Hogs Haven
The Athletic (paywall)
With trade speculation mounting, running back Brian Robinson Jr. did not play in the Washington Commanders’ preseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night, likely a sign that the team is looking to move on from him, either via trade or a release if it cannot find a trading partner.
Washington ranked third in average rushing yards per game last season — a marked turnaround after its almost run-less offense under Eric Bieniemy the year prior, when the 2023 Commanders ran the ball a league-low 21.1 times per game. The issue last season: Washington’s quarterback was its leading rusher. The Commanders’ backs struggled late in the season as the team pushed for the sixth playoff seed in the NFC, leaving Jayden Daniels to lead both the pass and run games.
A third-round draft pick in 2022, Robinson is in the final season of his rookie contract and has a non-guaranteed $3.4 million base salary. The relatively minimal savings for the Commanders if they move on from him make it clear the value in doing so would be to turn to the future with their young and versatile backs.
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Location: Ashburn, Virginia
Dates visited: Aug. 2
One thing I saw: Spinner handoffs. A favorite of the Dolphins and Packers last season, spinner plays feature the quarterback handing the ball off from the gun while spinning in the backfield. Borrowed from single-wing and wing-T offenses, the spin allows the quarterback to bluff one handoff but execute another and can disorient opposing linebackers when dressed with more backfield eye candy. Here’s an example for the visual learners.
The Commanders want to have as disorienting a running game as possible. Without an elite back in the backfield, yet with a couple of tricky, movable players in WR Deebo Samuel and RB Austin Ekeler, they will benefit from a nontraditional handoff game that makes their jet motions and screens all the more dangerous. The most important part: having a quarterback who is also unlocked by read options and shifting backfields. With his smooth ballhandling and impossible quickness, Jayden Daniels is going to shine even brighter with these nifty backfield shenanigans forcing hesitations from unblocked defenders.
One thing I heard: Not only can I not find anyone who believes wide receiver Terry McLaurin will play for another team in 2025, I can’t find anyone who has a remotely plausible hypothetical in which McLaurin plays for another team in 2025. This section might better be called one thing I didn’t hear: a way McLaurin actually gets out of Washington. I strongly believe this standoff will end with a compromise extension before Week 1.
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Bengals: The defensive improvement under new coordinator Al Golden has been touted throughout the offseason and in training camp. But the group that has...
