Washington
3 Offensive Washington Commanders Players in ‘Prove-It’ Seasons in 2024
There’s a lot of pressure on the Washington Commanders, not just in 2024, but down the road as well. And nobody is immune from it.
From the top of the Commanders organization down everyone is entering this new season needing to prove they are the right person for the job they’re holding.
READ MORE: Austin Ekeler Ranked as Starting Running Back for Washington in 2024
With around 40 contracts expiring next year Washington just finished the busiest offseason of any NFL team and could be in the same situation in 2025 depending on how effective the team is in 2024.
Here are three of the offensive players who need to prove something in order to solidify their roles as it pertains to the future of the Commanders.
JAYDEN DANIELS, QUARTERBACK
We’re going to start off with a guy who is going to be part of the plan in 2025, the question is how much of that plan will be about his ability and how much will be about hiding his deficiencies.
As a No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft the expectations for Daniels almost couldn’t be higher and the only quarterback with bigger expectations to meet is No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears).
A solid 2024 on the field will make Daniels’ 2025 much less pressure packed as hype replaces anxiety when good football is played by young players. However, a poor rookie season by the quarterback will make a lot of people very nervous very quickly.
Especially when being compared to quarterbacks Washington could have selected over him like Drake Maye (New England Patriots), J.J. McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings), and Michael Penix Jr. (Atlanta Falcons), Daniels needs to have a solid rookie season to inject more confidence in the turnaround project coach Dan Quinn has taken on.
Despite how much fans have come to love McLaurin and the years he’s spent as the best receiver on the Commanders roster there is doubt creeping into the narrative on whether or not he’s good enough to be the team’s longterm No. 1 option.
TERRY MCLAURIN/JAHAN DOTSON, WIDE RECEIVER
We’re putting this duo together because they’re both in very similar positions entering 2024.
Despite how much fans have come to love McLaurin and the years he’s spent as the best receiver on the Commanders roster there is doubt creeping into the narrative on whether or not he’s good enough to be the team’s longterm No. 1 option.
After a solid rookie year Dotson wasn’t able to take the next step toward NFL stardom as the entire offense got bogged down in predictability and quarterback protection issues. So, it’s fair to say that he also hasn’t shown enough to be considered a longterm No. 1 option in Washington.
If general manager Adam Peters decides to decline Dotson’s fifth-year option in 2025 then both he and McLaurin could play on expiring contracts next season. If neither shows No. 1 ability it’s highly possible at least one of them is not retained beyond that as the team looks for a true top receiver and impact playmaker to pair with their still young quarterback.
BRIAN ROBINSON JR., RUNNING BACK
Most of us who watch Washington football with a tight focus see a ton of potential in Robinson.
The national media and those with a wide lens see a back who was 19th in carries in 2022 and 33rd in 2023. Robinson’s targets in the passing game jumped up from 12 to 43 between his rookie and second seasons, but even that higher number only ranked 27th among NFL backs.
READ MORE: Brandon McManus Accused of Sexual Assault
That lack of usage can easily give outsiders the impression the Commanders simply aren’t in love with Robinson as much as some fans and even media might be. Which is why a lot of them have veteran running back Austin Ekeler penciled in as RB1 on the Washington depth chart.
The best way to get respect is to go earn it, and if Robinson leads that room and leads it well then his future with the team – and credit from the national media – should be solidified.
Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.
Washington
Widespread Verizon outage prompts emergency alerts in Washington, New York City
Verizon said on Wednesday that its wireless service was suffering an outage impacting cellular data and voice services.
The nation’s largest wireless carrier said that its “engineers are engaged and are working to identify and solve the issue quickly.”
Verizon’s statement came after a swath of social media comments directed at Verizon, with users saying that their mobile devices were showing no bars of service or “SOS,” indicating a lack of connection.
Verizon, which has more than 146 million customers, appears to have started experiencing services issues around 12:00 p.m. ET, according to comments on social media site X.
Two hours later, Verizon posted an update on social media, saying that its engineers were “continuing to address today’s service interruptions,” but did not say if a specific reason for the outage had been identified or when it could be resolved.
“We understand the impact this has on your day and remain committed to resolving this as quickly as possible,” the company said.
Despite those efforts, shortly after 4:00 p.m. ET, Verizon issued a third statement that contained little new information. The company said teams were “on the ground actively working to fix today’s service issue.”
Users had initially reported problems with Verizon’s competitors, T-Mobile and AT&T, as well. But both companies said they were not experiencing any service problems.
“T-Mobile’s network is keeping our customers connected, and we’ve confirmed that our network is operating normally and as expected,” a spokesperson told NBC News. “However, due to Verizon’s reported outage, our customers may not be able to reach someone with Verizon service at this time.”
A spokeswoman for AT&T also said the company’s network was “operating normally.”
In Washington, D.C., the District’s official emergency notification system sent out a message to residents saying that the Verizon outage was “nationwide.”
“If you have an emergency and can not connect using your Verizon Wireless device, please connect using a device from another carrier, a landline, or go to a police district or fire station to report the emergency,” the AlertDC system told recipients.
New York City’s Office of Emergency Management also said it was aware of the outage without mentioning Verizon by name. The city said it was “working closely with our partners” to review the outage and “assess any potential effects on city agencies & essential services.”
Washington
Vance to meet Danish and Greenlandic officials in Washington on Wednesday
People walk along a street in downtown of Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
NUUK, Greenland — Along the narrow, snow-covered main street in Greenland’s capital, international journalists and camera crews stop passersby every few meters (feet) asking them for their thoughts on a crisis which Denmark’s prime minister has warned could potentially trigger the end of NATO.

Greenland is at the center of a geopolitical storm as U.S. President Donald Trump is insisting he wants to own the island — and the residents of its capital Nuuk say it is not for sale. Trump said he wants to control Greenland at any cost and the White House has not ruled out taking the island by force.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance will meet Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt in Washington on Wednesday to discuss the Arctic island, which is a semiautonomous territory of the United States’ NATO ally Denmark.
Tuuta Mikaelsen, a 22-year-old student, told The Associated Press in Nuuk that she hoped American officials would get the message to “back off.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told a news conference in the Danish capital Copenhagen on Tuesday that, “if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU.”

Greenland is strategically important because as climate change causes the ice to melt, it opens up the possibility of shorter trade routes to Asia. That also could make it easier to extract and transport untapped deposits of critical minerals which are needed for computers and phones.
Trump also said he wants the island to expand America’s security and has cited what he says is the threat from Russian and Chinese ships as a reason to control it.
But both experts and Greenlanders question that claim.
“The only Chinese I see is when I go to the fast food market,” Lars Vintner, a heating engineer told AP. He said he frequently goes sailing and hunting and has never seen Russian or Chinese ships.
His friend, Hans Nørgaard, agreed, adding “what has come out of the mouth of Donald Trump about all these ships is just fantasy.”
Denmark has said the U.S. — which already has a military presence — can boost its bases on Greenland. For that reason, “security is just a cover,” Vintner said, suggesting Trump actually wants to own the island to make money from its untapped natural resources.
Nørgaard told AP he filed a police complaint in Nuuk against Trump’s “aggressive” behavior because, he said, American officials are threatening the people of Greenland and NATO. He suggested Trump was using the ships as a pretext to further American expansion.

“Donald Trump would like to have Greenland, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin would like Ukraine and (Chinese President) Xi Jinping would like to have Taiwan,” Nørgaard said.
Mikaelsen, the student, said Greenlanders benefit from being part of Denmark which provides free health care, education and payments during study.
“I don’t want the U.S. to take that away from us,” she said.
Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for business and mineral resources said it’s “unfathomable” that the United States is discussing taking over a NATO ally and urged the Trump administration to listen to voices from the Arctic island’s people.
Washington
HIGHLIGHT | Lawrence Dots a Pass to Washington for a 6-Yard TD
DE Dawuane Smoot, LB Foyesade Oluokun, TE Brenton Strange, S Eric Murray, and S Antonio Johnson speak with the media after practice on Thursday ahead of the Wild Card Matchup vs. Bills.
0:00 – 2:28 – DE Dawuane Smoot
2:29 – 6:24 – LB Foyesade Oluokun
6:25 – 9:25 – TE Brenton Strange
9:26 – 11:32 – S Eric Murray
11:33 – 13:46 – S Antonio Johnson
-
Montana4 days agoService door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says
-
Technology1 week agoPower bank feature creep is out of control
-
Delaware6 days agoMERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach
-
Dallas, TX6 days agoAnti-ICE protest outside Dallas City Hall follows deadly shooting in Minneapolis
-
Dallas, TX1 week agoDefensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
-
Education1 week agoVideo: This Organizer Reclaims Counter Space
-
Virginia4 days agoVirginia Tech gains commitment from ACC transfer QB
-
Iowa1 week agoPat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star