Daily Slop – 29 Jun 24: Players looking for changed trajectory: Austin Ekeler, Jeremy Chinn, Dyami Brown

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East and the NFL in general

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NFL.com

Commanders’ Austin Ekeler aims to reclaim role as top fantasy running back

During an appearance on Wednesday’s edition of The Insiders, the new Commanders running back wanted to clear up past quotes on his reasoning behind leaving the Chargers and went on to explain why he believes Washington is an ideal place for him to flourish once again.

“You’re going to get the best version of myself always, no matter what,” Ekeler told NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero. “There’s been this controversy out there, like, ‘Oh Austin said he doesn’t want 300 carries, ‘cause that’s what the Chargers said.’ I’ve never had that many carries ever. So, I don’t know why everybody’s in an uproar. It’s not that I don’t want to touch the ball. It’s the way that I’ve had the most production is when I’m able to split between catching and running the ball. That is when I’ve been the most productive, down in the red zone, right out in the field, when I can have both those type of environments. And now, with Brian Robinson being in the backfield also, my old head coach, Anthony Lynn, where I first got my start and first started finding success, is also my running backs coach and is going to utilize us probably in that same type of way, is what it’s looking like. So, I’m going to go right back to my roots of when I continue to have success and continue to build on that in the way that fits Austin Ekeler the most.”

Since 2021, Ekeler leads the league with 44 scrimmage touchdowns (30 rushing, 14 receiving), according to NFL Research. But coming off a subpar year by his standard — 1,064 scrimmage yards, six scrimmage TDs in 2023 (both fewest since 2020) — the Chargers were comfortable with letting the 29-year-old walk as Los Angeles enters a new era under Jim Harbaugh.

A new team and system isn’t hindering Ekeler’s confidence entering his eighth NFL season, though. And it begs the question: Should fantasy owners be looking to select Ekeler in the first round this year?

“Yes,” he answered when asked by Pelissero. “Let me ask you this: I guess it’s little tough because in the fantasy world you’re judged off your last season, but as far is consistency, when I’ve been healthy — yes, last year I missed like four games (with) high ankle sprain, come back sprain my other ankle — but when Austin Ekeler has been healthy on the field, he has produced. And so that’s the same thing going forward here. If I’m healthy, I’m going to be on the field and I’m going to be producing. You’ve seen what it looks like when I produce, so you’re going to want me on your team.”

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Riggo’s Rag

5 Washington Commanders players looking for redemption in 2024

These Commanders players have points to prove next season.

Jeremy Chinn – Carolina Panthers LB/S

Jeremy Chinn will essentially be stepping into Kamren Curl’s spot at strong safety in 2024. This came after general manager Adam Peters opted not to offer the former seventh-round pick a new deal. He signed for the Los Angeles Rams soon after.

The fifth-year player has seen a significant drop-off in productivity from his first two years with the Carolina Panthers. Chinn was on the field for more than 90 percent of their defensive snaps during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. That fell off to under 60% in 2022 and then plummeted to just 27% last year.

Chinn was an afterthought within Ejiro Evero’s 3-4 base scheme. He essentially became a special teams player who got in on occasional third-down packages. Quite the fall from grace.

During his rookie season, Chinn played a hybrid linebacker/safety position that allowed him to line up closer to the ball. As he transitioned to a true safety role, he dropped deeper and struggled in coverage. This year with the Washington Commanders, several factors may play to his advantage.

He will be playing under Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt, Jr. who have always had success developing defensive backs. There were a lot of safeties on the market this offseason, including Washington’s own Curl, but the coaching duo felt they could revive Chinn’s career by bringing him to the Commanders.

The personnel they now have on defense suggests the coaches may use Chinn in a role more like what he played over his rookie season in Carolina. Draftee Dominique Hampton can fill in at a traditional strong safety position, as can veteran Percy Butler. Quan Martin offers a lot of flexibility to the back end of the coverage unit. It’s a decent group, especially with Darrick Forrest making a return from injury.

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Commanders Wire

Commanders WR Dyami Brown putting in work ahead of critical fourth season

When the Washington Commanders selected North Carolina wide receiver Dyami Brown in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft, it was widely viewed as a steal. Washington badly needed another wide receiver to step up opposite of star Terry McLaurin, and Brown was coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at UNC.

Unfortunately, Brown struggled as a rookie. While he appeared in 15 games and was credited with six starts, Brown caught only 12 passes for 165 yards and did not score a touchdown. His biggest impact came on special teams.

In 2022, the Commanders chose wide receiver Jahan Dotson in the first round. Not because they didn’t believe in Brown but because there were so many question marks at the position beyond McLaurin. Brown again appeared in 15 games, this time catching five passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. The unique part of Brown’s season is two receptions, 105 receiving yards and two touchdowns came in one game against Tennessee.

Brown had two more receptions for 32 yards that season.

Last season, Brown played in all 17 games, catching 12 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown with his old college quarterback, Sam Howell, under center.

Now, Brown enters the final year of his rookie contract and he is not guaranteed to even make Washington’s 53-man roster. While the Commanders lost Curtis Samuel in the offseason, they re-signed Jamison Crowder, signed a pair of veterans, Damiere Byrd and Olamide Zaccheaus, and drafted Luke McCaffrey in the third round of the NFL draft.

Brown will face a lot of competition for at least three wide receiver spots on the 53-man roster.

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Pro Football Talk

Austin Ekeler credits Anthony Lynn for bringing him to Washington

In an interview with the Rich Eisen Show this week, Ekeler said he got the sense that Lynn was pounding the proverbial table for the Commanders to sign the running back.

“[I]t’s been great catching up with him,” Ekeler said. “He knows how I work, he knows my philosophies. And I’m very appreciative of him because he’s one of the reasons I even got my start. The reason I’m talking to you here is because he utilized me — after I made it through special teams anyway — he utilized me on the offensive side of the ball in ways that fit my strengths. And I know he’s looking to do the same thing over here, especially with [offensive coordinator] Kilff Kingsbury as well.”

Ekeler had one of his best seasons under Lynn in 2019, accounting for 1,550 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns.

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Podcasts & videos

Entering training camp, what we learned about Washington Commanders from OTAs and minicamp

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NFC East links

Pro Football Rumors

Brian Daboll Expected To Take Over Giants’ Play-Calling Duties

As we move closer to training camp, it looks all but confirmed the Giants will feature a new play-caller this season. After calling plays at OTAs — for what that’s worth — Daboll continued to do so at minicamp. A Kafka shift to a non-play-calling OC is expected to continue into the regular season, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com notes.

Considering how last season went, Daboll preferring to have full control makes sense. It certainly would not be out of the question for the Giants to consider moving on; they have not employed a coach into a fourth season since Tom Coughlin. Daboll also came under fire for his temper last season, with a highly publicized feud with DC Don Martindale — one producing an explosive final act in the HC’s office — ending his New York stay after two seasons.

Daboll’s dustups with Martindale included rumors of the DC and assistant Drew Wilkins going rogue. Additionally, Raanan indicates Daboll confronted Martindale during the Giants’ Week 13 bye. Daboll allegedly yelled, “So, you think I’m a clown?” at Martindale from a doorway while the latter was running a defensive meeting. Daboll’s tirades grew tiresome for the staff, per Raanan, who notes some staffers viewed the fiery HC as having stopped listening to his assistants. Martindale did not contact Daboll or Schoen after cursing out Daboll in his office. Martindale is now the Michigan DC.

Daboll’s feud with Martindale aside, an early-offseason report noted most of the HC’s anger was directed at Kafka last season. That set the table for this change, and it is also safe to say Kafka is on shaky ground in New York. With Martindale gone, the Daboll-Kafka relationship will surely be monitored closely as the year progresses.

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Sports Illustrated

NFC East: Eagles Coach Nick Sirianni’s Flaws

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni raised a lot of eyebrows – not in a good way – in 2023 by his mishandling, or downright inaction – of his offensive and defensive coordinators when they needed him the most.

“I take a step back and (say)…’Nick Sirianni, what do you do? What is your job description?’”

– Gino Cammilleri, Locked On Eagles

“Now with (offensive coordinator) Kellen Moore and (quarterback) Jalen Hurts saying that 95% of the stuff that they’re learning in OTAs is Kellen Moore’s offense I take a step back and (ask), ’Nick Sirianni, what do you do? What is your job description?’,” Gino Cammilleri of the Locked On Eagles podcast said on a recent appearance on the Locked On Commanders podcast.

“If you’re a head coach that, let’s say the (Baltimore Ravens coach John) Harbaugh of the world, who’s a special teams guy, you can see why he’s been in that position for so long because two-minute offense, two-minute defense, situational football, having a grasp of the personnel and how they fit in the city, that’s what Nick Sirianni failed at last year. He failed in all those little areas that your General – if you’re the guy overseeing the battle plans – if those little details go wrong, it’s going to fall on your shoulders at the end of the day because you weren’t responsible for play calling (because) it quote, ‘wasn’t your offense’, that was Shane Steichen and Brian Johnson’s offense.

So what Nick Sirianni has to do to prove that he truly is the guy that when adversity does hit this ship, (it) cannot tip over, because if it does all eyes are going to him immediately.”

Questions about what Sirianni truly does from a functional standpoint were raised often during the great Philadelphia collapse that saw the team lose six of its final seven games after starting the year 10-1. That includes a32-9 Wild Card playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team the Eagles had beaten 25-11 on the road in Week 3 of the regular season.

From there, Philadelphia ousted its coordinators and brought in two others — Moore along with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio — and so don’t appear to need their head coach to help guide their units.

This brings forth the question: what does Sirianni bring to the table? Does he have what it takes to lead the Eagles back to the top of the NFC East?

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All a’Twitter