Bucky Brooks: Commanders one of five teams that 'won the offseason'
The Washington Commanders were pretty active during free agency and the 2025 NFL draft. They were not as active as some, but the moves the Commanders made were incredibly impactful. Bringing in Deebo Samuel, Laremy Tunsil, Javon Kinlaw, Deatrich Wise, and Jonathan Jones and then selecting Josh Conerly Jr. and Trey Amos (among others) in the draft were all important moves that will have a direct impact on the 2025 season.
That activity is why the Commanders are one of five teams that NFL analyst Bucky Brooks says 'won' the offseason.
It's hard to improve from good to great in the NFL, but the Commanders might join the league's elites with an improved roster that features more blue-chip players around 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels. The trades for Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel place a pair of Pro Bowl-caliber players in marquee positions (left tackle and WR2) that should help the offense unlock another gear in 2025. If the team can resolve Terry McLaurin's contract situation, the Commanders will have a chance to open the season with an electric offense that will put plenty of stress on defensive coordinators crafting plans to stop the juggernaut.
Defensively, the additions of Deatrich Wise and Jonathan Jones fortify a unit that is coming into its own under the direction of head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. If the Commanders continue to receive key contributions from their young defensive backs (Mike Sainristil, Quan Martin and Trey Amos), the reigning NFC runner-up could take the next step in 2025.
My expectation for 2025: The Commanders are built to run through the NFC with a superstar quarterback surrounded by a stellar supporting cast. If Washington can secure the NFC's No. 1 seed, we could see a championship parade in the nation's capital come February.
The only way the Commanders' 2025 season is better than 2024 is if they at least win the NFC Championship game. A Super Bowl win is always the ultimate goal, and if that happens, there will be plenty of celebration in our nation's capital. It seems Brooks believes that the Commanders can get there, and you can be sure that the Commanders themselves desire nothing more than to bring home the Lombardi Trophy in 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
27 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Steelers Add Another Star Vet, Reportedly Trade for Dolphins' Jalen Ramsey
After multiple months of trade speculation, Jalen Ramsey finally has a new home. The Pittsburgh Steelers have acquired the star cornerback from the Miami Dolphins in a trade, Ramsey announced in a social media post on Monday. As part of the deal, the Steelers have agreed to adjust Ramsey's contract for the 2025 NFL season. Ramsey will get a $1.5 million raise, bringing his salary to $26.6 million for the upcoming season, NFL Media reported. Ramsey, 30, has been one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL since the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He's earned seven Pro Bowl nods and three first-team All-Pro honors through the first nine years of his career, helping the Los Angeles Rams win Super Bowl LVI in 2021. This is a developing story and will be updated. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. recommended Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Miami Herald
29 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Dolphins trade Jalen Ramsey to Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving them shaky at cornerback
The Dolphins traded disgruntled former All Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, parting ways with one of their most accomplished players, just nine months after giving him a lucrative contract extension. The parties involved were not saying what Miami would receive in return. As part of the trade, Ramsey will get a $1.5 million raise this season, increasing his salary to $26.6 million. He announced the trade on social media. The seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback never publicly explained why he wanted out of Miami but gave a strong hint when he posted a photo of rotten oranges on the first night of the NFL Draft, alongside a caption that read as an indictment of the Dolphins organization. 'Who you surround yourself with matters,' the first part of the caption read, followed by a short inscription underneath the picture that said 'If you surround yourself with people who are okay with mediocre, you too will start to be okay with it... surround yourself with people who desire GREATNESS!' In previous media sessions this spring, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has characterized Ramsey's departure as a mutual decision. Grier said on April 15 that 'we've decided that it was probably in the best interest for all parties to move forward. 'I will say, these decisions aren't done quickly and they're not taken lightly because we spent a lot of time this offseason working through this, talking through things,' Grier added. 'At the end of the day, Jalen did not ask for a trade. So we went through the process and just felt that after numerous conversations and then talking last week with Jalen and his agent that it was best to move forward and it was the best interest of the Miami Dolphins and for Jalen Ramsey.' If Ramsey hadn't been traded, his Dolphins cap hit this season would have been $16.7 million. Instead, his 2025 dead money cap hit on the Dolphins' books will be $6.7 million, leaving Miami with $24 million in cap space. That money can be carried over to next offseason if the Dolphins don't use it all this season. Ramsey will have another $18 million in dead money on Miami's 2026 books. Had Ramsey been traded before June 1, his 2025 dead money Dolphins cap hit would have been $25 million. The Dolphins are expected to use some of that additional cap space to sign at least one veteran cornerback. Aside from nickel cornerback Kader Kohou, the Dolphins don't have a proven starting cornerback on their team. Their other corners under contract: former second-round pick Cam Smith (a disappointment so far), Storm Duck (who made the team as an undrafted rookie last season), Kendall Sheffield (who signed recently after a weekend tryout but hasn't started a game since 2020), rookie fifth-rounder Jason Marshall Jr., undrafted rookies BJ Adams (from UCF) and Ethan Robinson (Minnesota), Ryan Cooper Jr. (a former Ohio State standout), Artie Burns (a former Miami Hurricanes standout who played 51 defensive snaps for Seattle last year), second-year player Isaiah Johnson and Ethan Bonner, who played just 16 defensive snaps last season and 27 over two years. The Dolphins have maintained contract with veteran free agent cornerback Rasul Douglas, who rejected a Miami offer earlier in May. Douglas started 15 games for the Bills this season. They've also inquired about former Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas standout and ex-Chargers free agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., a free agent who's recovering from neck surgery. He expects to be able to play this season. They told another free agent cornerback that they wanted clarity on Ramsey before moving forward. Other established cornerbacks still unsigned include James Bradberry, Stephon Gilmore, Mike Hilton and C.J Henderson. Ramsey, 30, has played for the Jaguars (who selected him fifth overall out of FSU in 2016), Rams and Dolphins during a nine-year career. But he became disgruntled in Jacksonville and was traded to the Rams in October 2019. In March of 2023, the Rams shipped him to Miami for a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long. Ramsey sustained a torn meniscus during his first Dolphins training camp and made his Dolphins debut on Oct. 28 of that 2024 season. Last year, he was ranked 25th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 player list. Last September, the Dolphins signed Ramsey to a three–year, $72.3 million contract extension that included $24.3 million guaranteed upon signing, making him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. He has a $24.3 million guaranteed salary this season, and it wasn't immediately known how much of that, if any, would be paid by the Dolphins and how much will be paid by his new team. Ramsey -- who was a first-team All Pro in 2017, 2020 and 2021 -- finished his Dolphins career with 82 tackles, five interceptions and a sack in 27 games, all starts. He made the Pro Bowl in his first of two seasons in Miami.
Newsweek
31 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Report: Steelers Pull Off Blockbuster Trade for Jalen Ramsey
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been connected on and off to rumors surrounding a potential trade with the Miami Dolphins for star veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Recently, those rumors had died down after multiple reports came out that the Steelers were unlikely to acquire Ramsey. However, a deal has officially gotten done. According to a report from NFL insider Tom Pelissero, Pittsburgh has worked out a deal and an adjusted contract to acquire Ramsey. Jalen Ramsey #5 of the Miami Dolphins takes part in a drill during training camp at Baptist Health Training Complex on July 26, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Jalen Ramsey #5 of the Miami Dolphins takes part in a drill during training camp at Baptist Health Training Complex on July 26, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Photo byPelissero offered details about what the Steelers have done to adjust Ramsey's contract. He is set to be paid a handsome amount of money during the upcoming 2025 NFL season. Read more: Aaron Rodgers Reveals Exactly Why He Signed With Steelers "Blockbuster: The Steelers have finalized a trade to acquire All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey from the Dolphins, sources tell me and @RapSheet," Pelissero wrote on X. "Ramsey's adjusted contract includes a $1.5 million raise in 2025, making his salary $26.6M this year." Pittsburgh has been extremely aggressive this offseason in its pursuit of a Super Bowl run. Early in the offseason, the team went out and acquired DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks in a blockbuster trade. The Steelers followed that up by signing future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Ramsey is a big swing on the defensive side of the football. The secondary was going to be a major question mark for the team. Even at 30 years old, Ramsey has proven himself more than capable of being a top-tier cover cornerback. During the 2024 NFL season with the Dolphins, Ramsey played in 17 games. He racked up 60 total tackles to go along with a sack, two interceptions, and 11 defended passes. Looking at the secondary, Pittsburgh may have turned the position group into a strength. With a No. 1 cornerback in Ramsey now on the roster, the Steelers also have Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. on the roster. Those three players will be difficult to throw against. Read more: Shedeur Sanders' Latest Projection Has Browns QB Ending Up a Hall of Famer It will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh can turn its aggressive offseason into wins on the field. Rodgers is expected to retire following the 2025 season, which gives this team a one-year window to compete. Adding Ramsey certainly helps push them in a championship direction. Now, it's up to Mike Tomlin to put everything together and get the most out of an extremely talented team. Finally, the last piece of business for the Steelers, barring another move to improve the roster, will be figuring out a long-term extension with superstar pass rusher T.J. Watt. For more Pittsburgh Steelers and NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
