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Daily Slop – 17 Jul 25 – Commanders sign a situational pass rusher on a one-year deal

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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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CBS Sports

Most important non-QB for every NFL team: These players will go a long way in determining their club’s success

Washington Commanders: OT Laremy Tunsil

It was tough to choose a player for Washington, which needs to show more improvement on defense than offense. There are so many areas that need work, though, that it’s tough to land on just one player as the most important.

So instead we came back around to the Commies’ biggest (literally) offseason addition in Tunsil, who will be counted on to secure Jayden Daniels in the pocket. He had a relatively tough season in 2024, taking a ton of penalties, but at his best he is still an elite left tackle.

From Commanders Wire:

Adam Peters wanted to stabilize the trenches for Daniels. His mobility and ability to escape pressure masked a lot of Washington’s problems last season. He’s capable of doing the same again, but the Commanders didn’t leave anything to chance.

Acquiring Tunsil via trade from the Houston Texans was the major statement of intent Peters had in mind. He’s among the league’s best edge protectors, especially on passing downs. He’s also got the added incentive of another new deal on the horizon if the performance levels match.

ESPN

Von Miller to join Commanders on one-year deal, source says

Miller, who posted two pictures of himself in a Washington jersey on his Instagram account Wednesday night, has recorded 129.5 career sacks to rank 16th on the all-time list. Miller, who still must pass his physical, will sign a one-year deal, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Miller played the past three seasons with the Buffalo Bills, recording 14 sacks — eight in his first season and six last year. Washington hopes he can do what he did for the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 season: serve as a final piece in a Super Bowl title run. The Rams acquired him in a midseason trade, and he then posted five sacks in eight regular-season games and four more in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl win.

In his first 10 years, with the Denver Broncos, Miller had 110.5 sacks and made seven All-Pro teams, including three first teams, and was named to the Pro Bowl eight times — the last of which occurred after the 2019 season. He was the MVP of Super Bowl 50.

Washington general manager Adam Peters was with Denver when the Broncos selected Miller in the first round of the 2011 draft.

Commanders.com

Commanders 2025 training camp preview | Cornerbacks

  • Can Marshon Lattimore get back to being dominant? Lattimore, who the Commanders acquired from the New Orleans Saints at last year’s trade deadline, played in just two regular-season games for Washington and had up-and-down outings in the playoffs. Part of that was because of the hamstring issue, but Lattimore also had to learn Washington’s defensive scheme in the middle of the season, when it was in the thick of a playoff run, and find a way to contribute. The Commanders are banking on Lattimore to get back to his old form. They could use the type of player he was in the past, when he went to the Pro Bowl on a consistent basis. If they can get that from him, it would drastically help a secondary that did finish well in average yards allowed per game but also lacked depth and struggled against top-tier talent.
  • Will Mike Sainristil move back inside? With Amos on the team, there were questions about what the Commanders would do with Sainristil, who emerged last season as one of the team’s best defensive players. They could move him back to being a nickel corner — the role he was drafted to have in 2024 — but he was also so good on the outside that it wasn’t unrealistic to think they would simply keep him there. For now, it appears that the former will be the case, as he was lined up at nickel during OTAs and minicamp. That could change, depending on how camp shakes out. The Commanders like versatility in the defensive backfield, and Sainristil has shown he can handle both roles. Perhaps Sainristil’s position will be on a case-by-case basis, lining up in whatever position fits him and the defense best. Either way, Sainristil has proven he can handle himself, and having him back in the starting lineup should help alleviate some of Washington’s issues in the passing game.
  • Will Trey Amos become the second starting outside cornerback? Amos certainly looks the part of an NFL cornerback with the track record to back it up. He used his 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame to lead his team with 13 pass breakups and earn a First Team All-SEC selection. He also has a history of preventing explosive plays, as he has allowed a sub-19% completion rate on throws traveling at least 20 air yards, according to Pro Football Focus. Amos’ coaches and teammates were happy to answer his questions. He said he wants to “be a good team player and help the growth,” and his teammates know that he’ll be more useful if they satisfy his hunger for knowledge. But they have also noticed that he can hold his own without their help, too.
ESPN

Execs, coaches, scouts rank NFL’s top 10 off-ball linebackers for 2025

5. Frankie Luvu, Washington Commanders

Highest ranking: 5 | Lowest ranking: Unranked

Age: 28 | Last year’s ranking: N/A

Luvu’s first year as a Commander vaulted him into the top-10 conversation. He received a few votes last year but was largely a nonfactor in the voting. But this year he appeared in the top five of many ballots.

While some evaluators believe No. 5 is rich for Luvu, he earned the votes and this is a composite ranking.

“I have so much respect for him — he’s been one of the best tone-setters in the NFL,” a veteran NFL defensive coach said. “His production over the last three years is as good as anyone.”

Head coach Dan Quinn deploys Luvu somewhat similarly to Micah Parsons in Dallas, a hybrid linebacker with pass rush ability off the edge. Luvu capitalized in a big way with 8.0 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 7 pass deflections on his way to second-team All-Pro honors.

“Versatile, playmaking in the run game, the pass game and with pass rush,” an NFL coordinator said. “His play style is all over the tape.”

One knock on Luvu: He’s a bit of a scheme fit. “Can’t play in every scheme. Can’t ask him to play in man coverage consistently,” an NFC executive said.

Honorable mention

Bobby Wagner, Washington Commanders: “The physical skills have declined, but he can compensate with all-world instincts.” — AFC exec “Still great at getting jump on a play, doing everything you want out of a LB, smart, instincts, knows what everybody is doing. Pass coverage is where you see a little bit of a dip, which is to be expected at this stage.” — NFL personnel evaluator

Washington Post (paywall)

Terry McLaurin set a standard. Take care of him, Commanders.

Mark July 15, 2025, as a landmark date for the Washington Commanders. Not because anything significant happened with the uniforms or the stadium or the roster. Mark it because the first headwinds of the Adam Peters-Dan Quinn administration blew from Laurel to Ashburn and across the NFL.

Maybe this Terry McLaurin situation will be nothing. In the week before the Commanders open training camp, it feels like something. McLaurin has set the standard at the team’s Ashburn headquarters since the day he walked in the building in 2019 — back when a standard so desperately needed to be set. He debuted in the final days of Jay Gruden, rode out his rookie season with Bill Callahan, found a way to excel amid the chaos of the Ron Rivera era and so often returned to the huddle wondering who his quarterback would be on a given play.

This isn’t the player who seemed most likely to be the subject of Peters’s and Quinn’s first real headache, yet here we are. Advice to the Commanders’ general manager and coach: Take two Advil and make the headache go away. Take care of Terry.

Commanders.com

Hail Mail | Will Jacory Croskey-Merritt be a rookie hit?

There has been a lot of hype surrounding seventh-round running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, otherwise known as “Bill.” There’s a lot to like about him; he’s quick, decisive and can burst through running lanes. It’s been a while since he’s played in a meaningful game, but it didn’t appear as if he’s lost a step during OTAs and minicamp.

However — and I don’t mean to dump cold water on Croskey-Merritt before his career even begins — but let’s temper the expectations on him a bit. He’s still a seventh-round pick, which means he will need to earn a spot on the 53-man roster before anything else. That means he has to beat out other running backs ahead of him, and there are several players who already have a strong rapport with the coaching staff. I fully believe he can do that. He seems like a good kid with the right work ethic, and those traits give him a shot with this coaching staff. But let’s wait until we see him in action with pads on before we make any assumptions about what he will be in his career.

Commanders.com

2025 opponent breakdown | Miami Dolphins

  • Will Chop Robinson show improvement? Robinson was one of the most interesting prospects in last year’s draft. He didn’t have much of a sample size, but his traits and upside made him a first-round pick. His production in 17 games with one start was fine — 26 tackles with six sacks and 14 quarterback hits — but he will have to do more than “fine” for him to be worth the investment. The Dolphins are banking on that and believe his athleticism is going to shine soon. They can afford to be patient, but it would be ideal for him to step up in 2025 and improve Miami’s pass rush, which only generated 35 sacks in 2024.
  • Who will be Miami’s third wide receiver? The Dolphins have one of the more exciting wide receiver duos in the NFL with Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but there was a sizable gap between them and the next most productive receiver (Malik Washington with 223 yards). The Dolphins clearly needed to bolster that group, and Westbrook-Ikhine has potential to be the answer. He was tied for the sixth-most receiving touchdowns in the NFL last year with nine. What’s crazier is that he only had 32 catches last season, which means he scored once every four touches. He will probably get around that number of catches behind Hill and Waddle, but he clearly knows how to get the most out of his targets.
  • What are the Dolphins going to do in the secondary? There have been some serious shifts in Miami’s secondary. Jalen Ramsey was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but cornerback Kendall Fuller as well as safeties Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer are also gone. They did get Minkah Fitzpatrick back in the Ramsey trade, but everyone aside from him is younger and more inexperienced. The Dolphins seem content to ride with Storm Duck and Jason Marshall Jr. at cornerback and Ashtyn Davis at safety along with Fitzpatrick. All of them are decent depth players, but that is quite the gamble for a secondary that allowed the ninth-fewest passing yards per game.

Podcasts & videos

Rich Eisen’s Terry McLaurin Advice for the Washington Commanders | The Rich Eisen Show

NFC East links

Blogging the Boys

3 unanswered questions ahead of Dallas Cowboys training camp

What is the situation at cornerback?

Let’s say that Trevon Diggs and Shavon Revel both avoid the PUP list. In this world let’s also assume that DaRon Bland looks solid and that Kaiir Elam plays like he did in Gainesville. If these things happen then the state of the cornerback room is pretty solid.

But what if Diggs and Revel both land on PUP? That won’t be the end of the world in any way, but it will invite some concern. What’s more is it is (obviously) possible that Elam could play like the player that Buffalo was willing to move on from and that DaRon Bland could just be so-so. Suddenly things feel grim.

All aTwitter