Commanders

The offense for the Commanders is going to look very different than it has for the past two seasons, with OC David Blough taking over for former OC Kliff Kingsbury. But the constant will be QB Jayden Daniels, who has worked closely with Blough for three years now. He says there will be a ton of differences, especially with Blough’s system asking a lot more from him mentally and pre-snap, but that it’s a perfect fit for his abilities. 

“The balance of play-action passes, the bootlegging, stuff that we’re able to run to marry up with our run game, get those guys moving laterally, it’s going to help out to be able to get some shots in to showcase what I can do with my arm,” Daniels said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. ”I’m a passer before I’m a runner. God just blessed me with legs, and the ability to do both. He blessed me with legs a lot of people in this league don’t have. There are some guys that can do it.

“But I look back to the year when Josh [Allen] won MVP but Lamar [Jackson] had that year, and he was still Lamar, but I think he threw for like 4,000 yards.”

Durability looms as a big question mark, though, especially after Daniels’ injury-riddled 2025 season and the team’s question marks up front in 2026. How much will Daniels use his legs? 

“It’s situational,” he said. “Early in the season, games are lost more than they’re won. Guys are getting in football shape and feeling things out. But when it gets to November, December, when everybody should be playing their peak football, you build up all those reps through time, and those games come down to the one yard or one possession, so every possession, every play matters.”

Cowboys

Cowboys OL Tyler Smith suffered a thumb injury that will require surgery and a recovery time of four to six weeks, yet Dallas is comfortable with backup T.J. Bass taking over at the position until Smith can return.

“Tyler Smith‘s a great player, but we feel really confident in T.J., and he’s put great film on here,” HC Brian Schottenheimer told the team website. “He’s played next to Cooper Beebe, he’s played next to [Tyler] Guyton, so that’s nothing new, the communication and all that stuff…We tendered him the way we tendered him because we trust this guy as a football player. He’s a damn good football player that unfortunately is just playing behind a lot of really, really good players. So we have great confidence in T.J.”

Giants

• Dan Duggan reports that Giants OL Jon Runyan‘s two-year, $22 million extension includes $19.25 million guaranteed, plus $2.25 million in injury guarantees.
• Duggan notes that Runyan will count for $6.98 million against the cap in 2026, $12.79 million in 2027, and $14 million in 2028. 
• Duggan also points out that Runyan’s $1.22 million salary in 2026 and $9.04 million salary in 2027 are fully guaranteed. His $10.25 million salary in 2028 includes $2.25 million guaranteed for injury only. Runyan can also make up to $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses in 2027 and 2028.
• Dan Duggan reports that Giants QB Jameis Winston‘s two-year, $13 million deal includes $12.24 million in total guarantees. He’ll count for $3.53 million against this year’s salary cap, $7.32 million in 2027, and $7.17 million in 2028. 
• Duggan notes that Winston received a $3.5M signing bonus. His $1.3 million salary in 2026 and $6.05 million salary in 2027 are fully guaranteed, while $1.39 million of his $5.65 million salary in 2028 is guaranteed.