Daily Slop – 20 Mar 24: Jeremy Chinn, Frankie Luvu, JJ McCarthy, Cornelius Lucas

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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What S Jeremy Chinn brings to the Washington Commanders

Breaking down what the Commanders are getting in new free agent S Jeremy Chinn

Chinn was once runner up to former Commanders defensive end Chase Young in defensive rookie of the year voting back in 2020, but much like Young he’s been hit by injuries and seen his career stall as a result of those injuries and due to some misuse of his skillset.

Chinn is an incredible athlete. He’s listed at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, which is big for a modern safety. In the current NFL, when you see a safety that size, they’re almost instantly considered a hybrid linebacker option. But even at that size he’s still one of the highest graded safeties ever by Relative Athletic Score (RAS), which gathers all the available athletic testing measurements from the NFL combine and such events in order to rank athletes and give a perspective on their relative athletic ability compared to other players playing the same position. RAS gave Chinn a perfect score for both the free safety and strong safety position.

Chinn started his career so brightly in Carolina under Jason Simmons. Simmons was the defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach for the Panthers in 2020 and 2021, Chinn’s first two years in the league. During those seasons, Chinn played as a safety and as a hybrid linebacker type, something Dan Quinn used a lot of in Dallas with the likes of Jayron Kearse. When Simmons left in 2022, the Panthers then tried to change Chinn’s role by moving him into more of a big nickel role, where he’d often line up over the slot and match up against both small, shifty slot receivers and big physical receiving tight ends.

That switch in role, along with a few significant injuries, has derailed the start Chinn had to his career. The Commanders will obviously be hoping that reuniting with Simmons and switching him back to that hybrid safety/linebacker role will enable Chinn to get back on track with the promising start he made to his career. But as a result of his role changing the past few years, it’s been tough to find reps of him actually playing in a safety or linebacker spot that I would expect him to play in Washington. I’ve studied games from both 2022 and 2023 to try and find what I could of him in those positions.

Commanders.com

Five things to know about Frankie Luvu

Technically, Luvu is going to be a linebacker for the Commanders, but that’s not how he would classify himself. His skill set indicates that he can do much more than that.

“You can put my anywhere,” Luvu said, “and we’re gonna go get it.”

Former Panthers defensive coordinator Al Holcomb called it Luvu’s “evolution” as a player. After starting as mostly a special teams player for the New York Jets, he signed with the Panthers in 2021 and was used at multiple spots on their defense. That decision was made by Holcomb as part of an effort to make Luvu a more complete player, and Luvu embraced that role.

“It’s been an eye-opener for me, it’s a challenge, but I’m up for the challenge,” Luvu said. “Wherever they put me, said it since OTAs and training camp, whatever they want me to do, I’m going to learn it and do whatever I can.”

Holcomb knew Luvu has several strengths, from setting the edge to playing off the ball. So, rather than limiting Luvu to using only one trait, he decided to use Luvu in a way that highlighted all of his better qualities.

While Luvu’s exact role was never really defined, his teammates knew how valuable he was to the defense.

“He’s one of those guys who plays fast, plays physical; he’s the Energizer bunny to this defense,” said linebacker Shaq Thompson. “He’s a fast-twitch guy and just makes plays.”

Commanders Wire

Commanders to meet with Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy before his pro day

Could Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy also be in the mix for the Commanders?

According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, Washington brass will fly out to Ann Arbor on Thursday to take McCarthy out to dinner ahead of his pro day on Friday.

What does this mean? Likely nothing. At the NFL combine, Washington met with the top six quarterback prospects: Williams, Maye, Daniels, McCarthy, Bo Nix (Oregon) and Michael Penix Jr. (Washington).

When you need a quarterback and hold the No. 2 pick, it’s wise to do your due diligence on every prospect. That means taking advantage of every opportunity to meet with each prospect. That’s exactly what Washington general manager Adam Peters is doing.

Sports Illustrated

Commanders Sign Cornelius Lucas; Replacing Charles Leno Jr.?

The Washington Commanders are signing a familiar face in Cornelius Lucas.

The Athletic ranked Lucas fourth among the Commanders’ pending free agents and noted he could have a chance to start.

“Lucas has never been a first-team tackle on either side of the line with Washington, yet he is steady when called upon (31 starts) at left or right tackle,” The Athletic writes. “Charles Leno Jr. is a potential salary-cap cut, and drafting a long-term tackle on Day 2 will be heavily mentioned among those projecting Washington’s moves. Lucas’ performance wanes with more exposure, but he’s an acceptable early-season option if a rookie isn’t ready immediately.”

With Leno Jr. cut, Lucas now becomes the favorite to start for the Commanders next season. However, there’s a high chance the team drafts a rookie who has the potential to compete alongside Lucas for a starting role.

Podcasts & videos

Washington Commanders at J.J. McCarthy Pro Day | Caleb Williams and Chicago | NFL Draft Mailbag

Tyler Ott explains the mental side of being a long snapper to Doc &

Photos

PHOTOS | Frankie Luvu brings versatility, speed to Commanders LBs

Take a look back at Frankie Luvu’s previous stops before joining the Washington Commanders. (Photos via The Associated Press)

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Big Blue View

Why haven’t the Giants re-signed Isaiah Simmons yet?

Shane Bowen’s defense isn’t Wink Martindale’s defense

The biggest consideration/reality is that the Giants have a different defensive coordinator. Shane Bowen is a coordinator who wants rush the passer with four. He wants to be strong against the run, and his defenses with the Tennessee Titans were. Former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale was a blitz-happy ’rush the passer with numbers’ guy who wanted to scheme pressure.

There is merit to both approaches, and the purpose here is not to argue which one is better. The purpose is to talk about Simmons.

The Giants acquired the former No. 8 overall pick from the Arizona Cardinals last season for a seventh-round pick. The Cardinals, frankly, had never figured out exactly what to with Simmons. For his part, no matter what Arizona tried to do with him, Simmons seemed to end up showing there were always down sides to whatever role he was put in.

Simmons is an athlete. An incredible one, as shown by his Relative Athletic Score (RAS)

What he has shown not to be is an incredibly instinctive player, or a guy who has one standout skill that forces defensive coordinators to keep him on the field. He is, really, what the Giants used him as last year. A sub-package player whose athleticism is useful in space, mostly in pass coverage or pass rush situations.

What it comes down to is simply whether or not Bowen sees Simmons as a player who fits what he wants. If the belief is that Simmons doesn’t fit what Bowen wants to do, then Simmons won’t be brought back to the Giants.

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Articles

Over the Cap

2024 Cash Saved By Team and Position

[I]t’s the position breakdown that fascinates me much more–particularly the very high number at safety. I can’t recall the last time that one position suffered this many high level cuts (13) at such a high number and high proportion to last season’s spending. This may have caused a chain reaction in which we saw some safeties unexpectedly cut, as more teams were market correcting.

Wide receiver and cornerback also suffered high amounts that were cut. This may suggest the “speed” positions at wide receiver and at defensive back saw many players that teams felt lost a step in speed and otherwise.

On the other hand, it’s no surprise that quarterback saw the least proportion of 2024 cash shed, with edge rushers and interior defensive linemen right behind as high valued positions. It was a bit surprising to see the running back amounts to be quite low–perhaps this comes a season or so after market corrections happened there that may be impacting safety right now. It will be good to discover in the future what trends end up changing.

NFL.com

New Saints DE Chase Young to undergo neck surgeryDE Chase Young to undergo neck surgery

Young had only nine regular-season sacks in his past 28 regular-season games, missing big chunks of the 2021 and 2022 seasons with a torn right ACL and patellar tendon that took longer than expected to heal.

Young told the Saints’ official website on Monday that he doesn’t view the new contract as a “prove it” deal and that he’s just grateful for the opportunity to get a fresh start with a new team.

“Really not excited to prove anything to anybody,” Young said. “I’m just going to go out there and be the best Chase Young I can be.

“Injuries definitely hindered a few things, but it’s all good. It’s all about a process, all about the journey. I know what I can do. I’m a man of God, He’s still giving me opportunities to prove it. So, I’m here.”