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The 5 O’Clock Club: Washington’s tight ends

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The 5 O’Clock Club: Washington’s tight ends


The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.


CLICK HERE to see the full 5 o’clock club archive


Zach Ertz

Washington’s tight end room is led by 11-year veteran Zach Ertz, who spent most of his previous pro career with the Philadelphia Eagles. He appears to have ended up in Washington, however, due to his connection to offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who was Ertz’s head coach in Arizona in 2021-22. Three of Ertz’s last four seasons (2020, ‘22, ‘23) were marred by injury. Rather than attempting to recount the career of a player most Commanders fans are quite familiar with, I’ll just post his career stats.

Receiving & Rushing Table
Games Receiving Rushing Total Yds
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD 1D Succ% Lng R/G Y/G Ctch% Y/Tgt Att Yds TD 1D Succ% Lng Y/A Y/G A/G Touch Y/Tch YScm RRTD Fmb AV Awards
2013 23 PHI TE 86 16 3 57 36 469 13.0 4 25 50.9 38 2.3 29.3 63.2% 8.2 0 36 13.0 469 4 0 4
2014 24 PHI TE 86 16 5 89 58 702 12.1 3 42 58.4 35 3.6 43.9 65.2% 7.9 0 58 12.1 702 3 1 5
2015 25 PHI TE 86 15 7 112 75 853 11.4 2 40 51.8 60 5.0 56.9 67.0% 7.6 0 75 11.4 853 2 1 6
2016 26 PHI TE 86 14 12 106 78 816 10.5 4 42 57.5 30 5.6 58.3 73.6% 7.7 0 78 10.5 816 4 0 7
2017* 27 PHI TE 86 14 13 110 74 824 11.1 8 46 56.4 53 5.3 58.9 67.3% 7.5 0 74 11.1 824 8 1 8 PB
2018* 28 PHI TE 86 16 16 156 116 1163 10.0 8 66 57.1 34 7.3 72.7 74.4% 7.5 0 116 10.0 1163 8 1 9 PB
2019* 29 PHI TE 86 15 15 135 88 916 10.4 6 50 56.3 30 5.9 61.1 65.2% 6.8 0 88 10.4 916 6 1 7 PB
2020 30 PHI TE 86 11 11 72 36 335 9.3 1 16 38.9 42 3.3 30.5 50.0% 4.7 0 36 9.3 335 1 0 3
2021 31 2TM TE 17 14 112 74 763 10.3 5 40 50.0 47 4.4 44.9 66.1% 6.8 1 4 0 0 100.0 4 4.0 0.2 0.1 75 10.2 767 5 0 8
ARI TE 86 11 11 81 56 574 10.3 3 30 51.9 47 5.1 52.2 69.1% 7.1 1 4 0 0 100.0 4 4.0 0.4 0.1 57 10.1 578 3 0 6
PHI TE 86 6 3 31 18 189 10.5 2 10 45.2 28 3.0 31.5 58.1% 6.1 0 18 10.5 189 2 0 2
2022 32 ARI TE 86 10 10 69 47 406 8.6 4 24 55.1 32 4.7 40.6 68.1% 5.9 0 47 8.6 406 4 0 3
2023 33 ARI TE 86 7 7 43 27 187 6.9 1 8 41.9 17 3.9 26.7 62.8% 4.3 0 27 6.9 187 1 0 2
Career 151 113 1061 709 7434 10.5 46 399 53.4 60 4.7 49.2 66.8% 7.0 1 4 0 0 100.0 4 4.0 0.0 0.0 710 10.5 7438 46 5 62
9 yrs PHI 123 85 868 579 6267 10.8 38 337 54.0 60 4.7 51.0 66.7% 7.2 0 579 10.8 6267 38 5 51
3 yrs ARI 28 28 193 130 1167 9.0 8 62 50.8 47 4.6 41.7 67.4% 6.0 1 4 0 0 100.0 4 4.0 0.1 0.0 131 8.9 1171 8 11

Ben Sinnott

I’ll defer to Ben Sinnott’s biggest fan to explain who he is and his expected role with the Commanders.

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In his four years at Kansas State, Sinnott never put up gaudy numbers, though his 2023 stats were very solid, catching 49 balls for 676 yards and 6 TDs (better numbers than Sanders and All, it should be said). It was enough to earn him Honorable Mention All-American recognition as well as First Team All Big 12 honors.

With measurables that comp pretty closely to former first round pick TJ Hockenson and LaPorta, it was (and still is) baffling to me that people weren’t drawing the parallels.

When most fans think about tight ends, they usually want to envision the splashy plays: Oversized slot receivers grabbing a ball over the middle and taking it to the house, ideally having smashed some diminutive defensive back into oblivion on the way there. And, don’t get me wrong, I love that too. But that’s generally not how young tight ends get their break in the pros.

Coaches have a decision with their inexperienced TEs:

Do we risk our pass protection, and our quarterback, by testing a tight end who’s not quite ready? Or do we ease that tight end into the lineup, and hope that slowing down the process produces results down the road?

Generally speaking, coaches choose option two. So when you see a college player who is a talented pass catcher, and can do this, you pay attention:

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Sinnott offers a bit of positional flexibility, being reminiscent of the Joe Gibbs “H” back. Here’s what Chris Cooley had to say about Sinnott this past week:

“I will tell you right now, Joe Gibbs would love Ben Sinnott. This would be his guy. He would draft this guy. This is his H-back who can play receiver and tight end. He is a versatile tight end.”

That kind of versatility could end up allowing the Commanders to keep 4 players at the tight end position, with Sinnott moving around the formation in a variety of roles.


Armani Rogers

On May 18, 2022, I was so excited about Armani Rogers that I devoted an entire 5 O’Clock Club post to him.

Here’s how I summarized that article:

In 2022, Armani Rogers was targeted 6 times. Five of those passes were completed for 64 yards (12.8 average) and 4 first downs.

Washington was 3-0 in games in which Rogers was targeted.

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Like Logan Thomas, 25-year-old Armani Rogers is a converted college quarterback (UNLV). He was undrafted last year, and played well in training camp and the preseason. He was one of 5 tight ends on the initial 53-man roster.

What I see in these 6 plays is a guy with good hands, an understanding for how to get open, an ability to get north and south in a hurry, awareness of where the first down marker is, and an ability to break tackles.

As you can see from his film clips above, Rogers was having a pretty good rookie season, but missed several games due to injury — he was on IR from Week 11 to Week 17. I’m thinking that Eric Bieniemy might be excited when he sees these plays by the young 2nd-year tight end.

At that time, I expected Armani Rogers to develop into a good NFL tight end during the ‘23 season, and then take over as the team’s No. 1 option this season. Of course, all of that came to a crashing halt when Rogers tore his Achilles tendon in the team’s first OTA session of the ‘23 offseason in late May.

He isn’t quite a year removed from his injury, though Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins each suffered Achilles tears in the regular season and are expected to play this season, so I am cautiously optimistic that Armani will be able to participate in OTAs, attend training camp, and earn a spot as one of the team’s tight ends this season.

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Right now, there’s little to base that hope on other than a handful of regular season snaps from 2022 and good reports from coaches and beat reporters about what he showed in practice, but if he is able to come back healthy and get back on his earlier track, Rogers could provide a strong element to the TE group.

John Bates

I may be the biggest John Bates fan among the Washington faithful. I like what he did in college and I like what he adds to the Commanders roster. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2021 draft by the Washington Football team.

Here’s what Hogs Haven said about Bates in July last year, ahead of the ‘23 season:

While Bates’ 2022 performance fell below that threshold, his rookie performance, in 2021, exceeded it. His 2021 numbers, 20 receptions for 249 yards and 1 TD were among the best in his draft class, and they would have placed him 12th in receptions and 8th in yardage among TE2s in 2022.

As a tight end primarily drafted for his blocking proficiency, I’m not sure anyone ever expected Bates to be among the most productive tight ends in the league. However, during his initial – admittedly short – two season sample, he certainly appears capable of performing as a decent TE2 in the league, in terms of offensive performance.

The only thing that can really be said for John Bates’ receiving stats in 2023 is that they were slightly better than his 2022 stats.

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Receiving & Rushing Table
Games Receiving Rushing Total Yds
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD 1D Succ% Lng R/G Y/G Ctch% Y/Tgt Att Yds TD 1D Succ% Lng Y/A Y/G A/G Touch Y/Tch YScm RRTD Fmb AV
2021 24 WAS TE 87 17 8 25 20 249 12.5 1 11 68.0 32 1.2 14.6 80.0% 10.0 0 20 12.5 249 1 1 2
2022 25 WAS TE 87 16 7 22 14 108 7.7 1 4 50.0 20 0.9 6.8 63.6% 4.9 0 14 7.7 108 1 1 1
2023 26 WAS TE 87 17 4 28 19 151 7.9 0 6 50.0 35 1.1 8.9 67.9% 5.4 0 19 7.9 151 0 0 1
Career 50 19 75 53 508 9.6 2 21 56.0 35 1.1 10.2 70.7% 6.8 0 53 9.6 508 2 2 4

Personally, I think Bates has a role on an NFL team, and I’d like it to be in Washington. Looking beyond this season to 2025, when Zach Ertz may well be retired from the NFL, it would be good to have Bates returning as a home-grown free agent.

But if we assume that Ertz and Sinnott are roster locks, then Bates could find himself fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster in the final year of his rookie contract.

Cole Turner

Cole Turner was a big receiver (listed by the Commanders at 6’6”, 240 pounds) who converted to tight end as a college sophomore in 2020.

Much was expected from Turner in his rookie season after being drafted in the 5th round of the 2022 draft by the Washington Commanders. That season, however, turned out to be rather disappointing, as he was often inactive or unused due to a chronic hamstring injury. He ended up being targeted only 9 times, and ended up with 2 receptions for 23 yards.

Last year, Turner showed up to training camp sporting a new look that was both stronger and leaner.

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Expectations were again high going into the ‘23 season with new offensive coordinator Eric BIeniemy. Again, Turner’s actual production was disappointing, seeing just 142 offensive snaps (17%). He had 11 receptions on 15 targets for 120 yards, but he was all but invisible in the team’s offense. It seemed like he was ‘in the doghouse’ with coaches because there was no clear reason for how scarcely he was used.

Snap Counts Table
Games Off. Def. ST
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Num Pct Num Pct Num Pct
2022 22 WAS TE 85 10 2 245 36% 0 0% 61 23%
2023 23 WAS TE 85 12 1 142 17% 0 0% 86 25%
Career 387 0 147

If the Commanders keep only 3 tight ends (and even if they keep 4), Turner could find himself as the odd man out, being a less capable blocker than John Bates. His role as a little-used receiving target who also plays only about 25% of special teams snaps is unlikely to endear him to coaches unless he impresses mightily in minicamps, OTAs and training camp.

Colson Yankoff

Like Cole Turner, Yankoff is a big(ish) former receiver (6’3”, 233 pounds) who changed positions — first to running back for his final two seasons at UCLA, and now to an aspiring tight end, a position he never played in college.

As an undrafted college free agent, Yankoff’s best-case scenario for his rookie season is to end up on the practice squad.

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Based on this profile from Lance Zierlein, Yankoff’s chances of sticking around while he develops his skills as a tight end seem to rely almost solely on his special teams skills.

Yankoff’s talent rests in his ability to get down the field to find and tackle punt and kick returners. He has adequate top-end speed as an F tight end, but he has very little practical experience as a route runner. He will need to prove his ball skills and show he can wall off defenders as a run blocker in space. His experience as a running back should help him after the catch. Unless a team decides to use him exclusively as a special-teams ace, he will need to prove to be at least functional at an offensive position to secure a roster spot.

This is mirrored in a slightly more enthusiastic summary of his play published in mid-April:

The former four-star recruit at quarterback (and Elite 11 participant) committed to Washington before transferring to Westwood after redshirting his first year. Yankoff moved to wide receiver in 2020, then to running back in 2022. He’s clearly a projection at tight end, but he showcased the necessary skills and tested well at the Bruins’ pro day. If given an opportunity, he could become a special teams ace — Yankoff produced 10 tackles in 2023. Projected: PFA


Poll

Which of these three players is LEAST likely to make the Commanders 53-man roster in 2024?

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Which of these three players is MOST likely to make the Commanders 53-man roster in 2024?

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Will Colson Yankoff manage to get a spot on the Commanders practice squad in 2024?





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Shooting during ICE operation in Maryland leaves 2 injured, officials say

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Shooting during ICE operation in Maryland leaves 2 injured, officials say


Federal immigration agents shot at a moving vehicle on Wednesday morning during an enforcement and removal action in Glen Burnie, Maryland, striking one person and injuring another, officials said.

A spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Police Department said neither person had life-threatening injuries, and both were taken to the hospital.

Anne Arundel police responded to a report of a shooting involving federal agents at about 10:50 a.m. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were the only officials involved in the shooting, police said.

Preliminarily, police said the agents approached a white van, but the vehicle attempted to run them over. The agents fired at the van, which accelerated until coming to a stop in a wooded area, police said.

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When asked for comment, Department of Homeland Security officials said both civilians involved in the altercation with ICE are in the U.S. illegally. They did not indicate whether either of the men had been arrested.

“Continued efforts to encourage illegal aliens and violent agitators to actively resist ICE will only lead to more violent incidents,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

Anne Arundel police said they will investigate the shooting, while the FBI investigates the alleged assault on the agents and ICE conducts an internal investigation.



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Millionaire tax plans spread as Washington state eyes new levy | Fortune

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Millionaire tax plans spread as Washington state eyes new levy | Fortune


When Washington Governor Bob Ferguson proposed the state’s first income tax in modern history, he said the word “affordability” five times. 

Ferguson on Tuesday asked the legislature to craft a 9.9% tax on personal income over $1 million, which would revolutionize a state revenue system heavily reliant on sales and property tax. Although his fellow Democrats have for decades failed to push through an income tax, Ferguson said it’s “a different time right now.”

“We are facing an affordability crisis,” Ferguson said. “It is time to change our state’s outdated, upside-down tax system. To serve the needs of Washingtonians today, to make our taxes the more fair, millionaires should contribute toward our shared prosperity.”

Democrats across the US are increasingly exploring taxes as a way to capture the populist moment and address the country’s widening wealth gap. If “affordability” was the issue highlighted by Democrats who outperformed expectations in the off-year elections of 2025, the slogan next year could very well be “tax the rich.”

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It’s an opening Democrats see as the Trump administration this year paired tax cuts for high earners with reductions in Medicaid and supplemental food assistance. Raising taxes on the wealthy could also help solve a fiscal problem for states dedicating more resources to plug the holes from federal cuts.

“We have a federal government that has gone into super-villain mode, seeming to deliberately take from the poor and middle class to give to the rich,” said Darien Shanske, a tax professor at UC Davis School of Law. “This unnecessary emergency is laying down a gauntlet for states: Will they let this suffering come to pass and, if not, how will they pay for the triage? Taxes on the best-off are not just fair but also efficient.”

Read more: Millionaire Tax That Mamdani Loves Fuels a $5.7 Billion Haul

Progressive tax advocates often point to Massachusetts’ 4% surtax on incomes over $1 million, which brought in roughly $5.7 billion in fiscal 2025, far exceeding revenue projections in its third year of collection. 

New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani campaigned on raising the city’s income tax on millionaires by 2 percentage points to 5.9%, which critics said would lead to an exodus of wealthy people.

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Colorado voters this year approved a measure to limit deductions for taxpayers earning at least $300,000. The revenue will fund a program providing free meals for all public school students. Colorado officials also advanced a ballot measure to change the state’s 4.41% flat rate to a graduated income tax, potentially raising more than $4 billion. That will likely go before voters in 2026. 

Michigan residents could also face a ballot initiative next year to change the state’s flat 4.25% tax rate to add a 5% surcharge on individuals earning more than $500,000 and couples making more than $1 million.

Romney’s Call

Even 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has joined the call. Last week, the former US senator from Utah penned an essay in the New York Times calling for rich people to pay more, mostly in the form of closing loopholes the wealthy use to minimize tax obligations.

“It would help us avoid the cliff ahead,” Romney said, pointing to government funding shortfalls, “and might tend to quiet some of the anger that will surely grow as unemployed college graduates see tax-advantaged multibillionaires sailing 300-foot yachts.”

Most of the populist proposals coming from the states would raise taxes on income. But the tricky thing about some wealth is that it doesn’t come from a paycheck and thus is harder to tax. Even a levy on capital gains depends on a taxpayer selling assets to realize that increased value. 

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For example, former Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer’s net worth increased by $706.5 billion on Monday, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Even though his mansion sits across the lake from downtown Seattle, those gains wouldn’t be subject to an income tax. 

That’s why some Washington state Democrats are still pushing for the US’s first wealth tax on unrealized gains. Under a proposal passed by the state Senate last year, portfolios of some publicly traded asset classes worth at least $50 million would be taxed at 0.5%. 

Ferguson panned the wealth tax proposal last year, saying it would be irresponsible to balance the budget on a measure that would certainly face legal challenges. 

One of the most common warnings from tax opponents is that once legislators have a new tax mechanism, they’ll either increase the rate or lower the threshold at which it would apply. Ferguson in his income-tax proposal nodded to that concern, saying the $1 million level should increase with inflation and be included in the statute or perhaps even a constitutional amendment.

Read More: Vegas Lures Millionaires Fleeing Wealth Tax in Washington State

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State taxes are also easier to avoid than federal taxes, because it’s relatively easy to move a primary residency. Washington used to attract taxpayers fed up with California’s high rates, but that has changed since the Evergreen State started taxing capital gains. Next year could be the year of the millionaire’s tax — in Washington state and across the US. 



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Windstorm to hit western Washington on Christmas Eve with gusts up to 70 mph

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Windstorm to hit western Washington on Christmas Eve with gusts up to 70 mph


All is calm, all is bright for Christmas Eve-eve…not so much for Christmas Eve itself.

An unusual windstorm will slingshot up the west coast, making for a windy Wednesday in western Washington as we head into the holiday. A pre-emptive HIGH WIND WATCH has been issued by the National Weather Service to account for strong and potentially damaging easterly and then southerly winds, but I expect that to turn over to a HIGH WIND WARNING as we get closer and these gusts look imminent.

ALSO SEE: Mountain snow, gusty winds and heavy showers expected for Christmas Eve

In the short-term, things are quiet enough for now. Mainly cloudy skies will tuck us in, but because the air mass is still seasonably chilly, we’ll drop back into the 30s by dawn. The passes are very passable, but could be icy as lows plunge into the 20s overnight.

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On Wednesday, things get interesting quickly. Storms don’t usually move from California right up the coast to Washington, but there has been nothing usual about this December so far, and that’s exactly the odd track this system is going to take on its way into the region.

Remember that lows act like giant vacuums in the sky, pulling air into them as they go by. This is a roughly 980 millibar low on approach–plenty deep enough to suck in air noticeably as it passes.

This howling wind-maker will work its way up toward the Washington coast by Wednesday morning. With its center still over the Pacific, the winds will be easterly.

The ocean beach communities and the foothills of the Cascades (Enumclaw, Issaquah, North Bend, and Monroe) will be subject to these easterly blows, gusting 30 to 50 mph for the first half of the day there. Why not in Seattle? The 8,000′ tall Olympics will initially act as an offensive lineman for the waterfront locations near the Sound, blocking the bulk of the windy weather before the lunch hour.

However, this low will hightail it over Neah Bay, eventually curling in over Vancouver Island by the afternoon. Now, without the shield of the Olympics between Seattle and the storm center, we’ll be subject to strong southerly (remember the wind follows the low’s movement and track, so the direction will change) gusts of 30 to 50 mph over the Sound, including in Tacoma, Olympia, Everett, and the Emerald City.

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These strong winds may be enough to give us some tree damage and knock down power lines…not what we want to see on Christmas Eve! A grand finale burst of southerlies of 40 to 60 mph or more (some models suggest gusts to 70 mph) will close down the evening in Port Townsend, Oak Harbor, Friday Harbor, and Ferndale–those of you closer to British Columbia will be subject to the strongest winds right after sunset.

By the time people are heading out to the midnight mass, the windstorm should be a wrap, but it will be a dicey day beforehand. Not only will it deal with the wind, but also rain in the lowlands and bursts of heavy, blowing snow over the Cascade passes. Highs will bump up a bit, ending up closer to 50 in the metro area.

Christmas Day itself should be far easier for travelers and celebrations, with lighter rain at times and temperatures back in the more typical middle 40s. This will keep occasional snow falling over the mountains to about 3,000′ (Snoqualmie Summit level) as well.



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