60 catches this season.
  • Ertz earned yet another $250,000 by going over 600 yards receiving.

Yes, Ertz received $750K worth of bonuses for his performance. It’s tough for anyone to get much better than that.

Also, wide receiver Terry McLaurin earned $250K on Thursday when he was named to the Pro Bowl.

As for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Cowboys, these Commanders could earn some extra cash. And yes, Ertz can bring in even more money. Contract details are courtesy of Spotrac.

Upcoming opponent

Blogging the Boys

Cowboys injury report: Micah Parsons downgraded to limited Thursday

Micah Parsons (wrist) and Mazi Smith (back) were downgraded to limited participants Thursday. Also, it was good news for Jourdan Lewis (elbow), Eric Kendricks and Jalen Tolbert (finger). All were practicing fully again today.

Blogging the Boys

Position battleground (offense): Cowboys vs. Commanders head-to-head breakdown

Do you have any faith in this offense for the final game?

WIDE RECEIVERS

Brandin Cooks/KaVontae Turpin/Jalen Tolbert
vs.
Terry McLaurin/Olamide Zaccheaus/Dyami Brown

CeeDee Lamb was shutdown last week for the season meaning he’ll miss this week’s game. He’s been suffering with his shoulder for a number of weeks and with the Cowboys out of contention for the playoffs it made sense to get Lamb recovering early. Jalen Tolbert has now caught a touchdown in the last three games and is trying to answer the questions about his game. With Lamb officially out, everyone got to see what this offense looks like with Brandin Cooks as the leading receiver. It’s clear he’s a talented pass catcher, he led the team in targets last week (which is no surprise) and also led the team in receiving yards. But those numbers were still pretty low.

Terry McLaurin leads the team in receiving but last week, although he was second on the team in targets, he managed to produce only five receiving yards. Olamide Zaccheaus led the team in targets, receptions and receiving yards last week, going for 85 yards and a touchdown. Dyami Brown is the third-most productive receiver on the team with Noah Brown on injured reserve. It’s unclear whether Dyami will play this Sunday as he missed last week’s game with a hamstring injury.

Conclusion:

The Cowboys offense rank 11th in receiving yards, but that was with Lamb in mix. On the reverse, the Washington defense rank fourth-best in receiving yards allowed. And the Cowboys defense clearly has an issue at cornerback with their depth being seriously tested this year.

Win: Commanders

Podcasts & videos

Commanders vs Cowboys Week 18 Preview | Jay Gruden