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Daily Slop – 26 Jun 24: Brandon Coleman explains how his basketball background helped him as an offensive lineman

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Yahoo Sports

In new opportunity with Commanders and Jayden Daniels, Dan Quinn is checking his blind spots

Dan Quinn exited his office and turned left.

The Washington Commanders head coach walked the increasingly well-worn path toward the office of general manager Adam Peters.

The short walk toward his partner-in-crime, as they aim to return a franchise back to its winning days on and off the field.

But as Quinn glanced toward the door nearing on his left, he thought to himself: Do I really need to ask this question? Does he really need this reminder?

No.

“So I didn’t even walk in,” Quinn told Yahoo Sports during a recent visit. “I started walking down the hallway and I just U-turned and came back.

Quinn instead is focusing on checking his blind spots.

He knows how to be a head coach after five-plus seasons at the helm for the Atlanta Falcons from 2015-20. Quinn knows, too, how to call a defense, from his Super Bowl-winning Legion of Boom days in Seattle to his more recent takeaway-leading era as Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator.

Quinn thinks back to the schematic deep dive he confronted after the Falcons fired him, his realization that he needed to adapt his vision defense to handle more multiple, spread-out offenses. He thinks back to his reflection on what he wanted to change most if the five words he kept telling himself — “if I get another shot” — ever materialized: improving his delegations.

As he takes over the Commanders, Quinn accepts that doing less in some areas allows him to think more in others. His job is not to call defenses or lead every drill; it’s to establish a culture and make informed decisions.

“The essence of a head coach is to put it all together,” Quinn said at his introductory news conference in February. “It’s the chemistry, it’s the messaging, it’s the play style. It’s the attitude. It’s the swagger.

“The essence of this job [is] to tie everything together. And that’s when I’m at my best.”

Quinn’s teams will aim to leverage tempo and a dual-threat-but-pass-first quarterback to set an aggressive tone on offense, while ballhawking and strain characterize a defense that Quinn hopes can steal a few possessions with takeaway magic reflective of his recent Cowboys teams (who led the league all three of Quinn’s years in Dallas). Even special teams will look different in the first years of a new set of rules; there, Quinn envisions veteran addition Austin Ekeler excelling.

A visitor would find it almost cheesy how often Commanders players praise the “vibes” and “energy” Quinn emits, until remembering what has characterized the last half-decade of Washington football.

Team name changes, Congressional investigations into sexual harassment and workplace misconduct, and an ownership sale not unrelated to those investigations have overshadowed losing season after losing season.

Quinn knows the relatively uphill battle he’s fighting to recapture wins and integrity alike, the possibly impossible tightrope of respecting the legacy of former players and understanding the sensitivity toward the Commanders’ history. He doesn’t view his day-to-day interactions with players through the lens of what happened before he arrived, he said.

“If you’re not gonna give extreme effort, stress, and it should hurt a little bit right now — and if you’re not gonna compete in everything we do, this is not the place for you,” defensive coordinator Joe Whitt told Yahoo Sports. “The way we live isn’t for everybody. It’s truly not. We’ll figure out who wants to be here and who doesn’t.”

Even as smiles abound, Whitt cautions of Quinn: “Don’t take his kindness for any kind of weakness. He’s the strongest man I’ve been around.”

So Quinn delivered to his players spring messages of pushing the envelope on their work ethic and embracing, as Lawson said in a video clip he played for the team the day after her visit, that the work won’t get easier — they will instead learn to “handle hard better.”

Washington Post (paywall)

A new head of analytics takes over as Commanders shake up front office

Senior vice president of football operations Brandon Sosna will lead analytics. He replaces Eugene Shen, who was hired late last year.

Now, analytics will be overseen by senior vice president of football operations Brandon Sosna, a fast-rising executive whom Peters hired away from Detroit last month. Sosna also will be the club’s lead contract negotiator and oversee other departments, including health and performance and football administration.

The Commanders are expected to hire more analytics staffers in the lead-up to training camp. They promoted one member of the department Tuesday (manager of football research and development Doug Drewry) and have posted two job listings in analytics.

The Commanders spokesperson said Shen is “currently in discussions” to work for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the company founded by Harris and David Blitzer that owns and operates the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and other franchises.

The Commanders also made more than a dozen other promotions and hires in their football personnel and scouting department as well as football support. Notably, franchise legend Doug Williams left the business department, where he was an adviser to the team president for the past three years, and shifted back to football operations as a senior adviser to the GM.

The team lured senior director of team support and advancement Dylan Thompson away from the Houston Texans, where he was highly regarded by the team’s top players. And spokesman Sean DeBarbieri was promoted to vice president of football communications, making the 30-year-old one of the youngest VPs in the NFL.

The Athletic (paywall)

Commanders’ front-office changes show GM Adam Peters’ fixer-upper plan

The previous senior vice president of football operations, Rob Rogers, remains with the organization as vice president of football operations. Sosna’s arrival cast doubt about the Rivera holdover’s future in the organization despite his significant role in Washington’s 20-plus free-agent signings. Now, Rogers’ presence allows Sosna flexibility in managing his many responsibilities. Martin Mayhew and Marty Hurney, Washington’s top two personnel executives with Rivera, were previously re-assigned. Mayhew supported Peters in free agency and the draft as a senior personnel executive and adviser to the GM.

Williams’ title change — senior adviser to the GM — puts one of the franchise’s Super Bowl heroes back in the front office. Once a Washington senior vice president of player personnel, Williams was re-assigned to the organization’s business side as an adviser to team president Jason Wright. The Super Bowl XXII MVP is now listed as part of the Commanders’ executive management group with Peters, assistant general manager Lance Newmark, Sosna and Mayhew.

Commanders.com

‘He’s super athletic’: Brandon Coleman’s college coach believes he can thrive at LT

[T]he Commanders drafted TCU’s Brandon Coleman — listed as a guard — in the third round, and they believe he has a shot on the outside.

“We see him as a tackle and we think he could be a really good tackle,” Peters said. “He’s really experienced. He’s got heavy hands. He’s a really good athlete. So, we were really fortunate to get him where we got him.”

But can he, though? That will be the main question surrounding Coleman, both in his rookie year and in seasons to come. According to his TCU offensive line coach, Coleman has the chance not just to play tackle, but thrive at the position in the NFL.

“He’s super athletic,” said A.J. Ricker, who coached Coleman during his junior and senior seasons. “Still green, but just the way he can get off the ball and get to the second level and sustain blocks is…what really makes him special.”

Coleman’s status as either a guard or tackle has been a topic of debate since the draft process began in earnest in January. His physical metric point to him being the former in the NFL. He’s tall (6-foot-4 ½) but not as towering as fellow prospects Amarius Mims (6-foot-8) or Patrick Paul (6-foot-7 ½). He’s also at a disadvantage with 34 5/8-inch arms, as both Mims and Paul have arm lengths of at least 36 inches.

Coleman’s experience, however, suggests that he’s best suited at tackle. He had 26 starts at the position with TCU, compared to 11 at guard. The one season he played exclusively at left tackle — 2022 — was the best of his college career, earning him an 80.6 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus.

Coleman also has the quickness to keep up with faster, more agile defensive ends in pass protection, which helps him out on the edge. Ricker tried to put Coleman at guard in 2023 because he felt the position fit Coleman better from a size perspective, but because the other tackle didn’t progress the way Ricker thought he would, he bumped Coleman back out to tackles because “I at least wanted to trust the protection on the edges.”

Asked how Coleman adjusted to edge-rushers at tackle, Ricker said, “Obviously, his quickness, athleticism, but he’s also strong enough to sit down with those guys on bull rushes and get movement. It’s all about two-step contact, and he’s got really good feet.”

ESPN

Three Commanders who have intrigued coaches this spring

Of Washington’s previous four first-round picks, one (defensive end Chase Young) is no longer on the team. The other three — linebacker Jamin Davis, receiver Jahan Dotson and corner Emmanuel Forbes Jr. — all enter training camp with questions. Davis is experimenting at a new position; Dotson has been productive, but the team needs more; and Forbes must prove he’s worthy of starting.

But with a new coach in Dan Quinn, the group gets to start over.

“Out with the old, in with the new,” Davis said. “Get a chance to brush everything off and just go ball out.”

Each player showed something this spring that will make him intriguing come August.

Jamin Davis, LB

For the spring it meant seeing if he could develop into an edge rusher, from both a two- and three-point stance. By minicamp, that’s where he spent most, if not all, of his time.

Davis has averaged 4.6 pass rushes per game and recorded seven sacks over three seasons. Of those sacks, three occurred because the quarterback couldn’t beat Davis, aligned in coverage, to the outside. One happened when Davis was over the right guard in a two-point stance, stunted to the middle and used his speed.

To help the transition, Davis spent extra time working after practice with assistant linebackers coach Ryan Kerrigan — the franchise’s all-time sack leader.

“I feel extremely comfortable,” Davis said. “It’s giving me a chance to cut it loose and go hunt some quarterbacks. I’ll see where it takes me.”

Jahan Dotson, WR

On one rep early during the spring workouts, Dotson beat Mike Davis’ press coverage for an impressive catch. Up[on seeing it play out, fellow receiver Terry McLaurin couldn’t contain his excitement, yelling out: “If you use your hands like that at the line, they can’t stop you!”

It’s an area Dotson has worked on this offseason. His feet are good; his hands — helping him escape press coverage — needed to improve. Dotson, drafted 16th overall in 2022, has caught a combined 84 passes with 11 touchdowns in his first two seasons.

Emmanuel Forbes, CB

A new year. A new staff. A new outlook for Forbes.

“Oh yeah, 1,000% fresh start,” Forbes said. “They’re giving me the opportunity to showcase my talent.”

Podcasts & videos

“What is Your Why?” – Brandon Coleman is here to COMPETE | Raising Hail with the Rookies

NFC East links

The Landry Hat

Cowboys given green light to sign former All-Pro (and they’d be silly not to)

The Cowboys need to sign this free agent before training camp.

former All-Pro tackle David Bakhtiari is still available and he revealed this week that he’s almost ready to meet with teams.

Cowboys should absolutely free agent offensive tackle David Bakhtiari

“It’s mutual,” Bakhtiari posted on X (formerly Twitter) about why he’s still a free agent. “I’m waiting to make sure there’s no question marks about the knee. We are nearing the end of my rehab so things are gonna heat up on both ends in the coming two months. I’m excited to remind everyone again.”

Even with Bakhtiari’s recent injury history, the Cowboys should be all over this. A former fourth-round pick of the Packers in 2014, Bakhtiari is a three-time Pro Bowler and was a First-Team All-Pro as recently as the 2020 season. The only problem? He’s played a combined 13 games in the three seasons since.

Bakhtiari tore his ACL near the end of the 2020 season and has suffered multiple setbacks since his initial surgery. He’s underwent multiple procedures since to fix the knee. His most recent operation supposedly set right a cartilage issue and has restored his confidence enough to return to the gridiron.

The Cowboys obviously should proceed with caution, but Bakhtiari is head and shoulders above every remaining free agent tackle. They re-signed Chuma Edoga to presumably be their swing tackle, but even with his health concerns, the 32-year-old Bakhtiari would instill more confidence in a potential spot-start.

He’d also be an excellent mentor to Guyton. While the first-round pick seems to have an excellent mental drive, Bakhtiari could help Guyton correct anything he may struggle with as a rookie.

Pro Football Talk

Hard Knocks trailer shows Giants asking Saquon Barkley to “give us a chance”

In the trailer, Giants General Manager Joe Schoen is shown on the phone, apparently with Barkley, seeming to indicate that the Giants want to keep Barkley and are hoping he’ll try to work out a deal with them before leaving for another team.

“Saquon, can you give me your word on that, or are you not going to give us a chance?” Schoen says on the phone.

After Barkley signed with the Eagles, the NFL investigated whether the Eagles had tampered by talking to Barkley before it was legal for teams to talk to free agents. The NFL ultimately did not discover sufficient evidence to discipline the Eagles for tampering.

The brief clip in the Hard Knocks trailer doesn’t shed any additional light on when Barkley first talked to the Eagles and what his discussions with the Giants were like, but the full show may answer some questions about what Schoen tried to do to keep Barkley, and why Barkley ultimately left.

All a’Twitter