logo
Commanders Late Pick Labeled Draft Steal

Commanders Late Pick Labeled Draft Steal

Yahoo05-05-2025

Jacory Croskey-Merritt was one of the more underrated players coming out of the 2025 Draft. He played in just one game last season but has the intangibles to be an immediate impact help on the Washington Commanders.
As a seventh-round pick, the odds of Croskey-Merritt providing an impact are low at this point.
Advertisement
But not impossible.
NFL.com and deputy editor, written content, Gennaro Filice, believes the Arizona running back could be in line for a huge career with the Commanders, and it all may start in his rookie year.
"Croskey-Merritt's one of the biggest wild cards in this draft class, as NCAA eligibility issues limited him to one game last season for Arizona (13 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown in the season opener against New Mexico)," Filice wrote. "He popped back up in the East-West Shrine Bowl, earning Offensive MVP honors after rushing for 97 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries. JCM's a deep sleeper as the 245th overall pick, but he's an interesting prospect to follow, nonetheless."
In a locker room with Ekeler and Robinson already established, playing time will be sparse for Croskey-Merritt to begin his career.
Advertisement
Both are on expiring deals, though.
If Croskey-Merritt can prove he can be competent going into the 2025 season, despite his lack of touches in college, the Commanders may have found a diamond in the rough that they can trust moving ahead.
And it would fundamentally change the team's draft going forward.
Related: Commanders Trade for WR Projected To Produce Fantasy Stats
Related: Jayden's Commanders Predicted To Surprise With 2 Rookie Starters

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Three Players Diamondbacks Could Trade if Struggles Continue
Three Players Diamondbacks Could Trade if Struggles Continue

Newsweek

time2 hours ago

  • Newsweek

Three Players Diamondbacks Could Trade if Struggles Continue

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. Several offseason additions had the Arizona Diamondbacks in position to compete atop not only the NL West, but the National League as a whole. Injuries and poor performances have derailed that a bit, and the Diamondbacks are currently in fourth place in their division. Because of the talent possessed by the Giants, Padres and Dodgers, it is unlikely Arizona has a path to the postseason. If the team continues to struggle, here are three players who could be shipped away when the trade deadline rolls around. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 5: Eugenio Suárez #28 of the Arizona Diamondbacks reacts following the 11-10 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on June 5, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 5: Eugenio Suárez #28 of the Arizona Diamondbacks reacts following the 11-10 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on June 5, 2025 in Atlanta, Suárez, 3B Suárez is the biggest power threat in the Arizona lineup, and several teams will be looking for right-handed pop at the deadline. He has 292 career home runs, including 16 this season, as well as a game with four home runs in May. He is in the final season of a seven-year, $60 million contract that he signed prior to the 2019 season when he was still a member of the Cincinnati Reds. His contract situation will make him a prime trade target for teams such as the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Detroit Tigers. Zac Gallen, SP Like Suárez, Gallen is on a one-year deal, making him a possible trade target if Arizona decides to make him available. The one thing that would make him unattractive are his struggles this season. Just two seasons removed from a Cy Young Award, Gallen is 4-7 with a 5.13 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 13 starts and 73 2/3 innings pitched. If he is able to turn things around prior to the trade deadline, he will become an extremely attractive target for teams such as the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. Josh Naylor, 1B The theme of this trade list is becoming evident, as Naylor is also under contract with Arizona through the end of this season. Teams are always looking for left-handed bats at the trade deadline, and Naylor's .289 average with seven home runs, 39 RBIs and .793 OPS could make him highly coveted. Teams such as the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners are struggling with production at first base and could benefit from adding Naylor. More MLB: Orioles Reunite With Veteran Reliever In Trade With Braves

Corbin Burnes needs Tommy John surgery. Prepare for aftershocks.
Corbin Burnes needs Tommy John surgery. Prepare for aftershocks.

Washington Post

time3 hours ago

  • Washington Post

Corbin Burnes needs Tommy John surgery. Prepare for aftershocks.

When Arizona Diamondbacks ace Corbin Burnes left a pitch up to CJ Abrams last Sunday and immediately motioned for trainers, everyone at Chase Field understood what it might mean. And when cameras caught Burnes appearing to express concern about his elbow, there was little reason to doubt his self-diagnosis. Burnes has been one of the game's most durable starters since the start of the 2021 season. He knew this would change that. Diamondbacks Manager Torey Lovullo on Friday confirmed what Burnes and others had already suspected: The ace to whom Arizona committed $210 million over the next six years will miss the rest of the 2025 season and most of 2026 because he needs Tommy John surgery. Burnes, 30, will have the procedure next week. All injuries spur ripples — sometimes through a team's active roster, sometimes deep into an organization's minor league depth. But an injury to Burnes, one of the game's preeminent starting pitchers anchoring the rotation of a would-be playoff team fighting for its life, will have aftershocks near and far. The first jolt, of course, will be felt in the desert, where the Diamondbacks are hovering around .500 while trying to steady a pitching staff that was disappointing even with Burnes. Their other ace, Zac Gallen, has been uncharacteristically mediocre. Promising righty Brandon Pfaadt has been getting pummeled and lefty Eduardo Rodriguez only returned from injury Friday, meaning the Diamondbacks cannot be sure what he will give them. As such, if they intend to contend, they will likely need to add a starter at or before the trade deadline. Demand was already high, and with several teams still weighing their commitment to 2025, supply remains limited. But the Burnes injury could also change more than just the Diamondbacks' 2025 calculus; Arizona's owner, Ken Kendrick, has invested in winning recently but could seize the whiff of mediocrity to balance his recently bloated budget. If the Diamondbacks fall out of contention — and without Burnes, the chances of that increase — they could seek trades for first baseman Josh Naylor (making $10.9 million this year), third baseman Eugenio Suarez ($15 million), Gallen ($13.5 million) and right-hander Merrill Kelly ($7 million), all of whom would represent significant savings even with just the post-deadline portions of their salaries gone. Any savings could be crucial, because Burnes's injury also complicates Arizona's offseason. Gallen will be a free agent for the first time, and he will almost certainly want to test the market. Kelly will be a free agent, too. So is Jordan Montgomery, who also underwent Tommy John surgery this year. That leaves Arizona with only three sure things in next year's rotation: Rodriguez, Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson, who was in Arizona's bullpen but has started three games for the Diamondbacks this year. They will need more to contend in the National League West, which means they might need to be major players in this year's offseason starting pitching market, even though they just gave Burnes the largest pitching contract in their history. Fortunately for anyone seeking starting pitching this winter, options abound. Gallen, Framber Valdez and Dylan Cease headline a class that will also include Ranger Suárez, Chris Bassitt and Zach Eflin, not to mention the dozen or so strong starters who could opt out of deals if they so choose. But one more team on the prowl increases demand this winter — just like one more seller changes the entire trade deadline a few months earlier. For that reason, the aftershocks of the Burnes injury will also be felt in New York and Los Angeles and Chicago and beyond. If the Diamondbacks do decide to sell, even an underperforming Gallen would be one of the more coveted assets available — a potential fate-alterer for any postseason team. Suarez, too, offers the kind of clubhouse pep and on-field power that would make him a highly sought after deadline option. The Yankees, for example, have been hunting for a third base solution all year. Naylor has plenty of pop and postseason experience, too. Kelly has proven himself to be as tough as they come. If the Diamondbacks sell, any one of those players could change a team's October trajectory, if the stars align. Arizona is currently one of several teams that expected to contend and are underachieving. The Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers are all hoping to stave off a deadline sale by rejuvenating their chances over the next two months. The more that do so, the higher demand for Arizona's assets will be. The Diamondbacks have not been ones to cave in recent years, in large part because few teams know better how quickly fates can change. In 2023, they found themselves two games under .500 on August 11. They ended up in the World Series. But rallies like those are hard to engineer even with an annual Cy Young contender in the rotation. Without one … well, the contending vultures are starting to gather in the desert.

Will Commanders' QB Jayden Daniels suffer a sophomore slump in 2025?
Will Commanders' QB Jayden Daniels suffer a sophomore slump in 2025?

USA Today

time4 hours ago

  • USA Today

Will Commanders' QB Jayden Daniels suffer a sophomore slump in 2025?

Will Commanders' QB Jayden Daniels suffer a sophomore slump in 2025? The Washington Commanders' 2024 season was one for the ages. A new general manager, a new head coach, and a rookie quarterback joined forces and essentially willed this team to the NFC Championship game. But now, Jayden Daniels enters his sophomore season, and the dreaded 'sophomore slump' is staring him dead in the face. There has been plenty of speculation that Daniels will not perform as well in 2025 as he did in 2024, and for one CBS Sports analyst, it's one of the 10 burning questions around the NFC East. Will Jayden Daniels have a sophomore slump with the Commanders? Daniels had one of the best rookie seasons for a quarterback in NFL history. He was just the second quarterback with 4,000-plus passing yards and 1,000-plus rushing yards in a season (including playoffs) in NFL history, leading the commanders to the NFC Championship Game in his first year in the league. Daniels had the most total touchdowns (37) and total yards (5,416) by a rookie quarterback (including playoffs), winning 14 games in that rookie campaign. Those numbers will be hard to top, no matter how Daniels performs in 2025. Daniels carried the Commanders last season, and he'll be asked to do it again. The Commanders have a better roster, but defenses have an entire offseason to study Daniels. Watching Daniels adjust in year two will be one of the storylines in the NFL this season. Sure, there is plenty of film on Daniels after his rookie season, but that doesn't automatically mean that defenses will be able to stop him. Especially since Adam Peters bolstered the offensive line and gave Daniels additional weapons to utilize on the field. Will Daniels' production be what it was in 2024? Maybe not. But maybe that means that other players are more effective and he doesn't have to extend plays, rather than a dip in performance. Don't mistake Daniels for someone who gets complacent; he sticks to his routine and work ethic, and even if he does see a dip in performance, it won't be enough to consider a slump.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store