Washington

Commanders

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but it’s a clear message nonetheless. The No. 2 overall pick of this year’s draft will see his first taste of NFL action next weekend as he prepares to take the mantle as Washington’s franchise quarterback. Daniels enters 2024 with high expectations, coming off a Heisman campaign in which he threw for 3,812-40-4 while adding another 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. The Commanders haven’t rushed to officially name Daniels the starter, as he and Marcus Mariota have both seen snaps with the first-team offense this offseason. With that said, if Daniels isn’t named the starter for Week 1, it would be a surprise.

The team also signed wide receiver Byron Pringle. Washington released fellow receivers Dax Milne and Damiere Byrd in a pair of corresponding moves. Patterson kicked for the Browns and Lions last year, connecting on 16-of-18 field goal tries and 41-of-44 extra point attempts. He signed with the Jaguars in the offseason but was waived earlier this week. Patterson will compete with Ramiz Ahmed for the kicking job in Washington during training camp.

Pringle began his career with the Chiefs and has since become a journeyman, playing for three different teams in the past three years. He will return to Washington after going for 161 yards on 14 receptions with the Commanders last season. Pringle will also see plenty of work on special teams.

Newton didn’t log much work this offseason after it was revealed the rookie second-rounder underwent surgery in May to fix a Jones fracture on his left foot. Newton had the same injury on his right foot months before that. Now healthy, Quinn said Newton will soon join team drills, but they’re holding off on that for the time being. Newton is expected to provide an immediate boost to a defense that ranked amongst the worst in league history last season. Newton totaled 7.5 sacks and 8.5 TFLs in 12 games at Illinois last season and was named as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport observed the incident, noting Williams “planted his left foot [and] grabbed immediately for the back of his left knee” before going down. The Cowboys’ defensive line lost multiple high-impact contributors from the 2023 unit, including EDGEs Dante Fowler Jr. (18.3 percent) and Dorance Armstrong (12.9 percent) who followed former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to the Washington Commanders this offseason. Both players finished top four on the team in QB pressure rate. The Cowboys starting defensive lineup is chock-full of elite players but the pass-rush depth is evaporating.

Newton suffered a partial Jones fracture in college and successfully underwent surgery to repair the injury in May. He can be removed from the NFI list at any time during training camp and the preseason but must remain sidelined for at least four games if he remains on the list when the regular season officially begins.

Fitterer was relieved of his duties as the Panthers’ general manager in January. The team went 14-37 in three years under him. Carolina was in a rebuilding period when Fitterer took over and the plane never so much as left the runway. His tenure ended in disaster after he traded up to the No. 1 overall pick for Bryce Young, only for the Alabama quarterback to implode as a rookie. To Fitterer’s credit, David Tepper had his thumb on the scale more than almost any other owner in the league, making it hard to know how much blame to assign to Fitterer. Now under new ownership, the Commanders’ front office has been revamped for the 2024 season and is led by Adam Peters.

Aiyuk also added that he would be open to going to the Commanders and playing with his close friend Jayden Daniels if the negotiations with the 49ers don’t go as he hopes. The fifth-year receiver is hoping to land a long-term extension with the 49ers before the start of the season but is willing to sign an extension elsewhere if the 49ers were to trade him. Aiyuk totaled 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns last season and is reportedly eyeing a deal similar to the one Amon-Ra St. Brown received earlier this offseason. St. Brown will earn nearly $28 million on his new deal with the Lions, putting him amongst the highest-paid receivers in the league. Barring a surprise trade, it sounds like Aiyuk will play at least one more season with the 49ers as they look to capitalize on their current Super Bowl window. Lombardi also pointed out that if Aiyuk were to be traded, it would be to a destination determined by the 49ers, not Aiyuk.

While Quinn and the coaching staff won’t commit to a starting quarterback at this point in the offseason, we know Daniels has handled the majority of first-team reps, and he’s left coaches impressed with his effort on and off the field. In an article published by ESPN’s John Keim, quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard said Daniels is “a student of [the game]” while adding that Daniels “loves talking about it, loves watching it, loves playing it, loves practicing it.” Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury also credited Daniels for having a high football IQ. With OTAs and minicamp now over, the next stop for Daniels is training camp, which is scheduled to begin in about a month. Given his draft capital, reps with the first team, and high praises thus far, it would be a surprise if Daniels wasn’t under center for the Commanders in Week 1 when they take on the Buccaneers. Fantasy managers looking for a reliable quarterback at a discount can look to Daniels, whose rushing upside helps make for a strong fantasy floor and a potentially high-end QB1 ceiling if he’s able to put everything together early in the season.

It was reported earlier that the Lions were expected to sign Bates at the end of the NFL season. Now, ESPN’s Adam Schefter has confirmed that the kicking phenom will sign a two-year deal for a chance to compete with Michael Badgley for the starting job in camp. Bates was 6-of-10 on field goals of 50-plus yards during the UFL regular season and blasted a 64-yard game-winner in Week 1 for the Michigan Panthers. Before signing with the Lions, Bates also met with the Commanders and Packers.