Commanders Laremy Tunsil, Matt Gulbin, Nick Cross, Mike Sainristil - Daily Slop

The Daily Slop - 11 July 2026

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!

Commanders linksArticles

ESPN

Execs, coaches, scouts rank Laremy Tunsil among top-5 NFL offensive tackles for 2026

5. Laremy Tunsil, Washington Commanders

Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 31 | Last year's ranking: 7

The Commanders' offense had a tough year on the field, but one bright spot was Tunsil, acquired last offseason via trade from Houston.

Underrated to me and bulletproof in both phases," an NFC executive said. [He] has another gear that others don't. Still violent."

Tunsil gave up four sacks in 393 pass-blocking opportunities last season en route to a 91.5% pass block win rate. And to his credit, Tunsil was called for only five penalties after 17 the previous season.

Commanders Roundtable

Why Matt Gulbin's ceiling is higher than his draft slot suggests

Gulbin's most realistic year-one path is as Washington's backup center and interior swing lineman - the player who can step in at center, left guard, or right guard if an injury creates a gap. Washington's projected starter at center heading into training camp is veteran Nick Allegretti, which means Gulbin has time to develop behind a proven interior lineman rather than being thrown into the fire immediately. That's the best-case scenario for a player with one year of center experience.

The ceiling here is a starting center on a zone-blocking offense within two to three years. Every analyst who has watched significant Gulbin tape reaches the same conclusion - the power floor is legitimate, the leadership is real, and the trajectory of his career has been consistently upward. Three-star recruit to All-ACC honorable mention. Wake Forest backup to Michigan State team captain. Sixth-round pick to eventual starter. Washington has seen this movie before with late-round offensive linemen who outperform their draft slot. Don't be surprised if Gulbin is the next one.

Commanders.com

Commanders 2026 opponent breakdown | Cincinnati Bengals

Will the Bengals' defense improve? The Bengals' defense has been it's main weakness for years, but that could change in 2026. Lawrence, who the Bengals acquired in a trade, is a force in the interior of the defense, although he had a down season in 2025. The Bengals are banking on that being an aberration and Lawrence returning to the dominant All-Pro that he was for most of his career. Players like Mafe, who had 20 sacks in four seasons with the Seahawks, and second-round pick Cashius Howell should help elevate a pass rush that only recorded 34 sacks in 2025. Although Burrow's injuries haven't helped, the Bengals' defensive struggles are the main reason they have not been a perennial playoff contender. If they can improve on that side of the ball, it could turn them into a serious threat in the AFC.

Can the offensive line protect Joe Burrow? Burrow was only sacked 17 times last season, but that was mostly because he missed half the season with an injury. In the three seasons he has played at least 16 games, Burrow ranked in the top 10 most-sacked quarterbacks in the league, including an NFL-high 51 times in 2021. That hasn't stopped Burrow from being one of the top players at his position, but it has played a role in limiting his and the team's potential. There are some who believe the Bengals will be at or near the top of the conference, and they could be right if everything goes their way. However, reaching that goal will be difficult if the offensive line continues to rank near the bottom of pass block win rate like it did in 2025 (28th).

Bleacher Report

Predicting Every NFL Team's Biggest Bust of the 2026 NFL Season

S Nick Cross

Nick Cross is a proven starter who's versatile but has glaring limitations. In four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, he lined up in both safety spots and in the slot. The 2022 third-rounder started in every game over the last two campaigns.

With more playing time, Cross' lapses in coverage became apparent. Since 2024, he's given up nine touchdowns while allowing passer ratings above 99 in back-to-back terms.

The Washington Commanders needed a reliable coverage defender at safety in center field alongside Will Harris, who's allowed passer ratings above 105 in five out of seven seasons. On a new two-year, $13 million deal, Cross won't fill that role adequately.

Sports Illustrated

Commanders roster ranking: No. 16 Mike Sainristil gives Washington needed flexibility

As this list was being created, Mike Sainristil landing at No. 16 felt like one of the easiest rankings to defend, yet one of the harder players to fully define.

Sainristil is not ranked here because the Washington Commanders have already determined his role for 2026. He lands here because of his pure football IQ and his ability to play and make plays in multiple spots.

The difficult part about this one is now figuring out where he is going to help the most.

Finishing the 2025 season with four interceptions and 12 passes defensed was a rather large accomplishment for a young corner on a defense with plenty of issues. He played well over 1,000 snaps, shifting between the slot and the outside.

But make no mistake, he does not have a perfect profile either. If he did, he would be much higher on this list.

Podcasts & videosWashington Commanders 2026 Season Preview & PredictionsNFC East links

Big Blue View

Defensive line rankings from ESPN have to sting NY Giants fans

Leonard Williams is No. 1, and Dexter Lawrence is also on the list

New York Giants fans are rightly concerned about whether or not the team has enough quality on the interior of the defensive line. That's why newly-released rankings from ESPN of the top 10 defensive tackles in the NFL have to be painful.

Two former Giants stars, Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence are on that list. Williams, in fact, was named No. 1 on a list compiled using input from NFL executive, coaches, and scouts. Lawrence, coming off a down season, still checked in at No. 7.

Blogging the Boys

We count down 100 days until kickoff with the most iconic games in Cowboys history; today is Day 65Sunday, November 24, 1991 - 1:00 p.m. ETRFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.

Gerald Riggs scored from the one-yard line to cut the lead to 21-14, and after Ken Willis answered with a 42-yard field goal, Mark Rypien hit Ricky Sanders for a 29-yard touchdown in the final minute to make it 24-21. But Dallas recovered the onside kick and finished off one of the biggest regular-season upsets in franchise history.

This game belongs on the countdown because it foreshadowed everything that was coming. The Cowboys...walked into the home of the eventual Super Bowl champions, beat an 11-0 team, survived an injury to Aikman, and looked like a young roster discovering its identity in real time. Dallas would win out from there, finish 11-5, reach the playoffs for the first time since 1985, and win a postseason game for the first time since the 1982 season.

[In the playoffs, Dallas lost to Detroit 38-6; a week later, the Redskins destroyed the Lions championship dreams with a 41-10 drubbing in the NFC Championship game. Of course, Washington beat Buffalo in the Super Bowl to win the team's 3rd Lombardi trophy].

Still our year though pic.twitter.com/Sh9kyLUbPa

- Cameron Magruder (@ScooterMagruder) July 10, 2026

NFL league linksArticles

Pro Football Talk

Daniel Jones is cleared to do everything" and feeling good"

[Note: Commanders play the Colts in Week 4 London game]

Jones ruptured his right Achilles in a Dec. 7 game against the Jaguars and underwent surgery two days later. He said Friday that he hit a lot" of his rehab milestones before the mandatory minicamp and has gotten even stronger since.

I'm feeling good," Jones said. I think I've made a good amount of progress since minicamp and will continue to do that these next two weeks before camp and then all through camp. But I'm feeling really good and feel like I'm in a good spot."

Jones admitted he is not over the mental hurdle of forgetting about the Achilles repair.

Discussion topics

Over the Cap

Should a Team Have Claimed Terrion Arnold?

While Arnold has a first round contract the money remaining in the contract is not that significant. Arnold was set to earn a guaranteed $2,098,974 this season and a guaranteed $2,750,961 million next season. Even for a bust first rounder (and Arnold was not a lock to start this year in Detroit) those are pretty fair numbers at about $4.85 million for two years.

Though Arnold does not have much leverage, he no longer has any type of rookie contract restriction on salary now that he has been cut. While I doubt there is enough interest to offer him more than the minimum, it would make no sense for him to agree to any contract that runs more than one year in length. The team would pay him $1.075 million this season and then he would be a restricted free agent. The cost for a tender at the ROFR level will be around $3.8 million in 2027. It would be a bit more if they used the original round tender. That works out to about $4.875 million, slightly more than the original contract.

While the prior contract was guaranteed and this new one would carry no risk, it is hard to picture a scenario where the NFL does not suspend Arnold. Any suspension would void out those guarantees anyway. Basically, its going to work out to a similar amount of money and you could have just had the player without having to potentially compete with other teams. While there is a PR component to this, considering teams are already bringing him in for a workout they are already going to take on the same negativity.

Claiming the contract also comes with other benefits. If he plays really well the team that claims the contract would hold the rights to his fifth year option. If he gets suspended the team should hold the rights to collect signing bonus money that was paid by the Lions. Those forfeiture rights transfer to the new team so if he lands in jail and breaches the contract the claiming team is in line to collect $1.8 million per year. It is fair to say good luck getting that", but it would still be their right. If he misses a handful of games via suspension and he plays football the team would definitely get that amount back as they have the ability to take that out of his salary.

Basically, the only way this makes sense for a team is if they sign him to a two year contract for the minimum of $2.265 million for two years. Why would he take that? He shouldn't as it makes no sense and if there are four teams showing interest he shouldn't have to take that. I think the right path here [would have been] just to claim the contract and see how things play[ed] out.

aBit o'Twitter

Relentless.https://t.co/VNH97Qu9TNpic.twitter.com/E5rDPCA5jV

- Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 11, 2026

"Riggins is gone" pic.twitter.com/s0qvJDeFtc

- Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 10, 2026

I want everyone to know my deep sense of gratitude to Josh Harris and the entire Burgundy and Gold organization for this honor. But this recognition is not for me alone.

It should be shared with my forever teammates, coaches, and ultimately YOU, the fans.

You and I are... pic.twitter.com/Qf99W5MZt3

- John Riggins (@riggo44) July 10, 2026

John Riggins and the 5:00 club. pic.twitter.com/0d1mWmlCii

- Old Time Football (@Ol_TimeFootball) August 4, 2022

Washington Commanders Team President Mark Clouse says on @team980 that the new stadium will officially have bouncing seats like RFK.

Pretty cool. #Raisehailpic.twitter.com/XW8zTqORTA

- Chris Bryant (@HogfarmerChris) July 10, 2026

Commanders' team president Mark Clouse had this to say when asked by @Russellmania621 about the Personal Seat License (PSL) program for fans at the new stadium at the RFK Site: pic.twitter.com/sPHRcTHcOF

- The Team 980 (@team980) July 10, 2026

The countdown rolls on with runs 60-51 of the top 100 runs of 2025 pic.twitter.com/tYQBqOAude

- NFL (@NFL) July 10, 2026

What's also interesting about the study is that NFL players are significantly LESS likely to die from EVERYTHING else, including cardiovascular disease. We're talking about like 30% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and cancer."@ChrisNowinski1 shares a positive... pic.twitter.com/Qh6jekx6nJ

- Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) July 10, 2026

Stefon Diggs Male Sexual Assault Accuser Settles $10 Million Lawsuit With NFL Star's Brother https://t.co/Nf2AJTtKVo

- TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) July 10, 2026

Free agent WR Stefon Diggs continues to highlight his offseason work and route running via IG

(via:@receiverfactory) pic.twitter.com/qTF80ZnnJ3

- brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) July 11, 2026

Aaron Donald spent this afternoon on the Rams practice field.
Told he went through several drills over about an hour and looked gassed walking off the field.
This comes amid talk the retired NFL superstar could make a comeback.
One workout at his old stomping grounds doesn't... pic.twitter.com/8Dnl3wVaiX

- michael j. babcock (@michaelbabcock) July 11, 2026

Tom Brady was asked about A.J. Brown and why there's always drama at the WR position:

"I swear to God, it's just deja vu. I've been seeing the same sh*t since 2000 when I came into the league... It's like the Real Housewives of the NFL."

Brady then explained why the WR position... pic.twitter.com/sr2wtsqe8L

- Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 10, 2026

Be an LT pic.twitter.com/UaDnHhBObG

- NFL (@NFL) July 11, 2026