Washington

Commanders

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.

Bates visited with the Commanders last week but appears set to join the Lions. Currently kicking for the UFL’s Michigan Panthers, Bates has turned into a spring football phenom after making multiple field goals of 60-plus yards and going 6-of-10 on field goals of 50-plus yards on the season. Bates converted on 17 of his 22 attempts (77.3 percent) in the regular season and first caught the attention of football fans when he converted a 64-yard game-winning field goal in Week 1 of the UFL season. He’ll have a chance to compete for the Lions starting kicker job against incumbent Michael Badgley, who made all four of his field goal attempts in his four games with the team. Badgley is a career 82.4 percent kicker and has made just five field goals of 50-plus yards.

The Commanders nabbed Sinnott with the No. 53 overall pick in the draft, making him the TE2 of the class. Sinnott is a versatile player who was a walk-on fullback for Kansas State before breaking out as a tight end later in his collegiate career. Zach Ertz, reunited with Kliff Kingsbury in Washington, should hold the starting tight end job for the Commanders, but Sinnott will see the field in a variety of roles as a rookie. He could emerge as a TE2 in the second half of the season but can be left off most redraft rosters for now.

Daniels’ deal is fully guaranteed and includes a $24.3 million signing bonus. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner has impressed early this offseason and he should close in on the starting job over Marcus Mariota at some point in training camp. Daniels threw for 3,812-40-4 in his final season with LSU and added another 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. The dual-threat quarterback hopes to help a new regime usher in a winning culture that’s largely been lacking in Washington since they won the Super Bowl in 1991. Daniels’ rushing ability makes him a legitimate threat to finish as a top-12 fantasy quarterback in his rookie season if he and the offense can gel in their first year under Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

This comes days after No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels opened mandatory minicamp with the first-team offense. Reports out of Commanders camp have been mostly positive regarding Daniels and his early progress with the team and learning a new offense, with several teammates praising his leadership capabilities. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner enters the season with lofty expectations from both the Commanders and fantasy managers. Daniels threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns last season at LSU, but it’s his rushing upside (135-1,134-10) that has people excited. Currently going as a fringe QB1/QB2 in fantasy drafts, Daniels has the skill set to finish as a top 10 fantasy quarterback in his rookie season if he’s able to get ahead of the learning curve that comes with making the leap from college to the NFL. Quinn also said that the plan in the spring was to give both Daniels and Marcus Mariota first-team reps, so it’s possible both players take snaps with the starters early in camp. We would still expect Daniels to win the Week 1 job when all is said and done.

Kingsbury seems to be experimenting with using Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler in two-back sets out of the backfield. Both backs have different builds and skillsets and can be used in complementary ways. Robinson profiles more as the downhill runner while Ekeler is the pass-catcher. As it stands, Robinson is likely to be the lead back over Ekeler. If Kingsbury breaks out the two-back sets during the season, both backs will be on the field and have utility as pass-catchers for rookie Jayden Daniels.

Christian McCaffrey’s younger brother — taken by Washington in the third round of the 2024 draft — saw some rushing involvement during his final two seasons at Rice, getting 27 carries for 265 yards and a touchdown. Commanders beat writers noted the team has been experimental with player usage during OTAs and minicamp, so McCaffrey seeing backfield work doesn’t mean he’s going to see such usage during the regular season. He’s working to solidify himself as the team’s primary slot receiver after totaling 129 catches over two years as a wideout in college.