Daily Slop – 22 Feb 24: Mark Bullock’s film breakdown of Jayden Daniels

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Draft Profile: LSU QB Jayden Daniels

Breaking down LSU QB Jayden Daniels to see what makes him one of the top QB prospects in this draft class

When watching Daniels, his explosiveness immediately stands out, both as a runner and a passer. The running ability is certainly a huge asset and I’ll talk plenty about that in this post, but I first want to look at his passing. Watch Daniels and this LSU offense work for any amount of time and you’ll immediately notice how well Daniels throws the ball down the field. LSU specialized in slot fades, where the outside receiver would run a hitch route to occupy the outside corner while the slot receiver would run a fade into the space created down the sideline. Daniels was exceptional on throwing these passes from just about anywhere on the field.

This video is a cut up of various slot fades that Daniels threw at LSU in 2023. You’ll see slot fades from inside the red zone, near midfield, inside their own half. You’ll also see some with Daniels throwing from the same side of the field and some with him throwing from the far hashmarks. Pretty much regardless of when and where the slot fade was called, Daniels had an excellent feel for the touch required to connect with whatever receiver he was throwing to on that route. These throws are all extremely accurate and placed where only the receiver has a chance to make a play. It was obviously an extremely productive concept for LSU and Daniels showed a great mastery of how to throw it, which speaks to his ability as a passer.

As Daniels drops back to pass, he notices the safety to his right steps up into an underneath zone coverage while the slot defender buzzes out to the flat. He quickly recognizes this as Cover-3 and knows his slot receiver running up the seam is a huge threat to that coverage. As soon as his slot receiver clears the underneath coverage, Daniels rips it up the seam and picks up a big gain.

The second play of the clip is slightly different. This time LSU uses a motion to help give Daniels information pre-snap. They send a receiver lined up in the slot to the right across the formation to the left side of the field. A single defender follows that motion, which indicates the defense is likely in some form of man coverage. With that knowledge, Daniels knows he then has a one-on-one matchup to his right with his star receiver Malik Nabers, who is a projected top 10 pick. As Daniels snaps the ball, he checks that his pre-snap suspicions were correct and indeed they were, so he instantly works to Nabers and gets the ball out with great anticipation to find his top target for a first down.

On the final play of the clip, Florida State tries to confuse Daniels with a funky coverage. They line up in a fairly routine look pre-snap, but after the ball is snapped the outside cornerback turns and sprints back deep. He’s likely responsible for a deep half as part of an inverted Tampa-2 scheme, so instead of worrying about the outside receiver he just needs to get back deep. While that happens, the slot receiver buzzes out to the flat to try and get underneath the outside receiver. Daniels isn’t worried about any of this, he can see the outside corner is sprinting back deep and therefore doesn’t have the leverage to cover the outside receiver, while also knowing the slot corner is never going to catch up. So Daniels simply throws the ball in the hole between those defenders down the sideline and hits his receiver for what would have already been a big gain, but the receiver then made the safety miss and ran it all the way in for a touchdown.

there is a middle ground where a quarterback can use his running ability to great effect but also look to protect himself, guys like Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray wouldn’t have survived as long as they have in the league if there wasn’t that middle ground. But as things stand right now, Daniels plays far too recklessly when scrambling, which raises significant red flags about his long term health in the NFL. That’s not to say it can’t be toned down and improved in the NFL and hopefully Daniels recognizes that. But until we see him on an NFL field showing the willingness to surrender some yards in order to protect himself consistently, it will remain a big red flag in his game.

The Athletic (paywall)

Commanders could have a Drake Maye-Jayden Daniels decision to make at No. 2

Daniels, Maye and Williams are expected at next week’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where teams will get a closer look at players who may become the face of their franchise. Should projections hold, the Chicago Bears will select Williams with the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, putting Washington on the clock at two. After all the internal pondering and debates among fans for the next two-plus months, the most likely scenario is choosing Daniels or Maye.

The Maye camp for the second quarterback includes The Athletic’s draft insider, Dane Brugler. ESPN analyst Louis Riddick sees Daniels as “clearly No. 2,” but the margins are thin. Other paths exist (and will be explored here at The Athletic). Offer the Bears a “Godfather” trade for the rights to bring Williams, a Washington-area native, back home. Move down the board for additional assets (while possibly signing a veteran quarterback for a quicker turnaround) or snag a non-QB, in the least likely scenario.

The most direct and arguably the best choice will be staying put. That’s a great place to start the new organizational regime’s roster rebuild. Building a consensus around whether Maye or Daniels is a franchise-altering player comes first.

Everyone began having the same conversation about the Commanders moments after their 4-13 record secured the second pick. The outside chatter continued as Washington assembled its new football leadership. Bet your mortgage payment on the internal banter occurring for weeks, no matter the denials.

Commanders.com

Kliff Kingsbury’s roadmap for developing young quarterbacks

When it comes to finding talented quarterbacks to work with, Kingsbury has that requirement locked down. Over his 16-year coaching career, which spanned college and the NFL, he’s spent time with Case Keenum, Johnny Manziel, Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray. Keenum, Manziel and Mahomes were some of the best quarterbacks in college football — Keenum and Mahomes broke several program and national records under Kingsbury, while Manziel was the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy — and Murray was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 for completing 64.4% of his passes for 3,722 yards and 20 touchdowns.

“Everybody learns differently,” Kingsbury said, so the first things he tries to do with any quarterback is understand who they are as people and how they process the game.

With Mahomes, for example, the three-time Super Bowl MVP’s competitive nature shines whenever he’s on the field. That much was clear when Kingsbury was recruiting Mahomes out of high school. “It was like he knew he was going to find a way to win,” Kingsbury said, “and it didn’t look traditional and he’d shuffle back and kind of just move around and make plays. But he was the best player.”

“You want that player to be the hardest worker on your team,” Kingsbury said. “You want them to lead those guys each and every day when he shows up in the building, you want them to lift the building up, and that’s why those guys make the type of money they do.”

Commanders.com

Five things to know about running game coordinator/RBs coach Anthony Lynn

1. He was a talented college running back at Texas Tech.

Prior to starting his coaching career as a special teams assistant for the Denver Broncos in 2000, Lynn was a running back from Texas Tech and later a journeyman player at the NFL level.

Lynn’s final season at Texas Tech was cut short by injury, but he saw the bulk of his success as a junior. He rushed 884 yards and eight touchdowns, earning him an All-Southwest Conference selection. Over the three years that he saw significant playing time, Lynn rushed for 1,972 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns to go with 37 passes for 300 receiving yards.

Lynn went undrafted because of injury concerns but spent six seasons playing for the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers. He was also a reserve player when the Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998.

Lynn retired in 2000 due to back injuries and jumped right into being a coach, joining the Broncos’ staff and kickstarting a 24-year career.

2. He has experience as a head coach.

Lynn has had several stops in his career. After spending three seasons with the Broncos, Lynn went on to coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and 49ers. Some of his most valuable experiences, however, came when he was with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he served as the franchise’s head coach for four seasons.

Lynn’s most successful year came in 2018, when the Chargers earned a playoff berth with a 12-4 record, which included them winning seven of their nine games after a Week 8 bye. It was the Chargers’ best record since 2009, when they led the AFC West by going 13-3, and the fifth time in franchise history that the team notched at least 12 wins. Quarterback Philip Rivers recorded at least 4,000 yards for the 10th time in his career, completing 68.3% of his passes and throwing 32 touchdowns.

The 2018 season was the only time the Chargers made the playoffs under Lynn, but several players had individual success in his final two seasons with the team. Keenan Allen, Melvin Ingram III and Joey Bosa earned Pro Bowls in 2019; Austin Ekeler had 92 receptions for 993 yards and eight touchdowns; and quarterback Justin Herbert set rookie records in passing touchdowns (31) and total touchdowns (36) along with being named the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Commanders Wire

Commanders new RB coach Anthony Lynn is a big fan of Brian Robinson Jr.

Bieniemy is gone. Enter Kliff Kingsbury. While the former Arizona Cardinals head coach is known more for his connection to the Air Raid offense, Kingsbury does run the ball. And even better news for the Commanders and Kingsbury, they hired former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn away from the San Francisco 49ers as the new running backs coach and run game coordinator.

Lynn is one of the most respected coaches in the NFL and is known for his work with the running game. He played for Mike Shanahan and spent the last two seasons under Kyle Shanahan. Now, he brings that expertise to Washington to help Kingsbury.

Lynn is excited to be in Washington, and he’s also a big fan of Robinson.

Podcasts & videos

Commanders coaches Larry Izzo, Ryan Kerrigan, Ken Norton Jr. speak with Chris Russell

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Blogging the Boys

Why the release of Michael Gallup is a foregone conclusion for the Cowboys this offseason

The writing has been on the wall for a certain Cowboys veteran wide receiver.

The Cowboys needed to decide if they wanted to continue to pay Amari Cooper $20 million a year despite a slight dip in production where he was coming off his worst per-game totals in receptions, yards, and catch percentage over his past four seasons with the team. If not, the Cowboys could choose a cheaper route and pay unrestricted free agent Michael Gallup after already proving he could be a viable WR2 for this offense.

Sadly, things did not go as expected. Cooper has been tearing it up in Cleveland putting up over 2,400 yards over the past two seasons with his new team. In terms of yardage, it’s the best two-year stretch Cooper has ever had throughout his entire career. And to make matters worse, Gallup has been almost non-existent. In 2022, he only had 39 catches and 424 yards across 14 games, putting up just 30.3 yards per game, his worst per-game outage over his five-year career. Most of us chalked that up to the slow recovery as he was coming off a knee injury in the regular-season finale the year prior.

With another year removed from his knee surgery, fans expected bigger things from him this past season, but despite playing in all 17 games, his numbers were even worse. He only had 34 catches for 418 yards with a new career-low per-game outage of just 24.6 yards a game. His production had become just 33% of the prime Gallup we were seeing back in 2019.

Something is just not right with Gallup. It’s sad to see things play out this way. Gallup is such a high-character guy and his teammates love him. He also brought a unique flare to the Cowboys’ receiving game. Whether he was galloping through traffic with that hitch in his giddy-up, high-pointing the ball on contested passes, or showing remarkable concentration on sideline toe drags, he never ceased to amaze us with fun highlights over his career.

Sadly, those moments have become few and far between. He was once believed to be a nice bang for the Cowboys’ buck, but now, he’s just a waste of money.

The Cowboys had a plan, but it didn’t work out, so now it’s time to come up with a new plan.

Big Blue View

NFL free agency: Safety options for the Giants if they lose Xavier McKinney

Even if McKinney stays, adding to this position is possible

Kamren Curl

The former Washington Commander would likely only be an option if McKinney departs in free agency. I have long been a fan of Curl’s game. Curl came into the league as a seventh-round pick in 2020 and quickly established himself as a day-three gem. The 6-foot-2, 198-pound safety led the Commanders in tackles last season. He has 385 career tackles, 14 passes defended, and three interceptions.

It’s January 14th, 2012. We’re at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. With 14 seconds to play, down three, and facing a third down, the 49ers need a score to keep their playoff hopes alive – without needing to roll the dice in overtime. The Saints meanwhile can end this here with a takeaway and head to the NFC Championship Game themselves. To understand how we got here and to appreciate everything this moment represents, we need to rewind.

Curl operated in a versatile role, but he also has experience in two-read coverages from his time in Jack Del Rio’s defense. He can play the post, split-safety looks, align in the slot, and play man coverage against tight ends, while also being a plus asset in the box for sub-packages. Curl is only 24 years old.

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NBC Washington

NFL franchise tag: What you need to know

Here’s everything to know about the NFL franchise tag ahead of free agency

Each team receives one franchise tag per year and can be applied as either exclusive or non-exclusive.

• Exclusive: Teams must offer the selected player a one-year contract no less than either the average of the top-five salaries at that player’s position based on April of the current year or 120% of the player’s previous year’s salary, whichever is greater.
• Non-exclusive: Teams must offer the selected player a one-year contract no less than the average of the top-five cap hits of that player’s positions or 120% of the player’s previous year’s salary, whichever is greater.

How do exclusive and non-exclusive tags differ?

The two biggest differences between an exclusive and non-exclusive franchise tag is the incorporation of salary versus cap hit and who holds negotiating power. A cap hit is similar to the salary, but it takes into account all expenses that go toward a team’s total salary cap, such as signing bonuses.

Additionally, each tag comes with different bargaining rights and guaranteed assets for both the player and team. Aptly named, an exclusive tag gives the team exclusive negotiating rights. Should the player reject the offer, they are unable to sign with another NFL team for that entire season. Meanwhile, non-exclusive tags allow players to negotiate with other teams. If they receive an offer, their current team has the opportunity to match. If they opt not to match the offer, they’re entitled to receive two first-round draft picks in exchange.

What is the NFL transition tag?

Transition tags are similar to franchise tags with two exceptions. Rather than top-five, transition tags use the average of the top-10 highest players at a position and don’t provide any guaranteed compensation clause.

Unlike the franchise tag, teams are given no promise of an asset at the end of the deal. If a team refuses to match a competing team’s offer, therefore losing the player, they do not receive any draft picks in exchange.

What is the free agency tag window?

Teams already have the green light to start tagging free agents.

The tag window runs two weeks long, from Feb. 20 through March 5.

Other important dates regarding free agency are:

• Monday, March 11: Legal tampering period begins (preliminary conversations, with provisions, begin for unrestricted free agents)
• Wednesday, March 13: Free agency period officially begins (all free agents — restricted and unrestricted — can engage in conversations with teams across the league, both directly and indirectly through a liaison)