- 3 hours ago
Do the Commanders NEED another WR, or is their WR2 group fine...or fine enough to supplement later? Will the secondary be better, and the defense as a whole improve? Mitch Tischler from Monumental Sports joins Kevin to run through all of the roster concerns as we're now less than two weeks from training camp!
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Let's start with what the conversation's been about for, you know, at least a month and a half, maybe a
00:06bit longer.
00:07And that is, you know, the perceived need for adding to the wide receiver room.
00:14Where are you on what will happen?
00:18You know, what will it look like when we get to the opener September 13th against Philadelphia?
00:23What will the wide receiver room look like?
00:27I personally don't think they're going to bring anybody else in.
00:31I think the group that they have is the group that they're rolling with.
00:34And I do think that they've done a decent job of raising the floor of the wide receiver room with
00:39guys like Deami and Van Jefferson coming in.
00:43I think you look at, you know, how devastated this group was last year and some of the names that
00:48they had to trot out there.
00:49And quite frankly, they're fine practice spot players, they're fine emergency players, but they were getting far too much run
00:55time for a team that had, you know, real expectations, at least running into the year.
01:00I think at this point, you know, there are some some names out there, obviously the step digs of the
01:06world, you know, and that's that group that I think folks get excited to do.
01:11You know, you hear the name. But ultimately, anyone that they do bring in at this point, I think, is
01:17is is a bonus.
01:19And I don't think you can you should really expect that they're going to come in and have a really
01:24big role.
01:25I do think that a bunch of these guys are going to be available in case a guy like Traylon
01:29Burks does end up getting hurt and you have to bring in, you know, a vet.
01:33And I think that you can look at the DeAndre Hopkins of the world and think, you know, I don't
01:37know that he's going to be on a roster as far as the season.
01:39I guess we'll see here in the next couple of weeks.
01:42But ultimately, you know, I think the Terry McLaurin, Traylon Burks and Antonio Williams trio as kind of your top
01:49three is going to be, you know, the group that is going to be on the field the first time
01:54they go through.
01:55They go three wide this season.
01:57And quite frankly, I think if they really felt like they had to make a major move, otherwise this wouldn't
02:04be a late July move.
02:05It would have been a move, you know, during the three free agency or they would have maybe been a
02:10little more aggressive during the draft time.
02:11So, you know, we saw Jaden Daniels run this offense incredibly efficiently with arguably a worse set of receivers two
02:22seasons ago when they made it to the NFC Championship game.
02:24Ultimately, the success of this offense is going to come down to Jaden Daniels, which obviously with most NFL teams
02:32does boil down to the quarterback.
02:34But I don't think this receiver core is a detriment to the success of this team.
02:40I'll come back to your description of or your comparison of two years ago to what maybe they have right
02:47now.
02:47But were you I had time on yesterday and I've I've you know, everybody that's listening knows how I've felt
02:54all along the way on the Brandon Iuke thing.
02:58Just FYI, six weeks ago, I thought it was a given that he would be on this roster by the
03:06beginning of the season.
03:08And now I think the chances are slim and none, even though there's you know, you never say never.
03:14He might be able to repair his image.
03:16Who knows?
03:17But I think it's I think that train has left the station.
03:21But did you think like I did and like time did and maybe others five, six weeks ago that there
03:28was a pretty good chance that Brandon Iuke was going to be on the roster?
03:33It certainly felt like the momentum was going there, honestly, from the beginning.
03:37And I feel a little vindicated about it now.
03:39Now, I said that I am interested in bringing him in, but I'm interested in bringing him in to meet
03:46with Adam Peters and Dan Quinn and find out, you know, where his head's at and where his game's at
03:51and where his health is at.
03:52I didn't think it was a foregone conclusion that he was going to sign because I think there were real
03:56questions both with his health, which honestly, as much as you know,
04:00you want to point back to some pregame workout video from, you know, almost a year ago, 10 months ago
04:06versus, you know, where, how much work has he actually been putting in?
04:10How much work has he been doing?
04:12I'm not saying he has or he hasn't.
04:13We just don't know because we haven't seen it.
04:15At least the step on dig posting the workout videos and showing that he's in shape and showing that he's,
04:21you know, working out and working his way back.
04:23It's been a long time since Brandon Iuke has played football in the NFL.
04:26And you take all the off the field stuff, you know, and push that aside for one second to evaluate
04:32whether, you know, his leg, his knee, his ankle are in good shape, ready to go.
04:37And he's going to be able to step out and be the football player that we saw, you know, basically
04:42two years ago.
04:43And then you pile on top of that, everything that happened, you know, in San Francisco, I think warranted at
04:49minimum a conversation with the guy to find out, you know, was it warranted?
04:54In his mind, was it warranted or was he just kind of being a, you know, a diva type receiver?
05:00And I don't think that there has really been, you know, any sort of conclusion to that.
05:05The social media antics have been what they are.
05:08Aside from the little barbs back and forth between him and Jaden, I don't think that anything that he's done
05:13on social has pushed it to a point where he's unsignable.
05:16Certainly, I need to have that conversation with him.
05:20I need to have a conversation with Jaden to see, you know, what his thoughts are on all of it.
05:24But I think that, you know, if he becomes available and honestly, from the beginning, that was kind of my
05:29biggest point was if he was ever going to become available, because he seems so hard set.
05:34I'm not doing anything with San Francisco.
05:36And if he's not going to engage with the 49ers, obviously, they have no incentive to get rid of him.
05:42So I always thought that it was, it felt like the momentum was pushing there.
05:46But I was never, I don't think I was ever checking that he was or he wasn't going to be
05:51here.
05:51Yeah, what's interesting about what you said is that, yes, I actually think a lot of what he's done on
06:00social media becomes problematic because it makes it a much more polarizing, you know, signing if you get to it
06:09after kicking the tires and you've got to have the stomach for it.
06:12But I think more, much more importantly than anything that's happened on social media is his lack of action, his
06:18lack of seriousness.
06:19And that's, that's an indicator and something that I'm not saying, I don't think anytime somebody has talent, there's very
06:28little that they can do to disqualify themselves.
06:30We've seen that over the years, but the fact that he has not taken any action to actually affect the
06:40impact that he has claimed to desire would be, would be a big problem.
06:45Um, you know, you, you, you went back to 24 and you said, maybe this is even, you know, that
06:5224 may have been worse than what they have now.
06:55I'm not saying that you're wrong and I don't disagree with you.
06:58Time will tell.
06:59I don't really know one way or the other, if that'll play out that way.
07:02But the one thing that I think gets overlooked and I'm curious as to what you think is in going
07:08back and looking at 24, you had a Terry McLaurin who was two years younger.
07:13Uh, this is now Terry McLaurin two years older.
07:16I'm not saying that there will be a big difference between 26 and 24.
07:21He was great in 24.
07:22I actually think the odds favor he'll be in the best shape of his life.
07:25He's such a pro and he'll have a really good year as long as he's healthy and the quarterback's healthy,
07:30but they had Eckler, they had a big red zone target and hurts Noah Brown.
07:35Actually, when he was out there was effective and a favorite of Jaden's.
07:39So I'm not so convinced yet that 26 is supporting cast as is, is equal to, or better than 24s.
07:52You think what?
07:54Yeah, I mean, I, I disagree with you.
07:56I think Terry is a similar player today that he was two years ago.
08:01Obviously we saw last year for the first time in his career, you know, real health concerns.
08:05So, so maybe there's a little bit more of a concern there, but I think Chig is a more dynamic
08:13version of Zach Ertz.
08:14Obviously Zach has a ton of, you know, veteran savvy in his game, but I think he's a, Chig is
08:20a much more explosive player than Zach is.
08:22I think he gives an offense so much more in the middle of the field.
08:26And then you look at the, speaking strictly of the past catching room, you know, Olamide Zaccheaus, Noah Brown, you
08:34know, De'Ami Brown, Luke was a rookie that year.
08:39I just think I look at this group and it's a little bit more of an established group behind them.
08:44I'm high on Traylon Burks, but I think that I'm, I think Traylon Burks and Noah Brown are semi-similar
08:51in their general inability to stay healthy.
08:53I just think Traylon is a better receiver than Noah, than Noah was.
08:58And I'm intrigued with Antonio Williams.
09:00I certainly would rather have a rookie Antonio Williams than journeyman Olamide Zaccheaus there.
09:06And De'Ami and Van Jefferson on the back end of the room, I think give you, you know, similar
09:11to what De'Ami gave you two years ago.
09:13They give you a dynamic downfield threat, you know, from either or both of them.
09:17Luke McCaffrey is, you know, more mature.
09:19He was a rookie that he's a rookie in 24.
09:21He hadn't really ever played receiver.
09:23He's at least grown a little bit.
09:25And I think that Luke can be a really nice piece to an offense.
09:28I think having to rely on him like they did at times last year was probably a step too much
09:33for Luke at this point in his growth and maturation as a wide receiver, as a true wide receiver.
09:39I think that he gives you, you know, a little bit of size and certainly some nice downfield options in
09:45certain spots.
09:46But, and Jalen Lane is, you know, I would say you're, you know, kind of other guy in the group.
09:52But ultimately, I think that the group of pass catchers, I don't think that Austin Eckler is so much better
10:00than what Rashad White is going to give you out of the backfield catching the football.
10:03So, I think those two can, you know, kind of be awash there.
10:07I just like this group a little bit more because I think it's similar to the group they had in
10:1224, just a little bit more seasons.
10:15And a little bit, and there are a couple of small upgrades along the way.
10:18I hope you're right.
10:19And I think there's a chance you will be right.
10:22And we'll see how it plays out.
10:23But it sounds to me like you think there's a good chance that it's Terry and Burks with Antonio Williams
10:31as kind of the slot.
10:33And those are your first three receivers when they first go 11 personnel.
10:38Yeah, I think so.
10:40I mean, I think they're going to move these guys around a fair amount, which we've seen during camp and
10:45OTAs.
10:46But if you were to line up in a traditional mat and 11 set, yes, that's kind of how I
10:50foresee it.
10:52So, let's flip it to the defensive side of the ball.
10:56This is a completely different roster defensively with a different coordinator defensively.
11:03You know, we don't know how it'll play out, the chemistry, the fit, the scheme, the whole thing.
11:09But it can't be worse than it was last year.
11:13I don't even think it can be worse than it was in 24.
11:16What are your expectations, you know, here on July 15th of what this defense can do in 2026?
11:26To me, it starts schematically.
11:28I think those Joe Witt defenses were far too passive and far too easy to diagnose.
11:34And I think that's the biggest difference that Durante Jones is going to bring to the group.
11:37Both the aggressiveness and getting after the quarterback in a lot of different looks, a lot of different fronts.
11:43You know, we had we talked to Nick Allegretti during camp and he talked about how good it was for
11:51him and for Jaden in terms of trying to work on their discussion.
11:54Because the defense, even in minicamp and OTAs, were giving them so many different looks and guys were coming from
12:01so many different positions that it gave kind of the offense and offensive line a really good feel for kind
12:07of what game days are going to look like.
12:09And to me, if you're able to kind of start implementing some of that stuff, you know, this early in
12:15the process, I think that shows you just how different everything is going to be.
12:19I think it's going to be an interesting group to watch because ultimately I think they might give up some
12:25big plays because they're going to be bringing so much pressure.
12:28But at the same time, I think they're going to create more turnovers or create more opportunities for turnovers because
12:34they're going to force quarterbacks into making quick decisions.
12:37And to me, you know, that's just such a fundamental change from what we saw the last two years where,
12:43you know, these guys would come out in their defensive sets.
12:45And there was communication at the line of scrimmage as the ball was being snapped.
12:50So clearly what the coaches were trying to teach the players wasn't taking or they weren't cohesive in terms of
12:56understanding what checks they're supposed to make.
12:59I expect to see a big difference in that.
13:02And then secondly, I think you're going to see a lot of, you know, fake looks.
13:07You're going to see a lot of safeties kind of creeping up the line and dropping into deep coverage or
13:11vice versa.
13:12The corners coming from different angles.
13:14I think that front seven is going to be so dynamic in terms of getting out to the ball.
13:20I think the linebacking group year over year, last year to this year, might be one of the single most
13:26improved individual positions of any team in the NFL,
13:32particularly when you look at the speed and athleticism that Sonny Styles and Leo Chanel are going to bring to
13:39the table.
13:39Not to mention, you know, I think finally getting Frankie Lubu back into a true linebacking position,
13:45which is where we saw him play well, you know, two years ago, his first year in Washington.
13:50Last year, they asked him to put his hand in the dirt and be a defensive end far too often.
13:54And that's just not what he excels at.
13:57So I do expect to see a much more aggressive defense.
14:00I think they're going to be much quicker.
14:01I think knock on boys, God willing, they're going to be better tackling than tackling.
14:07And you're going to see.
14:08Well, they certainly sign better tacklers, you know, and certainly on the back end with somebody like Nick Cross for
14:14sure.
14:15This is such a training camp question, but we're two weeks away.
14:19But give me right now who leads the team in sacks and how many.
14:26Oh, that's a good one.
14:28I'm going to be hard pressed to not go with Adapai O.A.
14:32How many sacks?
14:33Let's give them 12 and a half sacks.
14:37I think that both him and Caleb on chase on are going to have, you know, really, really nice impacts
14:43in terms of getting getting to the quarterback.
14:45And we kind of forget about Thornton.
14:47Because obviously he's coming back from the ugly injury.
14:49But if he's able to be back once we get to camp and kind of as we get into the
14:54season, I think you have a pretty dynamic group of pass rushers there.
14:58Not to mention Joshua Joseph, who's going to be, you know, a back end pass rusher.
15:02But in those, you know, third and long situations, he is a big, big body.
15:07And one of the things during minicamp OTAs that I really liked was he has a really good bend getting
15:12around the corner,
15:13kind of sweeping that end on the ground as he's trying to turn the corner on tackles.
15:18He could be a really nice piece, too, in a secondary role.
15:23All right.
15:24We'll finish up with this.
15:25Give me a player on both sides of the ball that isn't getting a lot of conversation, even in our
15:32circles.
15:33And it can be a player that maybe was already on the roster.
15:37It doesn't have to be a new player that you think ends up having a much larger impact on the
15:43season than maybe we're anticipating right now.
15:47I think offensively, for me, it's Rashad White.
15:50Yeah, I agree with that.
15:51With two conversations.
15:53But watching him at camp, it's much faster than I expected, much quicker than I expected.
15:58And quite frankly, you know, I was a little kind of blown away the first time that we saw him.
16:02The first practices they did were inside the bubble.
16:04And watching him gain ground on linebackers was really impressive.
16:10I think you get the kind of veteran savvy of a guy who knows how to carry the ball between
16:14the tackles, but also has a little bit of that, you know, burst on the edges where he can help
16:19you out a lot in the passing game.
16:21Not to mention, he's one of the best pass-walking running backs in the league.
16:26So he's going to have a really nice role.
16:30Defensively, you know, I've talked about this guy for a few years in a row now.
16:34So, you know, maybe at some point it's getting a little bit beyond.
16:38But I think Jordan McGee could be a really nice piece in the middle of this defense.
16:43I don't think he's going to be on the field for, you know, even 50% of the defensive staff.
16:49But I do think that he is kind of the one kind of true traditional linebacker that you have on
16:56this roster in terms of size and downhill ability.
16:59Sonny Stiles certainly plays into that role, too, but he's a rookie.
17:02So I think there's going to be some growing pains a little bit in, you know, reading and, you know,
17:08stopping the run.
17:09But I think Jordan McGee, when he was given an opportunity last year, showed enough of the sideline to sideline
17:15speed and enough of the football instincts
17:18where he can really be, you know, a really nice run-stopping piece in the middle of that defense.
17:24I mean, honestly, I think of him kind of, and people are going to laugh, but a little bit in
17:28the how Bobby Wagner was effective last year
17:31is in the role that I can see Jordan McGee being effective this year.
17:35Do I want to see him running with tight ends and running backs?
17:37Not as much.
17:38But on short yardage downs or, you know, most likely rundowns, I really like the idea of Jordan McGee kind
17:45of in the middle of that defense
17:46being a monster that can go blow up a blocker and get to the running back or just straight, you
17:51know, get after the ball carrier.
17:54Thanks for doing this.
17:55As always, let's chat before the season begins.
17:58Thanks, Mitch.
18:00Absolutely.
18:00Anytime.
18:01And, you know, if you want to argue about the DMV a little more, I'm happy to come back on
18:04and make my point.
18:05This time of year, I think it's more interesting to most people who listen to this podcast.
18:10I'll talk to you soon.
18:11Thanks.
18:12Thanks.
18:13Mitch Tischler, everybody, from Monumental Sports and the J.P. Finley Podcast.