Colin Cowherd didn’t need long to lay out his concerns about Washington after the Commanders’ 17-13 preseason loss to the Detroit Lions on Saturday.
On his “The Herd” podcast on Monday, Cowherd pointed straight at the bigger picture around Jayden Daniels’ team.
“I’ve said Washington last place is my pick," Cowherd said. " … I don’t like the vibe of this franchise.
Ownership down. Kliff Kingsbury bailed.
Ben Johnson after interviewing said it’s a lot of basketball guys who think they know football.
"They just do not have enough good young players because they’ve given up draft picks to get where they’re at.”
Daniels opened the game for Washington, but his night was short. He led the first drive, which ended in a three-and-out after he missed running back Kaytron Allen on an incomplete pass. Daniels was also sacked once before Sam Hartman and Athan Kaliakmanis took over.
The loss was Washington’s first of the preseason after a 20-7 win over the Miami Dolphins to start the summer. The Commanders are now set to wrap up preseason play against the Baltimore Ravens on Friday at 6 p.m. ET at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
It’s still unclear whether Daniels will see any snaps in that finale. He is Washington’s QB1 for the regular season, and the Commanders will open the 2026 season on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Last season, Washington missed the playoffs and finished 5-12. Still, plenty of people around the league believe Daniels can help push the Commanders back into the postseason in 2026 if he stays healthy.
In Other News...
Commanders Suddenly Have Trade Candidates As Final Cuts Close In
Adam Peters is coming up on one of the busiest stretches of the preseason, with the Commanders needing to trim their roster from 90 players to 53 by the deadline. As Washington sorts through a few crowded position groups, the front office has some tougher calls than usual, and a handful of players who may not fit the final picture are suddenly part of the conversation.
Treylon Burks and Jordan Magee are among the names worth watching as the Commanders weigh whether to keep depth, deal from it or simply move on. In a league where every roster spot matters, Washington appears open to finding value wherever it can before the final cuts hit, which makes these next few days more than just a formality. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Safety Decision Already Looks Worse Than Fans Feared
A preseason miscue was enough to push Will Harris to the edge, and the Commanders ended up cutting ties with the veteran safety after a performance that had already been raising concerns behind the scenes. Washington still has other options in the secondary it believes are better fits, so the move also gives the front office some salary-cap relief while it reshapes the back end of the defense.
Harris had one year left on his contract, which is what makes the decision feel like more than a routine roster churn move. The bigger question now is whether his time in Washington is simply over or whether he can land somewhere else and prove the Commanders moved on faster than they needed to, especially with the starting job conversation already looking shaky before the release. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Daniels Is Taking Washingtons Offense Into A Dangerous New Phase
The Commanders have spent this preseason pushing their offense into a more demanding and less predictable shape, with Jayden Daniels taking on more control at the line and more responsibility for steering the operation before the snap. The idea is to get beyond a tightly scripted approach and let the quarterback use his football IQ and passing ability to create answers in real time, while the rest of the skill group stays sharp enough to keep pace with what the defense is showing.
It is the kind of shift that can make an offense harder to defend, but only if everyone around Daniels is ready for the same level of detail. Washington is still working through issues up front, and the addition of Stefon Diggs gives the unit another piece to deploy as it tries to become more versatile and more dangerous. For now, the bigger question is how quickly all those moving parts can mesh once the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]