Commanders ‘state of the roster’ review; Will Harris, Frankie Luvu – Daily Slop

**Riggo’s Rag**

7 Commanders officially out of excuses

**Will Harris – Commanders S** The Commanders were expected to make big changes to their safety unit this offseason. Almost every position on the depth chart struggled to make an impression in 2025, but the back-end stability on defense left a lot to be desired. Perhaps surprisingly, the Commanders made slight tweaks rather than a complete overhaul. Nick Cross signed in free agency, which could be a steal at the money involved if he has the impact expected. Nobody else of note has joined the ranks as yet, so Washington obviously has confidence in those who largely underperformed during the previous campaign. Will Harris is among them. He was the man tasked with filling the void left by Jeremy Chinn, but an early injury put pay to his chances of having a successful season. He never looked 100 percent even after returning. Still, the Commanders clearly believe things can improve with a better run of luck on the health front. **Frankie Luvu – Commanders LB** There is no doubt Frankie Luvu became a victim of circumstances with the Commanders last season. When injuries began to decimate his defense, the coaching staff asked the linebacker to occupy a role he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. He gave it everything, but the waning influence spoke volumes. Luvu played more on the edge than at any stage during his career. This restricted his ability to be instinctive and retain the form that earned him second-team All-Pro honors in 2024. Daronte Jones is changing all that this time around, and Adam Peters has enough strength in the pass-rush after an aggressive offseason. Jones plans to move Luvu back to his off-ball role. That would greatly benefit the franchise, but the Commanders have contingencies in place in case he cannot turn the tide. Washington signed Leo Chenal in free agency. They took Sonny Styles at No. 7 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Luvu will still play an integral role, but for how much longer remains to be seen.

**Commanders Wire**

One reason Commanders should be optimistic for next season

Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports gave one reason why all 32 teams should be optimistic. For the Commanders, DeArdo said Washington should be optimistic about its “significant offseason upgrades.”

After a disappointing 2025 season, the Commanders put themselves in position to mirror the success they had in 2024, when they advanced to the NFC title game.

Washington overturned its defense this offseason. Six defensive players acquired during free agency are projected starters. They then hit a home run during the draft when they selected linebacker Sonny Styles, whose brilliant play at Ohio State helped the Buckeyes capture a national title in 2024.

The Commanders also gave Jayden Daniels some new weapons in former Buccaneers running back Rashaad White and rookie wideout Antonio Williams. San Francisco 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk could certainly land there, too. The Commanders had one of the NFL’s worst defenses last season. Now, that entire side of the ball is younger, faster and better. It’s way too soon to tell what that means in terms of wins and losses, but it can’t be any worse. Offensively, it was about giving Jayden Daniels more help. Third-round wide receiver Antonio Williams will be a significant part of the offense as a rookie, as will Chig Okonkwo, who signed a three-year deal in March. The Commanders also brought back wide receiver Dyami Brown, who had a nice connection with Daniels in 2024.

**Podcasts & videos**

Commanders Minicamp! Daronte Jones Defensive OVERHAUL in FULL SWING!

Second Thoughts: Post Rookie Minicamp | JOHN KEIM REPORT

Episode 1,323 – Guest: @Coach\_Grisham on Antonio Williams. Coached him for four seasons at Clemson. Terrific insight.

Guest: @GregFinberg. Great perspective on what the Wizards getting the No. 1 pick means for the team & what they should do with the pick.

— Al Galdi (@AlGaldi) May 12, 2026

Monday Fun Day ft @Mitch\_Tischler w/ @Gcarmi21

**NFC East links**

**Blogging the Boys**

Cowboys find out who they will play on Thanksgiving

Dallas has played Philadelphia twice on Thanksgiving in the past, it hasn’t gone in their favor. The Eagles beat the Cowboys 27-0 in 1989 in the infamous “Bounty Bowl” during Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson’s first season as head coach in Dallas. Their last matchup on Turkey Day came in 2014 when the Eagles won 33-14. This decade, the Cowboys and Eagles have split their 12 meetings. They’ve split the season series four times over those six years, and each team has swept the other once. With this game landing on Thanksgiving, it’s likely that NFC East and playoff implications will be heavily involved. The Cowboys and Eagles should be the favorites to win the division heading into the 2026 season.

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— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 11, 2026 With the #NFLScheduleRelease hitting on Thursday, games are starting to leak out and a big one dropped — #DallasCowboys vs. #NYGiants to cap Week 1 on Sunday Night Football:#NFLpic.twitter.com/r9TT30MIlF

— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) May 11, 2026

**Front Office Sports**

Fox Chases NFL Record With 2026 Thanksgiving Day Game

Fox’s pursuit of an NFL viewership record will lean on another heated NFC East division rivalry. The network said as part of its upfront presentation to advertisers Monday in New York that it will air an Eagles-Cowboys game in the late-afternoon window on Thanksgiving Day. That game, leaning into of the league’s most storied rivalries, will seek to exceed the audience average of 57.2 million for last year’s broadcast in that window between the Chiefs and Cowboys on CBS. Fox and the NFL will also likely have the benefit of an expanded Nielsen methodology for measuring co-viewing within households. A recent pilot program found that the new process generated a 4.2% audience lift during several top events in February, including Super Bowl LX. That latest move adds to prior Nielsen introductions of its Big Data + Panel process last September and an enlarged counting of out-of-home audiences that began in early 2025. Regardless of the final count, though, this late-afternoon Thanksgiving game is traditionally the most-watched broadcast of each NFL regular season. The upcoming game will be the Eagles’ eighth contest on Thanksgiving, and the first in Dallas since 2014.

**Big Blue View**

2026 NY Giants schedule: 4 storylines for Week 1 against the Cowboys

The NFL made one of the highlights of the season their first announcement, when they confirmed that the New York Giants would host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Giants vs. Cowboys is always a cash cow for the NFL. Not to mention, this game is simply rife with potential storylines. **Will the doubters be right?** The honeymoon period with John Harbaugh didn’t last long for some. Voices in both the fandom and the media have expressed consistent skepticism that the Giants can right the ship and be competitive in 2026. The belief is that the Giants’ competitiveness as underdogs last year is irrelevant in the face of the leads they coughed up, that the team is still at a severe talent deficit compared to their competition, and that they didn’t make the correct moves in adding players this year. New Cowboys’ safety Caleb Downs is the poster boy for doubts surrounding the Giants as Week 1 draws nearer. There were many who were not only convinced that the Giants *would* take Downs at fifth overall, they were convinced that the Giants *had* to do so. There were arguments that he would rebuild their defensive culture, fix their run defense, and rejuvenate a secondary that had regressed badly under Shane Bowen. Instead, the Giants took Arvell Reese and Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa. Behind the scenes footage revealed that Reese was the Giants’ second-highest rated player, and Mauigoa was in their Top 5 as well. It also revealed that they believed there was a drop-off after the top-5 and we can infer that Downs was in that second tier of players. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have been lauded for drafting Downs. He will be playing the nickel in their defense and likely spend much of Week 1 near the line of scrimmage. That will make him a constant factor for Dart, Mauigoa, the Giants’ running game, and their underneath passing options. So will Downs prove the doubters right? Will he make the Giants pay for passing on him to draft a tackle to play guard? Or will Sisi reenact Miami’s win over Ohio State, Dart beat the rookie in coverage, and Skattebo pinball off of him the way he did so many other defenders before his injury?

**NFL league links**

Articles

**The Athletic** (paywall)

Adrian Peterson to be inducted into Minnesota Vikings’ Ring of Honor

The Minnesota Vikings will induct legendary running back Adrian Peterson into the team’s Ring of Honor during the 2026 season, the team announced Monday. Peterson, a seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, will join fellow running backs and past honorees Chuck Foreman and Bill Brown. The Vikings selected Peterson with the seventh pick in the 2007 draft. He played with the team for 10 seasons, accumulated 11,747 rushing yards and 97 touchdowns — the most ever by a Vikings running back. In 2012, Peterson’s 2,097 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns led to him becoming the third Vikings player to be named the NFL’s MVP.

**Discussion topics**

points scored on opening drives last year

68 – BUF 67 66 65 64 63 62 61 60 59 58 57 – NE, BAL, LAC 56 55 54 53 – CAR 52 – SF, PHI 51 – LAR, DET 50 49 – IND 48 – TB 47 – PIT 46 45 – NYG 44 – DAL 43 – MIN 42 – CIN 41 40 – HOU 39 38 – SEA 37 36 35 34 – GB 33 – KC, MIA 32 – TEN 31 -…

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 11, 2026

**aBit o’Twitter**

go ahead and jump (jump) 🎶@a\_williams2022 | #RaiseHailpic.twitter.com/93VKMhDcFU

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) May 11, 2026 When @Mitch\_Tischler is on the show, you have to ask about the offensive line 😂.

I thought he did a great job explaining the importance of the center position in a "under the center" based offense.

A different perspective I hadn't considered. #RaiseHail@DougMcCrayNFLpic.twitter.com/uKxUbTUEIE

— George Carmi (@Gcarmi21) May 12, 2026 Steelers have agreed to terms with K Chris Boswell on a four-year, $28 million extension. The $7 million average per year ties him with Brandon Aubrey for highest paid kicker in NFL history, per CAA Football. Boswell is now locked in with the Steelers through the 2030 season.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 11, 2026 using last year's records to calculate this year's strength of schedule is great…assuming you don't care about:

– free agency & all the players on new teams – the 10 new head coaches this year – the 38 new OCs and DCs this year – the NFL Draft – injuries last year that…

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 11, 2026 the better way to calculate strength of schedule in 2026

(and the data to support why it's better)

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 11, 2026 NFC teams have 9 home games this season, thus they will be the “home” team for all the international games.

Jaguars are always the exception.

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) May 11, 2026 Schedule note: The NFL is expected to have Saturday games in Weeks 15, 16, 17, and 18 this season, and then continue with Saturday games during the Wild Card and Divisional rounds like usual.

That means six consecutive weeks of NFL games on Saturdays.

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 12, 2026 Making sense of the "87 percent of all games are on free TV" talking point. pic.twitter.com/nrz5N4Z6Xi

— PFT Live (@PFT\_Live) May 11, 2026 No longer the new kids on the block

2026 @NFLPA Rookie Premiere 🔜 pic.twitter.com/f83qHEds11

— NFL (@NFL) May 11, 2026 It never doesn’t amaze me.

One of my very best friends is a USC fan and he texted me saying “that run is art” pic.twitter.com/EfeExMGGON

— John Massingale (@JohnMassingale4) May 11, 2026

**Craig Morton, the first quarterback to start Super Bowls for two separate teams, died Saturday at the age of 83**

Former Broncos QB Craig Morton passed away on Saturday at the age of 83, the team announced.

Morton, who also played for the Cowboys and Giants, played for Denver from 1977-82, leading the team to its first playoff appearance and Super Bowl berth. pic.twitter.com/iZZB9VNDtb

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 11, 2026 RIP to former NFL QB Craig Morton, who has passed away at the age of 83.

Morton played in the NFL from 1965-1982 and did so for three teams; the Cowboys, Giants and Broncos.

Morton was the fifth overall pick of Dallas in the 1965 NFL Draft and won Super Bowl 6 with them,… pic.twitter.com/rVSI35hWkJ

— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) May 12, 2026