Hogs Haven
Washington Post (paywall)
After he didn’t attend Monday night’s preseason game with an excused absence in the midst of a months-long contract dispute, McLaurin arrived at Northwest Stadium on Saturday morning.
In a black hoodie with a Louis Vuitton backpack over his shoulder, McLaurin strolled through the tunnel a few minutes after 9 a.m. as Commanders players and coaches trickled into their locker room. Wearing burgundy, team-issued sweats, he stood in the end zone during pregame warmups, chatting with linebacker Bobby Wagner. He ambled down the sideline and stood near midfield, watching warmups.
It’s unclear what, if anything, McLaurin’s presence means for his contract negotiations. McLaurin has not spoken publicly since mid-July, when he told reporters at a local commercial shoot that he could not see himself stepping on the field without a contract extension. Whether McLaurin would stick to that vow with a game check on the line remains an open question.
Sam Hartman’s rough training camp ended on another sour note: Hartman directed Washington’s offense to three points in the first half, the same number of turnovers he committed. One pass was tipped and fluttered into the hands of Ravens defensive back Jalyn Armour-Davis. Near the end of the first half, he floated an out route directly to cornerback Keyon Martin, who returned it 26 yards for a pick-six. After Washington got the ball back, Hartman gave it away yet again when the ball slipped out of his hands as he attempted a throw while trying to squeeze through a hole in the middle of the line.
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In roughly three full halves this preseason, Hartman produced a rugged stat line: 25 for 46, 207 passing yards, no touchdowns, four interceptions, one fumble and six rushes for 40 yards. The Commanders may keep Hartman on the practice squad partly because he has a great relationship with Daniels. But it was a tough summer. …
The Athletic (paywall)
Here’s the cold reality of the NFL: The majority of players who suited up for the Washington Commanders in their preseason finale on Saturday will be gone in three days, if not sooner.
The league’s deadline to trim rosters to 53 players is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, making Washington’s 30-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens the final tryout in a months-long evaluation process. Thirty-two players — almost all of whom are locks to be on the initial active roster — were held out of the game to ensure those clawing for roster spots got ample reps.
So who showed enough to make it? Here’s one last crack at projecting the Commanders’ first roster — one that will likely change before the season opener on Sept. 7 against the New York Giants.
Zach Ertz, John Bates, Ben Sinnott, Colson Yankoff
The only thing that changed with this group from last...
