MOBILE, Ala. — The Senior Bowl offers incoming draft prospects a chance to show off their skills and NFL teams a closer look at how these players might help their cause. The week beyond on-field work also consists of get-to-know-you meetings — and chatter on all sorts of league-wide topics.
Here’s a sampling of what was said this week about the prospects and various matters involving the Washington Commanders. Scouts, execs and agents in Mobile were granted anonymity for competitive reasons and to offer their candid opinions.
🎙️ New episode from the Senior Bowl. Guest: NFL Draft analyst @nickbaumgardner. Analysis of the OL class, cornerbacks, tight ends. Draft risers and concerns with overall 2023 class. Plus, me on the OC search, Tom Brady’s retirement affecting the QB market. https://t.co/wnevfQy89t
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) February 2, 2023
Offensive coordinator search
Washington’s offensive coordinator search rolls on slowly. Former Chargers head coach and current 49ers running backs coach/assistant head coach Anthony Lynn became the sixth official candidate interviewed for the opening. Part of the holdup involves an expected seventh candidate.
The team hopes to interview Chiefs coordinator Eric Bieniemy, and mutual interest exists, multiple people with direct knowledge of the situation told The Athletic. With Kansas City in Sunday’s Super Bowl, formal meetings would not occur until the following week at the earliest. Bieniemy’s intrigue extends beyond Washington with a list of suitors that includes the Ravens and Titans.
Some in Mobile viewed the longtime assistant of head coach Andy Reid as the favorite for the Commanders’ opening. That’s despite no consensus over whether Bieniemy would provide the needed impact for an offense that ranked 24th in scoring with 18.9 points per game in 2022.
The opportunity to call plays, something Bieniemy doesn’t handle full-time with the Chiefs, would be a positive for a perpetual head-coaching candidate who has yet to land that big job. An endorsement from Reid, one of Rivera’s football mentors, would carry weight in Washington. Head coach Ron Rivera’s future with the Commanders is another factor for any candidate, as owner Dan Snyder might soon sell the franchise he’s owned since 1999.
Commanders quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese, former Browns/Giants head coach Pat Shurmur and Lynn are the experienced candidates on Washington’s list. The appeal with Zampese includes familiarity with Sam Howell. Washington has told candidates that the rising second-year quarterback with one career start is considered the favorite to open the offseason program atop the depth chart.
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Rams tight ends coach/assistant head coach Thomas Brown and Falcons quarterbacks coach Charles London were among the initial interviewees, along with Dolphins running backs coach Eric Studesville. London worked as the offensive coordinator of the American Team at the Senior Bowl.
Strengths and weaknesses
The notion of individual prospects rising and falling during the pre-draft process is sometimes a false narrative. Such assessments are often about outside observers catching up with the NFL scouting community. However, showcases like the Senior Bowl offer the opportunity to shine, and several players did that in Mobile, including those at need positions for the Commanders.
This year’s group lacked high-end options. One scout told The Athletic he didn’t grade a single player this week as a first-round talent but acknowledged some in the field will likely hear their name called on Day 1, including Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence.
Three days of practice helped solidify the view that offensive tackle and cornerback are among the deeper positions in the draft, while linebacker, wide receiver and quarterback depth rank among the weaker spots. NFL executives and scouts voted Tulane RB Tyjae Spears as the Senior Bowl practice player of the week.
BREAKING: Tulane RB Tyjae Spears was named @seniorbowl Practice Player-of-Week in vote of NFL executives & scouts.📈#BestoftheBest #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/NzGlghAPfU
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 3, 2023
As for players in need areas for the Commanders that helped their case in Mobile…
Quarterback: Jake Haener (Fresno State)
Usually, the Senior Bowl features a future first-round quarterback. Not this year. There might not even be a Day 2 selection. That’s not necessarily an issue for Washington, with the coaching staff promoting Howell as a candidate to start. The Commanders’ primary addition should come from the veteran market, though adding a third-string option would work for the sport’s most important position.
The Athletic’s draft analyst, Dane Brugler, ranked Haener as his highest-graded quarterback entering the week. Nothing changed after the practices. Being selected Senior Bowl MVP doesn’t hurt. Brugler projects Haener as a “backup and potential spot-starter in the NFL. … If there is a Brock Purdy in the group, Haener could be that guy.”
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Tight end: Payne Durham (Purdue), Cam Latu (Alabama), Luke Musgrave (Oregon State)
Musgrave was the highest-projected tight end in Mobile and is one of four players in contention to be the first tight end drafted. Durham and Latu, selected as the top practice players at their position this week, are part of the next tiers.
During his senior season, the 6-foot-5, 258-pound Durham had 560 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 56 receptions. He displayed quality hands, a big target for quarterbacks and steady blocking. Durham told The Athletic he met with Washington officials multiple times and wasn’t worried about all the eyes watching him this week.
“I prayed for this,” Durham said. “This is a dream come true.”
Jaren Hall 🎯 to Payne Durham pic.twitter.com/97dfoTxHcS
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) February 2, 2023
Musgrave, who missed all but two games last season with a knee injury, was one of nine players to run 20 mph or faster this week (20.05) and the first tight end to clock at least 20 mph in the five years that Zebra Technologies has collected such data at the Senior Bowl.
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Offensive line
Tackles: Dawand Jones (Ohio State), Darnell Wright (Tennessee)
Interior OL: Steve Avila (TCU), O’Cyrus Torrence (Florida), John Michael Schmitz (Minnesota)
Forget whether Torrence was the best among the linemen. Brugler wrote he could “make an argument he was the best player in Mobile, regardless of position.”
Washington must revamp its line this offseason, perhaps at all five spots, but certainly inside, even if Sam Cosmi shifts from tackle to guard. The Commanders also have made their desire to run the ball clear. They shared that view with Torrence.
“That’s what they talk to me about. They talked about the running back they have,” the 6-foot-5, 337-pounder told The Athletic, presumably referring to Brian Robinson, “and that they like to the run the ball a lot.”
Torrence said Washington’s staff called him a run-game “mauler.” The Louisiana transfer sees the Commanders as a good scheme fit and a potentially friendly destination, since former college teammate Percy Butler is on the roster.
Haven’t studied 1-on-1s yet, but O’Cyrus Torrence was excellent during the team & team competition portions of practice. Film translated well on day 1 in Mobile. pic.twitter.com/HWbl6fj0mD
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) February 1, 2023
Brugler was impressed with Torrence’s “grip strength and distribution of power,” “controlled footwork” in pass protection and success at both left and right guard.
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Multiple evaluators cited Wright as the week’s top tackle, supplying power and aggression from the right side. The massive Jones might have challenged for such recognition if not for a reported injury during the first practice that kept him out the rest of the week.
Neither player is a first-round lock at this stage of the draft process, though that could change. The note here is that viable tackles and interior linemen will be on the board at 16 for Washington and in the second round. The Commanders could target other positions (cornerback, tight end) in Round 1 and still land big-man help on Day 2.
Cornerback: Mehki Blackmon (USC), Julius Brents (Kansas State), Darius Rush (South Carolina), Tyrique Stevenson (Miami)
Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, a former NFL scout, praised this position based on the lengthy pass defenders in Mobile. Brents, a first-team all-Big 12 selection, is a prime example.
The 6-foot-3 corner flashed early in the week during one-on-one coverage drills. The surprise came with his ability around the line of scrimmage.
“I don’t feel like everybody knows how good I am within the box and my short-area quickness,” Brents said Wednesday. “I feel like I showcased that (during the first practice).”
The corner class is loaded with projected first-round prospects. Washington lacks depth beyond Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste.
🔥 @KStateFB CB Julius Brents was easily the most impressive cornerback in one-on-ones during the second practice today at the Senior Bowl pic.twitter.com/n9lFuU9tdm
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) January 31, 2023
Extra points
• Tom Brady’s retirement led to ample discussion over the impact on the quarterback market this offseason. Removing the seven-time Super Bowl champion from the equation shrinks an already limited field of starting options. Washington wasn’t in the mix for Brady and appears unlikely to spend the money or draft capital for high-profile types like Derek Carr or Aaron Rodgers. Lower-end starters like Andy Dalton and Jacoby Brissett could be in higher demand should teams like the Buccaneers and Raiders seek a veteran presence.
• There is no buzz about an outside hire or Washington interviewing candidates for the now-vacant defensive backs coach position. Perhaps that’s an indication that Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio are sold on one internal assistant replacing Chris Harris or see a combination of coaches handling those duties, including longtime Rivera assistant Richard Rodgers. Third-year assistant defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer and defensive quality control coach Cristian Garcia were with Del Rio in Mobile. Vieselmeyer’s responsibilities included a focus on nickelbacks.
Harris warranted consideration from other teams after the Commanders’ secondary shined in 2022, with St-Juste and safety Darrick Forrest among those making notable strides. What’s interesting is that Harris is gone from Washington without a definitive job elsewhere.
Having been interviewed by the Packers for their defensive coordinator position in 2021, Harris declined to sign his rollover contract last year, effectively making him a free agent this cycle. Expectations have the nine-year coach landing with the Titans as a pass-game coordinator or other elevated position — if he does not land a coordinator position elsewhere.
Harris interviewed with the 49ers for their DC opening per multiple reports, and there is interest from the Bears. He spent half of his eight-year playing career in Chicago.
• The Commanders had a notable presence during Senior Bowl week. General manager Martin Mayhew, senior personnel executive Marty Hurney and senior director of player personnel Eric Stokes attended. Along with Del Rio and the aforementioned defensive coaches, four assistants coached position units: Jennifer King (running backs), Travelle Wharton (offensive line), Ryan Kerrigan (defensive line) and Ben Jacobs (special teams).
However, Washington joined the league-wide trend of not sending some or any of their position coaches to pre-draft All-Star games. Those individuals were prepping for the NFL Combine, which begins Feb. 28 in Indianapolis, or handling other responsibilities.
• Former Commanders offensive coordinator Scott Turner joined the Raiders’ staff on Friday. Rivera fired Turner on Jan. 10 after three seasons, all of which ended with Washington’s offense ranked among the league’s least productive. Under Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels, Turner will serve as pass game coordinator. He will coach for a second consecutive team for which his father, Norv, previously served as head coach.
(Photo of Eric Bieniemy:Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
