Daniel Snyder is the perfect example of a fundamental truth: The only thing better than being rich and famous is being rich.
Snyder had become rich and notorious until the NFL forced him out of Club Oligarch. While many owners were believed to be inclined to keep him around despite allegations of misconduct and mistreatment of employees, the tipping point arrived when the other owners had reason to believe Snyder may have been picking their pockets, by allegedly diverting ticket revenue from Commanders games (40 percent of which are shared with the rest of the league) to non-Commanders events at the stadium he owned.
Whatever the reason(s), some owners who were previously concerned about creating a standard that could potentially be used against them agreed that Snyder had to go. And in the three years since he left, Snyder has become (as explained by Mark Maske of Front Office Sports) “invisible.”
In 2023, Snyder sold the Commanders to a group led by Josh Harris for a then-record $6.05 billion. (That record will soon be shattered, when a group led by Vinod Khosla acquires the Seahawks for $9.612 billion.)
Snyder had been linked to potential investment in an English soccer club. That never happened. And he has completely disconnected from any relationship he made in more than 20 years of franchise ownership.
“I don’t think anybody is in touch with him about anything,” an unnamed NFL team official told Maske. “I don’t know who he hangs out with. I don’t know who he talks to. Certainly nobody in the NFL is talking to him.”
Snyder and his wife have relocated to London, with no apparent plan to return to the United States.
“He’ll never be back,” an unnamed Snyder associate told Maske. “In London, they . . . don’t bother him.”
That said, Snyder hovers over former Raiders coach Jon Gruden’s lawsuit against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell. Gruden’s case arises from the weaponization of confidential emails harvested during Beth Wilkinson’s investigation of the team. A small universe of people had access to them.
Snyder, given that he owned the network from which the emails were gathered, was necessarily one of them.
And with Snyder out of the country, getting his testimony in the Gruden case will entail a complicated and cumbersome process.
But Gruden seems to be very motivated to get to the bottom of who ordered the Code Red against him, resulting in his forced resignation from the Raiders in October 2021. His lawyers presumably will do whatever it takes to get Snyder under oath, so that he can be grilled about any knowledge he may have regarding the leaks that led to Gruden’s ouster.
Commanders Clips
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels made his preseason debut on Saturday. If you blink, you may have missed it.
Daniels got the start and handled one drive. It was a three-and-out that netted one yard.
In the three plays that Daniels was on the field, he was 0-for-1 passing and suffered a 10-yard sack.
Sam Hartman and Athan Kaliakmanis, a seventh-round rookie from Rutgers, played quarterback after Daniels.
Backup Marcus Mariota is currently out with a knee injury. He’s expected to miss the rest of the preseason with an MCL sprain.
The Commanders play the Ravens next weekend before opening the regular season at Philadelphia.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is set for his first action of the preseason.
The team released a list of 15 inactive players for Saturday’s game against the Lions and Daniels is not on it. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said earlier this week that a good amount of the team’s starters would see action in the team’s second game of the preseason, but that he was unsure if Daniels would be among them.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs is also set to see his first game action since signing with the Commanders. Terry McLaurin also avoided the inactive list, so it looks like the Commanders will get their first look at their top receiver tandem in action.
If that is the case, they will not be joined by the team’s top running backs. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, and Jeremy McNichols are all inactive, which leaves sixth-round pick Kaytron Allen as the top back who is expected to play.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn shared some plans for Saturday’s game against the Lions during a Thursday morning press conference, but the status of quarterback Jayden Daniels remains up in the air.
Quinn said, via multiple reporters, that the plan is to play a “good amount” of the team’s starters in Detroit before adding that he’s unsure if Daniels will be among them. Quinn said that determination will be made based on who else will be in the lineup.
Marcus Mariota is recovering from a knee injury, so Sam Hartman and Athan Kaliakmanis would be the quarterbacks if Daniels does not play.
One key piece that will be missing is center Nick Allegretti. Quinn said Allegretti aggravated a calf injury that had kept him out of several practices and will not play, but the team hopes that he will be able to ramp back up in time for the start of the regular season.
Running back Rachaad White will also miss Saturday’s game after hurting his hamstring last week.
Commanders defensive tackle Johnny Newton went to see a specialist in New York this week about his pectoral injury and the result of that meeting will be an extended absence from the lineup.
Head coach Dan Quinn told reporters at a Thursday morning press conference that Newton had surgery to repair a torn pectoral. Quinn did not lay out a specific timetable for Newton’s return, but he said that the 2024 second-round pick will be out for a significant period of time.
Newton had 38 tackles, five sacks and a forced fumble while appearing in every game for Washington last season.
Daron Payne, Tim Settle, Javon Kinlaw, Shy Tuttle, Charles Omenihu, and Deatrich Wise remain on hand for the Commanders on the defensive line.
Commanders running back Rachaad White has missed the past few days with an undisclosed injury.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that White tweaked his hamstring in the joint practice with the Dolphins. White worked out before Friday’s preseason game against the Dolphins.
White’s injury is not considered serious or long term, per Garafolo.
White is expected to give the Commanders a 1-2 punch with Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
The Buccaneers’ third-round draft pick in 2022 signed with the Commanders in the offseason. He started 48 of 67 career games in Tampa, missing just one regular-season game with a hamstring injury in 2024.
The Commanders could be without defensive tackle Johnny Newton for a while.
Head coach Dan Quinn told reporters at a Wednesday morning press conference that Newton is dealing with a pectoral injury. He is not currently with the team because he is in New York to see a specialist about next steps for dealing with it.
Quinn said, via multiple reporters, that there is concern that it could be a long-term issue.
Newton was a 2024 second-round pick and he missed one game in his first two seasons. He had 82 tackles, seven sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in his 33 regular season appearances.
The Commanders announced a slew of roster moves on Tuesday morning.
In addition to the previously reported additions of linebacker Krys Barnes and running back Craig Reynolds, they announced that they have come to agreements with defensive tackle Maurice Hurts and tight end Tre McKitty.
Hurst played in 23 games for the Browns over the last three seasons and had 39 tackles, two sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery. The 2018 Raiders fifth-round pick has also played for the 49ers.
McKitty appeared in 34 games for the Chargers between 2021 and 2023. He had 16 catches for 117 yards in that action.
The Commanders cleared space for the new additions by releasing kicker Jake Moody and punter Matt Haack. They also placed wide receiver River Cracraft and running back Jerome Ford on injured reserve.
The Commanders have agreed to terms with linebacker Krys Barnes, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports.
Barnes, 28, spent last season with Carolina, bouncing between the practice squad and the active roster. He played seven games with three starts, seeing action on 143 defensive snaps and 61 on special teams.
He made 23 tackles and half a sack last season.
Barnes has also played for the Packers and Cardinals, appearing in 75 career games. He has posted 303 career tackles, 5.5 sacks, 10 passes defensed, an interception and a forced fumble.
Jake Moody’s bid to become the Commanders’ kicker for the 2026 season is coming to an end.
According to multiple reports, the Commanders will release Moody. That will leave undrafted rookie Drew Stevens as the only kicker on the roster in Washington.
Moody was signed off of the Bears’ practice squad during the 2025 season and he appeared in six games for Washington. He was 10-of-11 on field goals and 10-of-11 on extra points.
Moody played in two games for the Bears before being plucked away by the Commanders and he opened the season with the 49ers, but was released after missing two field goals in Week 1. Moody was a 2023 third-round pick by the 49ers and he was 45-of-59 on field goals over his first two seasons.
