Washington Commanders rookies got their numbers last week, and they all signed their first NFL contracts. The Commanders also signed over a dozen free agents who also needed new numbers. Several players have posted or talked about their new numbers, but now we’ve got the complete list.

As always, a word of caution for the jersey buyer: these guys (outside of Sonny Styles and Jayden Daniels) could change numbers once the roster shrinks to 53. No one wants an outdated number.

Thought Nick Cross came strong with No. 25, so it sounds like he’ll stick with that.

Rookie number announcement...

The NFL schedule leaks, rumors, and reports have started, and we should have most of the schedule penciled in before the Washington Commanders announce theirs at 7:45 p.m. ET Thursday night. The NFL will officially release the entire season’s schedule at 8 p.m. as part of their 2 hour release program, but have already leaked several games.

The first rumored Commanders game is once again the international game. They played in Spain last year, and a London game was confirmed months ago. A hospitality company in London, reportedly leaked the date of their game(October 4th) and the opponent is rumored...

The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.

CLICK HERE to see the full 5 o’clock club archive

In the 2026 NFL draft, three Ohio State defensive players were drafted to the same division — the NFC East — in the first 11 picks.

We’re all well aware that the Commanders drafted LB Sonny Styles with the 7th...

Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles 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, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy!

Commanders links

Articles

Riggo’s Rag

Sonny Styles hype train has officially left the station in Washington

During a conversation with Mike Sando of The Athletic, an anonymous executive compared Styles to Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher for his athleticism, intelligence, and communication skills. They also believe this was a top-five player [who...

Antonio Williams is primarily known as a slot receiver. He ran 78% of his routes from there during his standout Clemson career, per The Ringer, and 93% of them from the slot in 2025.

That’s, well, a lot.

He’s capable of winning on the outside, too, which shows up a ton on his tape. Where will the Commanders play their third-round pick? Most predict he’ll play almost exclusively inside.

What is Williams’ preference? The No. 71 overall NFL draft pick was asked that question after the first Commanders rookie minicamp practice.

“I prefer everything,” [Williams said in a Friday press...

The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.

CLICK HERE to see the full 5 o’clock club archive

The Terminator and the multiverse theory

I’m going to assume, after 42 years and at least 5 Hollywood movies in the franchise, that most people are familiar with the basic plot of The Terminator and that I’m not spoiling anything...

Stefon Diggs is from the DMV. He was born in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He went to high school near there. Then he went to the University of Maryland before moving on to the NFL.

Diggs has played 11 productive-as-heck seasons since then, starring for the Vikings, Bills, Texans and Patriots. He became an unrestricted free agent this spring after New England released him, and he still hasn’t found a new team.

Would he come play for his hometown team, especially one featuring quarterback Jayden Daniels and a receiver corps desperately needing talent opposite Terry McLauin?

He was asked about that on...

For the last decade-plus, linebacker has been a weak spot for Washington. Despite having former linebackers in key roles on the coaching staff – Jack Del Rio (defensive coordinator) and Ron Rivera (head coach), there was not a lot of resources put towards the position. Rivera did “attempt” to upgrade the position by selecting Jamin Davis as the 19th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, but he turned out to be a bust.

When Dan Quinn arrived, he and Adam Peters brought in Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu. Despite being a shell of his former self, Wagner was a...

Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles 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, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy!

Commanders links

Articles

Commanders.com

Rookie minicamp notebook | A ‘Sonny’ day in Ashburn

— Quinn…likes how wide receiver Antonio Williams fits into David Blough’s system because of his versatility. Like general manager Adam Peters, Quinn said Williams can play on the outside and in the slot, and he’s going to be used at both often....

These articles about the bottom-of-the-roster players are not intended to suggest that any given player is bound for glory; rather, the articles are intended to celebrate the ongoing fight of each player to extend his NFL dream. For those of you who appreciate the fight of the underdog, we hope you enjoy today’s article and the others that will follow in this “2026 UDFA Spotlight” series. Today, we kick off our series with Iowa’s Drew Stevens.

A one time, second-team, and three-time third-team All-Big Ten selection, Drew Stevens holds several school records at Iowa, including FGs made (76), most FGs...

The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.

CLICK HERE to see the full 5 o’clock club archive

I’m continuing an experiment that began yesterday; today, I asked Google’s AI large language model 4 questions about the Commanders fanbase & the how it compares to fans of other NFC East teams, and pasted both my questions and the answers...

Sonny Styles is in the midst of some NFL firsts. The draft pick came first, made by Washington at No. 7 overall, followed by the adorned Commanders hat and the Roger Goodell hug. Then came the introductory press conference and Friday’s formally signed rookie contract.

The first professional practice came later that afternoon, where he adorned the burgundy and gold No. 52 for the first time.

“It just felt right,” Styles told on-site reporters during a Friday press conference. “It was like it was meant to be.”

Cornerback Mike Saniristil had the No. 0 he wore at Ohio State, but...