Daily Slop – 10 Mar 24: What happens with safety Kamren Curl this week?

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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The Athletic (paywall)

Commanders free-agency guide: Keepers, targets and what happens with Kam Curl?

We can be honest: Washington’s roster positionally needs — checks notes — almost everything. Other than defensive tackle, that’s not hyperbole. There are far more free agents (over 20) than returning starters from last year’s 4-13 team. Transactions galore are on tap.

Washington will keep some of its free agents. By sheer roster math, it has no choice. That doesn’t mean breaking the bank for more prominent names or rushing to retain others. Given its specific circumstances, losing cornerback Kendall Fuller and wide receiver Curtis Samuel wouldn’t be surprising. The same is valid for four-year starting safety Kamren Curl.

The departure of the 2020 seventh-round pick with an aggressive bent would shock many Washington fans. For them, Curl’s market may be eye-opening. Would Peters agree to terms north of $10 million annually for a good safety with zero interceptions since his rookie season in a buyer’s market with teams spending less at the position? The Commanders could give more reps to 2023 second-round pick Quan Martin and find a valuable signing in free agency.

As for who stays, keep watch on swing tackle Cornelius Lucas. The effective lineman would have a legitimate shot at opening the season starting at left tackle, allowing the coaches to bring a Day 2 rookie selection along at their optimum pace. Quinn and his staff see why Pro Bowl special teams ace Jeremy Reaves became a favorite of fans, teammates and coaches.

Sports Illustrated

Why Commanders Should Re-Sign Kam Curl

The Washington Commanders are entering a defining offseason, and with several decisions to make roster-wise, is retaining one of their own their biggest priority?

“Dan Quinn has a monumental task in front of him in fixing the Commanders’ defense,” PFF writes. “That unit allowed the most points in the NFL and finished with the third-worst overall grade. Finding young cornerstones will be a top priority for Quinn in his first year in Washington.

“One of the few bright spots is safety Kamren Curl. He took a step back after a stellar 2022 but still had a respectable season amid the discourse taking place around him. Before the team started selling pieces off after Week 8, Curl owned the 11th-best overall grade among qualified safeties. He’ll be just 25 years old next season. Quinn should make his retention a priority.”

With the Commanders undergoing significant change this offseason with coaches and now personnel, the franchise will need players to build around. Curl qualifies as that and has been a beacon of production since being drafted by Washington in 2020.

Riggo’s Rag

4 affordable free agents for the Commanders this offseason

The Commanders must still spend wisely

Commanders could sign Romeo Okwara

Another big need for the Washington Commanders this offseason centers on their pass-rushing options. Trading Montez Sweat and Chase Young was a difficult decision to make for those in power. They felt like extra financial flexibility and additional draft capital were worth a short-term hit for potentially long-term gain.

Nobody who came in from lower down the depth chart shone in their absence. K.J. Henry flashed moments of promise, but the need to strengthen this critical area of on-field production cannot be overstated. Fortunately, the Commanders have the resources available to bring in the correct recruits.

Although Romeo Okwara has had trouble with injuries in recent years, he looked to have turned the corner in 2023. The defensive end was used as a rotational edge presence by the Detroit Lions as they came agonizingly close to reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. He managed to perform well from 24 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, gaining two sacks and earning a superb 80.5 grade from Pro Football Focus as a result of his efforts.

The Commanders could be thinking bigger, which is understandable. But considering Okwara’s ability to set the edge effectively on running downs and make his presence felt from a pass-rushing perspective when called upon, this wouldn’t be a bad addition to the rotation under head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.

Commanders Wire

Commanders should sit Drake Maye for a least a year

Friday, on the “Pat McAfee Show,” ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky offered his thoughts on Drake Maye starting in 2024.

“I think Drake Maye has to get the Jordan Love treatment. You have to sit Drake Maye for at least a year or two. Orlovsky recalled Tar Heel coach Mack Brown telling him, “Mechanically, Maye is so raw.”

Orlovsky continued, “If you sit him for at least a year, you have a chance to have a really good player. But you can’t play him early.”

Sports Illustrated

Why Commanders Should Pass QBs, Take Marvin Harrison Jr. with No. 2 Pick

The Washington Commanders could select one of the most complete players to enter the NFL Draft in quite a while in Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

“Harrison Jr. is one of the best wide receiver prospects we have seen in a long time,” says a 33rd Team scouting report on the NFL legacy. “He has an elite traits profile and no discernible weaknesses. He has outstanding size with high-level athleticism and movement skills. Harrison Jr. has a refined and subtle understanding of route running and of how to attack and break down corners to create separation.”

The last receiver selected with one of the first two picks in the league’s annual selection meeting was Calvin Johnson who was chosen by the Detroit Lions with the No. 2 overall pick in 2007.

While the circumstances aren’t quite the same, the Lions decided not to trade out of No. 2 and took a player they felt was worth the investment even as the rest of the team was being constructed around him.

Podcasts & videos

Locked on Commanders: Washington Commanders Offseason Preview: Tight Ends and Running Backs | Zach Ertz & Brian Robinson

NFC East links

Bleeding Green Nation

Brandon Graham re-signs with the Eagles for his 15th season

He’s baaaack. (Thankfully.)

Brandon Graham wasn’t bluffing when he told reporters he wanted to play for one more year after the Eagles playoff loss to the Bucs, and it looks like the team will bring BG back for one more run. After a week of back-and-forth, the deal looks to be done and worth $4 million for the DE to return for his 15th season.

Bleeding Green Nation

Report: Eagles shopping Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick; interested in Bryce Huff

Philadelphia’s pass rush could look radically different next season.

Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini (and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero among others), the Philadelphia Eagles have “been shopping both Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick” for the last “few weeks.”

A month ago there were reports that the Birds gave Reddick permission to seek a trade but, two days later, Reddick himself said he didn’t ask to seek a trade and he wanted to stay in Philly, which is his hometown and where he played college football too. However, a week ago, rumors surfaced that the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars were interested in trading for Reddick and now there seems to be more smoke building around a potential trade with Russini’s Saturday morning report.

Big Blue View

The overwhelming majority of fans do not want J.J. McCarthy with sixth pick

It’ll take more than a National Championship to win the hearts of Giants fans

It seems that no matter what the New York Giants do in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, someone is going to be upset.

If the team drafts a wide receiver, those who believe that it’s time for the team to turn the page and look to 2025 and beyond will (probably) be upset. If the team drafts a quarterback, those who want the team to invest in winning now will (probably) be upset.

In that vein, we asked the BBV community whether they believe that Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was worth the 6th overall pick after emerging as a “Winner” from the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

As it turns out, Giants fans haven’t really warmed up to McCarthy the way the nation at large has.

McCarthy’s rise as those in the public take a deeper look at his game isn’t surprising. He’s a young quarterback with adequate size, plus arm strength, great athleticism, and is reportedly a magnetic leader with great mental processing. He executed at a championship level in a Pro Style offense with an NFL head coach and still has untapped upside to be developed.

The knock on him is that he has (by far) the fewest passing reps of the top quarterback prospects, and therefore the least amount of film to evaluate. There’s some level of inherent risk to that, as with his lingering issues throwing outside the numbers to the left.

NFL league links

Articles

Pro Football Talk

Jerry Jeudy trade puts even more pressure on Deshaun Watson to deliver

The move to upgrade the receiving corps will help Watson live up to his fully-guaranteed, $46 million per year contract. It also will increase the pressure on him to do so.

Maybe the pressure can’t get any higher. Watson cashed in two years ago. He has since failed to give the team much of a return, either for the contract or the six-pick investment (including a trio of first-round selections).

First, Watson needs to be healthy. Then, he needs to turn the clock back to 2020, quickly. The fans likely won’t be inclined to be patient. Which, as we discussed recently on PFT Live, could be one of the reasons the Browns might not bring back Joe Flacco. By the end of September, the chants of FLAC-CO could be deafening.

No, there’s no excuse this year. Adding Jeudy makes that even more clear.

Not that the Browns can do much about it. Watson has a fully-guaranteed deal through 2026. They can cut him, but they’d still have to pay him.

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