Who is Zak Kuhr and why should Commanders fans care?

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State of the Roster: Commanders Offense

Running back

Analysis: With only one running back currently under contract for 2026, running back can’t be lower than a medium level need and most would probably argue it’s a high priority on the offensive side of the ball. My opinion on the running back spot is probably not going to be overly popular. I would be totally fine re-signing Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols, maybe adding a late round rookie or undrafted free agent and then rolling it back with the same crew as 2025.

It certainly wasn’t a spectacular group, but it was a very solid one that found a clear set of roles for everyone involved. Chris Rodriguez became the workhorse back, averaging a healthy 4.5 yards per carry. Jacory Croskey-Merritt provided an explosive change of pace option, as seen by his 72-yard touchdown run against the Cowboys late in the season. Jeremy McNichols played a valuable role as the third down back with excellent pass protection skills and the ability to pick up the occasional first down as a checkdown option out of the backfield.

Many fans feel like they need an upgrade and they certainly could look to upgrade from the likes of Rodriguez and McNichols. Adding a more explosive workhorse back could take the running game to the next level, while adding a more dynamic receiving option out of the backfield could really boost the passing game. There’s some intriguing options set to hit free agency too with the likes of Kenneth Walker and Breece Hall scheduled to be free agents. Everyone is linking the Commanders to Buccaneers running back Rachaad White, who played with Jayden Daniels in college at Arizona State.

At production per dollar cost, Croskey-Merritt is massively better value than any of those 2024 free agents and likely will be the same compared to what the 2026 free agents will get. Again, this isn’t to say the Commanders shouldn’t and couldn’t go get one of those free agent backs. Walker would add a strong, well-rounded workhorse back that rarely fumbles. Croskey-Merritt had three fumbles in his rookie year alone, Walker has two in his four-year NFL career to date. Hall would add a dynamic receiving option out of the backfield, while Croskey-Merritt had just nine catches this year. So there’s some merit in looking at those options.

But my feeling on running back is that having a running back room like Croskey-Merritt, Rodriguez and McNichols is totally fine for most teams. I don’t agree with the conventional thinking that running backs don’t matter, they do. But I think they matter more as a final piece of the puzzle.

A to Z Sports

The Commanders lose their director of college scouting, Tim Gribble

The Commanders are hitting an important time of the offseason where they’re building their big board of draft prospects and narrowing down the players that would fit the team the best. Tim Gribble has been the director of college scouting in Washington over the last five years, but with the team’s scouting department for 24 years, and he’s headed to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A team’s director of college scouting is responsible for many roles, such as helping build the big board, overseeing area and national scouts, and directing scouting for the All-Star games and the NFL Combine. This is an important role that needs to be filled by the Commanders very soon, especially with the Senior Bowl starting on Monday.

The Commanders have to nail their 2026 NFL Draft selections

The Commanders only have six picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and knowing who to pick and which prospects fit the team better is an important part of the process. Having a fresh face in Washington could help bring newer techniques and thoughts from the outside, especially after someone has been in the building for 24 years. General manager Adam Peters works very closely with the scouting team, so he will very likely have a strong say in who he brings in. Peters is a former scout himself, so it could likely be someone he’s worked with in the past, and he knows what to look for in his search.

Scouting is a year-long process, but gathering all of the information over the next few months and finalizing scouting reports will be a crucial time for the staff, which is now missing its director. The staff will work nonstop from now until all of the picks are in during the draft, just to start the process again for 2027. But for 2026, they can’t afford to miss on their picks and waste another season with younger players not making an impact.

Commanders Roundtable

Daronte Jones to DC? A profile of the Commanders defensive coordinator candidate

One thing you can say about Jones is that he is incredibly well-traveled. His experience ranges from high school coordinator to Division II assistant head coach, and from the Canadian Football League to the Big Ten. He has also spent time as a defensive backs coach for three NFL teams, including the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, and two separate stints with the Minnesota Vikings.

The appeal of Jones is that he is the right-hand man to one of the hottest defensive minds in the NFL, Brian Flores. Flores has been a hot name in the head coaching cycle, having been widely connected to the Pittsburgh Steelers job before they officially agreed to terms with Mike McCarthy yesterday.

Washington is hoping to import some of the aggressive magic that defined Minnesota’s defense this year. While the Commanders’ secondary was often a “green light” for opposing quarterbacks—ranking 28th in passing yards allowed and 31st in takeaways—Jones helped build a wall in Minnesota.

Another appealing factor is that Jones is a local product. Born in Capitol Heights, Maryland, he attended Bishop McNamara High School. After a season at Temple, he played cornerback for four seasons at Morgan State University. However, he did not pursue a professional playing career due to multiple injuries and evidence of nerve damage.

Commanders Wire

Anthony Lynn interviews for a second head coaching job

On Saturday, the Bills announced they had interviewed Lynn for their head coach opening. Then late Saturday, we learn[ed] that Lynn was interviewed a second time, and this time by…the Cleveland Browns. It was the first time Lynn had interviewed for the Browns. Incidentally, Lynn has coached previously for both the Bills and the Browns.

Lynn has served as Washington’s running backs coach and offensive running game coordinator for the past two seasons. He does have head coaching experience, having coached the Los Angeles Chargers from the top position for four seasons from 2017 through 2020.

Hogs Haven

Drafting Diamonds: Commanders’ Blueprint for the 2026 NFL Draft

Historically, NFL teams drafted primarily based on team need (1936–mid 1970s). A team lacking a quarterback or a left tackle simply picked the top player at that position, regardless of talent elsewhere. By the 1980s and 1990s, a Best Available Player (BPA) philosophy emerged, as scouting networks matured and teams realized elite athletes could transform franchises—even if they didn’t fill a current positional gap.

Today, the league increasingly favors a Best Fit (BF) strategy. This approach combines:

• Positional Value (PV) – How critical the position is to team success.
• Utilization Rate (UR) – Likely playing time based on scheme.
• Scheme Fit (SF) – Player’s natural style and skills compatibility.
• Advanced Metrics (AM) – College production, efficiency, and measurable projections.
• Age / Future Value (AF) – Longevity and upside.
• Contract & Cap (CC) – Rookie deals, salary cap flexibility.
• Prototype Factor (PF) – Physical traits relative to NFL ideal for the position.
• Eligibility (E) – Whether the team actually needs or can realistically draft the player.
• Medical Risk Factor (MR) – Durability concerns.

Podcasts & videos

IMMINENT: Will the Washington Commanders Secure Raheem Morris or Karl Scott After NFC Fallout?

NFC East links

Big Blue View

NY Giants news: John Harbaugh hires defensive, special teams coordinators

The New York Giants filled two of their three coordinator positions on Sunday. The Giants are hiring Dennard Wilson as defensive coordinator, according to a published report. They are also hiring Chris Horton as their special teams coordinator.

Big Blue View was able to confirm both hirings.

Wilson, 43, worked for head coach John Harbaugh as defensive backs coach with the Baltimore Ravens in 2024. He interviewed for the Giants’ defensive coordinator position in 2023, but chose to take that role with the Tennessee Titans. He was let go when Tennessee hired Robert Saleh as its head coach recently.

Horton, 43, was a defensive back for Washington from 2008-2010. He was with the Giants during the 2012 preseason, but did not make the 53-man roster.

More importantly, Horton has worked for Harbaugh since 2014. He was hired as assistant special teams coordinator and became coordinator in 2019.

According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, several other assistant coaches will be moving from Baltimore to New York.

Bleeding Green Nation

Eagles reportedly denied permission to interview Cowboys offensive coordinator

The Philadelphia Eagles were denied permission to interview Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams for their OC opening, according to a report from NFL insider Jeremy Fowler.

The Eagles must have thought the Cowboys might allow Adams to interview since he’s not the primary play-caller for Dallas; head coach Brian Schottenheimer holds that role. But Dallas is within their rights to block their division rival from poaching Adams. Of course, Adams is now aware that the Cowboys denied him a path to a promotion.

The Eagles’ interest in Adams should come as no surprise; the Cowboys ranked second in yards and seventh in points in 2025. Their struggles were more related to their abysmal defense, which former Eagles assistant Christian Parker is now tasked with fixing as the new Dallas defensive coordinator.

NFL league links

Articles

ESPN

Broncos’ Sean Payton regrets 4th-down call in loss to Patriots

Payton said he will find several “regrets” when he looks at it all again, most notably when he passed up points in the second quarter, as the Broncos dropped passes and the run game fizzled in a 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game in Empower Field at Mile High.

Payton said he will “always” have second thoughts about a decision to go for a fourth-and-1 conversion with 9 minutes, 28 seconds left in the second quarter, especially after the snow arrived at halftime and only increased in intensity as the game progressed.

The Broncos led 7-0 and the Patriots at that point had not had a drive go longer than 11 yards. Payton elected to go for it from the Patriots’ 14-yard line and said initially he had called for a run play.

But the Broncos took a timeout, and during the pause, Payton said, he changed the call to a pass play that put Stidham in a bootleg.

“I just felt like, man, we had momentum, to get up 14 [points], felt like we had a good call,” Payton said. “I think the feeling was, man, let’s be aggressive. You know, to get up 14, I was just watching the way our defense was playing.”

After the snap, Patriots defensive tackles Cory Durden and Milton Williams were almost immediately in the Broncos’ backfield, and that rushed Stidham’s throw, his pass falling incomplete.

NFL.com

Sean McVay ‘pretty numb’ following Rams’ NFC title game loss to Seahawks: ‘We had our chances’

Two end zone incompletions caused by Seahawks pass breakups ended the Rams’ best remaining chance of taking the lead, rendering a 14-play, 79-yard drive fruitless. Minutes later, with their Super Bowl hopes on the line, former Rams great Cooper Kupp made the most important play of the final quarter, catching a pass and extending the ball just enough to clear the line to gain for a fresh set of downs and allowing the Seahawks to drain precious minutes from the clock.

By the time the Rams regained possession, 25 seconds remained. On the third and final play of that doomed drive, Puka Nacua made an excellent grab. As he fell toward the sideline, his shin touched the turf in bounds, allowing the clock to expire and crown Seattle as NFC champions following a 31-27 victory.

Inches. That was the difference between McVay’s squad seeing their magical journey continue in Santa Clara, California, or concluding Sunday night.

Pro Football Talk

Patriots are first team in NFL history to go 9-0 on the road

The Patriots’ AFC Championship Game victory in Denver was their ninth win in nine road games. That’s unprecedented in NFL history.

Prior to this season’s Patriots, no team in NFL history had ever gone 9-0 on the road. The Patriots went 8-0 on the road in the regular season and then added a win in their only road playoff game on Sunday.

Three other teams have won nine road games: The 2007 Giants actually won 10 road games, and the 2020 Buccaneers and 2005 Steelers each won nine. But those teams all lost games on the road, too. The Patriots are the first team ever to play at least nine games on the road, and win them all.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave head coach Mike Vrabel a game ball in the locker room after Sunday’s win over the Broncos and pointed to that achievement as the reason.

Super Bowl

Front Office Sports

The Seahawks and Patriots will meet in Super Bowl LX, with both franchises in rather different situations than when they met 11 years ago

Seattle clinched the NFC championship late Sunday, beating the Rams 31–27 at Lumen Field. The Seahawks will face the Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium, after New England secured the AFC title earlier Sunday, beating the Broncos 10–7 in snowy Denver. 

The upcoming Seattle-New England clash will be a revival of Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015, won by the Patriots 28–24. That game, played in the height of the Tom Brady era against Seattle’s famed Legion of Boom defense, is most famously known for then-Seahawks coach Pete Carroll electing to pass in a short-yard situation with a chance to win a second-straight title. Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, however, intercepted a throw from Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson to seal the victory for New England. 

There is plenty of history, meanwhile, involved in the upcoming game as first-year Patriots head coach and former star linebacker Mike Vrabel is attempting to become the person to win a Super Bowl with a single franchise as both a player and a head coach. New England also clinched its 12th Super Bowl appearance, extending its record for the most of any NFL team. A seventh victory for the Patriots would break a tie with the Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins. 

The coast-to-coast spread of the two competing teams, meanwhile, gives a further boost to NBC as it looks to challenge, if not surpass, the U.S. television viewership record of an average of 127.7 million viewers set last year for Super Bowl LIX on Fox. 

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