Hogs Haven
A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, and a sprinkling of other stuff
ESPN talked to league scouts, executives and coaches about their favorite offseason moves after the dust settled. Some answers were predictable, others surprising.
While teams we spoke to had mixed reviews on the Deebo Samuel Sr. trade due to perceptions of a declining skill set, most were all-in on Tunsil.
The Washington Commanders gave up four picks — including third- and seventh-rounders this year, along with second- and fourth-rounders next year — in exchange for Tunsil and a fourth-rounder. So, essentially, Washington gave up two Day 2 picks and change for Tunsil.
While Tunsil is an imperfect player — he struggled with penalties, and the Houston Texans’ offensive line struggled overall in 2024 — he’s on the short list at a premier position.
“He’s still a top-three tackle for me,” an AFC scout said. “And anything you can do to protect Jayden Daniels and load up while he’s on his rookie deal is smart. They gave up a little more than I’d like but I trust AP [general manager Adam Peters] that he knows what he’s doing here.”
Added an NFL coordinator of Tunsil: “Dude’s still as good as anyone. Honestly, I think he just gets bored and loses focus sometimes but I’m guessing he will be highly motivated in Washington, and when he is he’s among the very best.”
Dan Quinn entered the Washington Commanders’ offseason workout program with some preconceived notions about Deebo Samuel — all of them positive — but what stood out to him the most about his new receiver wasn’t quite what he expected.
“Somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten until [he was] out here how fast he is,” Quinn said.
Samuel, who the Commanders acquired in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers in March, is known for being able to line up at multiple positions on offense, acting more as a weapon than a traditional receiver. His best trait, however, is what he can do after making catches and being able to break away from defenders.
Of course, Quinn has always known that about Samuel — he had to game plan for it as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator — but he has a deeper appreciation for it now that he has seen that skill set in person.
“He was such a difficult person to tackle that you spent so much time, ‘How are you going to tackle this person?’” Quinn said.
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