Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles a collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy!
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Articles
Commanders.com
Question of the week: Why could the Commanders’ defense be a top 10 unit?
[Fred] Smoot: A good defense in this league makes the offense adapt to them; we don’t adapt to you. You adapt to us, because we’re going to run what we’re going to run. We’re going to let you know what we’re running, but we’re going to run to the ball. All 11 of us are going to run to the ball … They’re getting after the quarterback.
But they’re also making the quarterback throw quick. When we make you throw quick, now we all just become tacklers. And when we become tacklers, wide receivers, you start to drop the ball. And that’s the thing about it. If you ain’t got time for the five-step drops, you ain’t got time to really get deep on us. We become the aggressors.
Commanders Roundtable
The Gig is Up: Brandon Aiyuk Wants the Commanders, But Will SF Set Him Free?
Unless you have been sleeping under a rock, you’ve probably heard that Brandon Aiyuk wants to become a Washington Commander.
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In a pair of Instagram stories that instantly set the DMV timeline on fire, Aiyuk posed shirtless in a mirror selfie while rocking a Washington Commanders hat. He followed it up with a picture of a football and a caption that read:
“❌ the 🧢 the gig is 🆙.”
To translate, he’s saying “Stop the Cap, the Gig is Up.” It’s a direct nod to rap artist Drake, who took a targeted shot at music mogul Jay-Z on his latest album, Iceman, which dropped about three weeks ago.
By invoking the lyrics, Aiyuk is basically saying, “Stop lying, 49ers, your fraudulent ways are being exposed.” His desire to leave the organization and land with the Commanders couldn’t be more obvious.
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This is premier summer Twitter. It lacks true substance, but it is incredibly fun to talk about. Aiyuk clearly wants out of San Francisco, but the 49ers may sit pat until August 31st in hopes of extracting a late-round draft pick for his services.
UPDATE:
Riggo’s Rag
NFL analyst still believes the Commanders should consider trading Daron Payne
The former Alabama standout is focused on football and already catching the eye throughout Washington’s offseason program. However, Moe Moton of The Bleacher Report thought the potential emergence of Johnny Newton and Payne’s perceived inconsistencies are enough for the Commanders to cash in with a possible trade.
“In recent years, [Daron] Payne has been a decent interior defender but not a game-changer in the pass rush or against the run. Since his 2022 Pro Bowl year, he’s averaged about four sacks per season with a missed tackle rate above 10 percent.
“Entering the final year of his deal, Payne has trade value, and the Commanders may have a long-term building block on the defensive line in [Johnny] Newton. Washington could deal Payne in one of the most notable transactions this offseason.”
This doesn’t seem feasible, in all honesty. The Commanders have made their stance, and there is simply too much at stake next season to dispose of a team stalwart.
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Payne is one of the Commanders’ longest-serving players. He’s someone others look to for inspiration, and he is evolving as a leader. And it’s not like Newton is a sure thing to fill the spot anyway.
Head coach Dan Quinn is expecting a massive leap from Newton in Year 3 of his professional career. His pass-rushing flashes are encouraging, but the 2024 second-round pick needs to fortify his play strength to be more impactful against the run. Until he does this, it’s hard to envisage a scenario where he gets starting reps.
From Commanders Wire:
[H]ave Payne’s representatives and the Commanders discussed a new deal?
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“Not that I know of,” he said.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. GM Adam Peters said after the 2025 season that Laremy Tunsil was the only significant extension they’d likely discuss in this offseason. That did get done, making Tunsil, once again, the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman.
It’s clear the Commanders like Payne. They could’ve traded him in either of the last two offseasons. He has the highest cap number ($27.5 million) in 2026, yet Washington was content to let Payne play on that deal. Perhaps Peters wants to see an extra-motivated Payne this season.
Photos
Podcasts & videos
BRANDON AIYUK WILL PLAY FOR THE COMMANDERS! Jayden Daniels WILL HAVE His WR2!
NFC East links
Big Blue View
NY Giants minicamp storylines – Who’s starting at cornerback?
Last year, we saw incumbent starter and former first round pick cornerback Deonte Banks pit against Cor’Dale Flott in a battle to start opposite free agent corner Paulson Adebo. It was widely assumed that Banks’ superior athletic traits would carry the day and he would settle into being a good “CB2” opposite Adebo with another off-season of development.
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Instead Flott won the battle, never relinquished his starting spot, and earned a big second contract with the Tennessee Titans.
Battle at cornerback
And here we are, once again with Banks embroiled in a battle for the Giants’ second starting cornerback job. There are some notable differences this time around, however.
First and foremost, Banks is competing with another former first round pick in Greg Newsome II, and Newsome has started the off-season program as the “starting” corner, with Banks rotating in. And in an added wrinkle, both Newsome II and Banks have to fend off second-round rookie Colton Hood. Hood has primarily served as a second-team cornerback during OTAs.
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Newsome had success early in his career, breaking out early for the Cleveland Browns. However, he too regressed amid coaching turmoil in Cleveland and a trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Like Banks, Newsome bring upside in man.
NFL league links
Articles
ESPN
Bears edge closer to move for new stadium in northwest Indiana
The Bears took a significant step toward leaving Illinois on Friday.
The Bears’ board of directors voted Thursday to advance their stadium development in Hammond, Indiana, with the exact site still to be determined. This is this first time that the Bears’ board has voted on any stadium site.
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The Bears’ plans to leave the state they’ve called home since their inception for Indiana come just days after the end of Illinois’ spring legislative session.
The Bears’ announcement Friday does not guarantee the team will leave Illinois. Per a league source, while Indiana is “in the lead” to lure the Bears across state lines to build a domed stadium, “Illinois can still get back in the race.”
The Bears current lease at Soldier Field — the stadium where they play but which is owned by the City of Chicago — runs through 2033.
The Athletic (paywall)
Is Russell Wilson a Hall of Famer? QB has a path to Canton, but it’s complicated
No recent NFL star has needed the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s mandatory five-year waiting period more than Russell Wilson needs it right now.
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The Super Bowl-winning quarterback, set to join CBS’ pregame show after announcing his retirement Wednesday, went from Seattle Seahawks superstar to frequently mocked journeyman so quickly that only time will help process the implications in an even-handed manner.
Wilson is one of 14 quarterbacks since 2000 with at least 100 starts in his first 10 seasons and at least 30 starts over seasons 11-14, per TruMedia.
Of the 14, Wilson suffered by far the largest statistical decline from seasons 1-10 to seasons 11-14 as measured by EPA per pass play.
Wilson went from averaging 0.12 EPA per pass play over his first 10 seasons (about the same as Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott over the past decade) to averaging -0.05 across his final four seasons (about the same as Justin Fields for his career).
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The legs that helped make Wilson dynamic betrayed him as he aged and put on weight, exposing limitations in the rest of his game. This was especially true after Wilson left the Seahawks, a team that knew how to mitigate some of those limitations.
Wilson saw himself as another Rodgers, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning: someone capable of running the offense as a coach on the field. The Seahawks never saw Wilson in that class. They saw his limitations in reading defenses and seeing the whole field. Wilson felt stifled and forced a trade to Denver.
While the Seahawks were correct in their evaluation, the $245 million extension Wilson signed with the Broncos emboldened him.
The proof was on the field.
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As Wilson faltered, the confidence that fueled him early in his career came off as delusional to his critics.
Discussion topics
ESPN
NFL Football Power Index: 2026 projections, Super Bowl odds
FPI’s preseason predictive ratings are primarily based on win totals from the betting market in conjunction with each team’s schedule — along with factors such as the difference between a team’s starting and backup quarterback and a special teams rating that incorporates specific kickers. We use these ratings to simulate the season thousands of times, with the results forming our projections.
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Who lands the No. 1 pick?
aBit o’Twitter
Read the full article here