Daily Slop – 29 Apr 24 – Commanders land UDFA CB that was pursued by ‘half the league’

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Commanders signed undrafted cornerback that ‘half the league wanted’

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound [Chigozie] Anusiem began his career at Cal-Berkeley, where he appeared in 25 games with six starts. He graduated and transferred to Colorado State ahead of the 2022 season.

In two years with the Rams, Anusiem became a full-time starter, playing in 23 games and recording 93 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and one interception.

Washington wasn’t the only team that tried to sign Anusiem, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, who indicated that “half the league wanted Anusiem,” but the Commanders “paid up to lock him in.”

Why would so many teams want Anusiem without one drafting him in the final round? Only the NFL teams can answer that question, but a quick look at Anusiem’s measurables shows they are elite.

Here is Anusiem’s Relative Athletic Score:

The Commanders will play a lot of press coverage, which would explain their appeal to Anusiem. Head coach Dan Quinn has helped develop several young cornerbacks with similar skills, which makes signing Anusiem a smart move.

Washington drafted only one cornerback — Michigan’s Mike Sainristil in the second round. Sainristil will play slot cornerback, and questions remain on the outside with Emmanuel Forbes and Benjamin St-Juste.

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Washington Post (paywall)

Adam Peters didn’t try to fix everything. He just laid the foundation.

Peters stuck to his long-term vision and built a bridge roster for 2024. He hopes this team will be good enough to compete with anyone, of course, but pushing for even a playoff spot may be tough — many sportsbooks project the Commanders’ win total at 6½, tied for the fourth lowest in the NFL.

The best measure of success this season will be the growth of the rookies. They are the bedrock of the roster — and if they show promise, Peters could be emboldened to make splash signings or aggressive trades. If they don’t, he can tweak his process and try again, albeit with less benefit of the doubt.

Either way, Peters has maintained “optionality” — one of his favorite words — because in 2025 he’s in line to have a full complement of draft picks and a boatload of salary cap space again.

He de-emphasized the short-term problem of positional need and instead prioritized talent, leadership and experience. All nine picks spent at least four years in college. Seven were team captains. Two metrics, Next Gen Stats and Relative Athletic Score, graded the Commanders’ picks as the most athletic in the NFL.

Regardless of what Washington does next, the decision not to use more assets on the line will put a spotlight on that unit and the front office, especially if Daniels gets sacked at a high rate, as he did in college. But public perception doesn’t seem to be top of mind for Peters.

The front office stuck to its process and used the late rounds of the draft and the undrafted free agent market to continue taking low-risk, high-upside swings. The Commanders were aggressive by signing former Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman for a hefty $245,000 guaranteed and giving former Colorado State cornerback Chigozie Anusiem a $300,000 base salary guarantee as well as a $50,000 signing bonus, according to people with knowledge of the deals.

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The Athletic (paywall)

Bruce Feldman’s 12 NFL Draft takeaways on Caleb Williams, best picks, sleepers and more

I love what the Commanders did in their draft, starting with taking LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels at No. 2.

Illinois DT Johnny Newton was a huge steal at No. 36. He’s twitchy and powerful and has heavy hands. He was often unblockable, piling up 18 sacks and 27.5 TFLs in his career — impressive totals for a defensive tackle. He also blocked four kicks in 2023. Then the Commanders took my favorite player in the draft in Michigan nickelback Mike Sainristil at No. 50. The former slot receiver is undersized, but he’s so quick and instinctive and just makes tons of plays. A terrific blitzer and a terrific tackler, he is a ballhawk who was also a great leader for Michigan, playing a pivotal role in transforming the Wolverines into a national champion.

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Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

How Jayden Daniels fits in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense

Taking a closer look at Daniels fit in Kingsbury’s system and how Kingsbury can continue his development

So how does Daniels fit in this system and how can Kingsbury adapt his system to help accommodate as well as develop Daniels going forward? Let’s take a closer look.

Running Game

Now I will stress right at the start here that Daniels is a passing quarterback who can run, not a running quarterback that can pass. So I don’t want to give a false impression by starting with the run game here, but I do think Daniels immediately raises the floor of the offense with his ability to run. The run game will likely be the foundation of this offense and Daniels running threat will only improve the run game, which will then benefit him in the passing game.

So clearly Daniels can add a huge amount to the run game, but will Kingsbury use that? Well you just need to look at his Cardinals offense with Kyler Murray at quarterback to see that he absolutely will lean into that added running threat.

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Riggo’s Rag

5 critical Commanders observations from the 2024 NFL Draft

A good few days’ work.

Adam Peters made it very clear what he looks for. Mike Sainristil is not the biggest or fastest cornerback out there. At the time he was drafted, there were at least four wide receiver prospects with higher Relative Athletic Scores than Luke McCaffrey. Jordan Magee is smaller than many of the linebackers chosen in this year’s draft. But these players have one thing in common…

They are stone-cold killers on the field. They produce.

I don’t mean to undersell their athleticism. Magee, for instance, has burst scores that elevate him above a similarly undersized linebacker prospect like Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

That’s why when you watch Magee, he is constantly shooting into opponents’ backfields while Trotter is more likely to be reading and reacting closer to the line of scrimmage. But Peters never let himself be seduced by the physical tools of touted prospects like Adonai Mitchell or Austin Booker. He passed over those players for guys who maybe didn’t look quite as good in shorts but were far more productive players.

At a crucial moment, Commanders went for the best player available

There is always a debate as to whether you should draft for need or simply take the best player available. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.

Every scenario is different and needs to be evaluated as such. But, if you study successful teams over the years, they always lean more toward taking the BPA. That is how you avoid reaching for iffy prospects and build long-term success.

That is exactly what the Commanders did early in the second round when they took defensive lineman Johnny Newton from Illinois.

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Sports Illustrated

New Day for Washington Commanders, ‘Feels Like I Got Traded,’ Says WR Jahan Dotson

There’s renewed excitement around the Washington Commanders and receiver Jahan Dotson is the latest to share his.

The whole vibe around the team is different.

“I do feel like it is completely different,” Dotson told ABC7’s Scott Abraham during the Commanders’ NFL Draft party over the weekend. “This is funny to say, but I was talking to some of the guys in the locker room and I just feel like it almost feels like I got traded, and it feels like I came into a better opportunity. I feel like the confidence is (at an) all-time high. Not only for the team but for myself included. So I’m really excited. It’s really cool.”

When Washington brought in his second offensive coordinator, coach Eric Bieniemy, it was expected he’d help unlock Dotson’s abilities even further. Instead, the whole offense struggled to keep up with the large point totals being scored on the other side as first-year starting quarterback Sam Howell and the new OC struggled to find a rhythm that was both effective and sustainable.

The struggles impacted everyone, including Dotson and veteran receiver Terry McLaurin who both went through overall production dips in 2023.

But the new staff led by head coach Dan Quinn, and yet another new offensive coordinator in Kliff Kingsbury, has reinvigorated the energy around the Commanders franchise and judging by Dotson’s comments that effect is being felt inside of it as well.

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Podcasts & videos

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Photos

PHOTOS | The best of Brandon Coleman

Check out the top photo of the Washington Commanders’ newest offensive tackle, Brandon Coleman.

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NFC East links

Bleeding Green Nation

Mekhi Becton, Eagles reportedly agree to one-year contract

The Eagles weren’t able to draft a tackle this year, so they went and signed one who has NFL experience.

The Eagles didn’t end up drafting an offensive tackle, opting instead to stick to their board and get defensive players early, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t still looking for one. A day after the end of the 2024 NFL Draft, Howie Roseman decided to sign a former first-round pick (No. 11 overall) in Mekhi Becton.

Becton will sign a one-year deal worth up to $5.5 million, all pending a physical. He will give the Eagles some depth as a swing tackle behind starters Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson.

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