Commanders Clips
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.
With an injury concern at the position, Washington is adding a running back.
Per John Keim of ESPN, the Commanders are signing Craig Reynolds.
Reynolds, 30, has appeared in 60 career games with two starts. He’s rushed for 658 yards with one touchdown and caught 25 passes for 258 yards.
Reynolds was a teammate of Washington offensive coordinator David Blough when Blough was a reserve quarterback for the Lions in 2021 and 2023.
Washington running back Jeremy McNichols is currently dealing with a quad injury.
The Commanders will play the Lions on Saturday afternoon for their second game of the preseason.
The recent issue between LSU and Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels started because LSU made a promise to Daniels that it ultimately couldn’t keep, because of a conflicting promise made to cornerback DJ Pickett.
That nuance has been lost on social media, where Daniels quickly emerged as the villain for his overreaction to the re-issuance of the number he wore for two years at LSU. And Daniels has become the butt of a busload of jokes, with MLS teams (more than one), Major League Baseball teams (yes, more than one . . . and more than two . . . and more than three . . . and more than four), minor league baseball teams, CFL teams, college football teams, college soccer teams, Golf Digest, ticket resellers, and consumer product brands joining in the clowning of Daniels.
The Los Angeles Angels got in on the act as well, with a video that includes one of the absolute worst ceremonial first pitches in baseball history, courtesy of KISS frontman Paul Stanley.
The jokes are everywhere. The “5" thing with Daniels was immediately entrenched in the zeitgeist. And it’s not going anywhere.
The problem is that, even though LSU was in the wrong by making multiple promises that conflicted, Daniels overreacted. And there’s no indication it was Daniels himself who blew a gasket over the situation. It was his camp, his team — and possibly his agent-mom — that picked a five-inch molehill to die on.
Daniels is a very good quarterback, whose second season was marred by injury. He has now become a punchline, without taking a single snap in his third NFL season.
The lessons are clear. First, it’s never a good look for a former player to complain publicly about his number being re-issued. Second, every player needs to fully control his personal team. It’s their decisions that will stick to the player; the player needs to be aware and in full agreement with any letters the lawyers write or statements the spokespeople issue.
Even if Daniels wasn’t involved in any of the effort to push back against LSU, it’s all going to stick to him. And it’s not going to go away, even after the jokes stop being funny.
Von Miller posted a photo of himself in a Cowboys jersey with a “Shhh” emoji last month. He either knew something or spoke it into existence.
Miller has agreed to terms with the Cowboys, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports, and Miller just posted a photo on Instagram of himself in a No. 40 Cowboys jersey.
Miller grew up in DeSoto, Texas, 24 miles from AT&T Stadium, and became a star at Texas A&M. He has been working out near the Cowboys team facility in Frisco.
In 14 NFL seasons with the Broncos, Rams, Bills and Commanders, Miller has 138.5 sacks. His nine sacks last season, when he played 37 percent of the defensive snaps, were his most since 2021.
He won a Super Bowl with the Broncos, earning MVP honors, and another with the Rams. The Cowboys haven’t even been to an NFC Championship Game since winning their last Super Bowl in the 1995 season.
But Miller addresses a need at outside linebacker in Christian Parker’s 3-4 defense.
