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Tre’ Johnson, the former Washington O-lineman, dies at 54
Tre’ Johnson, a former NFL standout offensive lineman with Washington who went on to become a Maryland high school history teacher, died Sunday. He was 54.
In a Facebook post, Johnson’s wife, Irene, said he died during a family trip.
“It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that my husband, Tre’ Johnson, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly … during a brief family trip,” she wrote. “His four children, Chloe, EJ, EZ and Eden, extended family, friends, and I are devastated and in shock.”
After starring at Temple, Johnson was drafted by Washington with the 31st pick in 1994. He played for Washington through 2000, spent 2001 with Cleveland and returned to Washington for a final season in 2002. The 6-foot-2, 328-pound guard was a Pro Bowl selection in 1999.
After football, he became a history teacher at the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland. His wife said recent health issues had forced him to take a leave of absence.
Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)
Commanders Free Agent Fits: Tight End
Good Value: Isaiah Likely, Ravens, 25
Likely is somewhat similar in profile to Pitts in that he’s more of a receiving tight end than a blocker, but he’s quite different in the way he wins. While Pitts is more linear and more of a vertical threat, Likely is more shifty. He shows the ability to work in and out of breaks sharply, making him a threat on underneath and intermediate routes. He’s more of what would be known as an “F” or “Joker” tight end that can move around the formation and often line up in the slot. From there, he can win quickly underneath and provide the quarterback early outlets.
Commanders Roundtable
Free-Agent Fix: Six Targets That Fit the Commanders’ Budget
High Upside Corner: Jaylen Watson (27)
- Current Team: Kansas City Chiefs
- 2025 Stats: 2 INTs, 6 Pass Deflections, 2.0 Sacks, 64 Tackles
- Projected AAV: $12.5M – $15.0M
Why he’s available: The former seventh-round pick has exceeded expectations, but the Kansas City Chiefs currently rank 32nd in the NFL in salary cap space. They are projected to have -$57M on their books and need to release talent. Watson will likely be a cap casualty.
Why he fits: With a PFF overall score of 74.1 and a run defense grade of 83.5, Watson provides a blitzing, tough, aggressive defender who could thrive in a Flores-inspired defense. At 6’2” and 197 lbs, he provides ample size to complement the CB room. He also ranks 10th out of 114 CBs in QB pressures, showing his versatility around the line.
Commanders Roundtable
Are LSU defensive backs the clear NFL Draft targets for Commanders?
The Washington Commanders reportedly upgraded its defensive staff on Friday night after adding LSU assistant Jake Olsen, who was one of only a few to be retained by new head coach Lane Kiffin this past offseason.
Olsen now joins a defensive staff with some familiarity given his year spent with the Tigers under Daronte Jones, who served as LSU’s defensive coordinator at the time while he was formally introduced as the Commanders new defensive coordinator earlier this week.
What role Olsen will serve on the defensive staff remains to be seen with Tommy Donatell the current safeties coach and William Gay serving as cornerbacks coach with both also carrying the ‘defensive backs coach’ title.
LSU safety AJ Haulcy enters the NFL Draft as one of the top prospects at his position with ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranking him eighth best.
[W]hat Haulcy did well fits what Daronte Jones has emphasized in interviews: takeaways with eight interceptions and 12 pass breakups over his last two seasons. While his angle and pursuit were inconsistent during SEC play, Haulcy has also flashed as a tackler through his college career including a career-high 24 tackles in 2023 against Fresno State. Other safeties not named Caleb Downs who fit Washington’s defense include Bud Clark from TCU and Kamari Ramsey from USC, but with familiarity between Olsen and Haulcy, there’s an obvious connection. Haulcy has drawn day two grades with some outlets projecting him to come off the board in the third round, making it a realistic possibility for the Commanders ahead of the combine later this month.
Riggo’s Rag
John Harbaugh could take Caleb Downs out of Commanders’ reach at No. 7
During an appearance on the Mike Francesca Podcast, Harbaugh revealed that he would take Downs in a heartbeat at No. 5 overall. He wants the Giants to take the best player available, regardless of need or positional importance. That would not be great news for the Commanders, especially considering they’d have to face the defensive back twice a season within the NFC East.
“Big fan. Big fan. We value Hall of Fame safeties, so if we have the chance to potentially draft a future Hall of Fame safety in Caleb Downs, that would be just fine with me. We’ll take the best player. When you draft that high, you take the best player. It’s not a need pick; it’s the best player pick. That’s what the goal is at that pick. That guy would be just fine with me. I’d take him in a second.”John Harbaugh
Harbaugh knows the value of having an ultra-productive safety. He’s worked with exceptional forces such as Brian Dawkins, Ed Reed, and Kyle Hamilton throughout his illustrious coaching career. It’s clear he sees Downs as someone who could follow a similar trajectory to superstardom, and if he’s got the final say over general manager Joe Schoen, this might be the choice when push comes to shove.
The Athletic (paywall)
One potential 2026 salary-cap cut for every NFL team
Washington Commanders
CB Marshon Lattimore
Cap casualty, veteran cut, unsurprising cut — use whatever label you want, but Lattimore’s time with the Commanders is almost certainly done. He has one year left on his deal, but his $16.5 million salary isn’t guaranteed, which means the team can move on and save $18.5 million in cap space. It’s a layup, and frankly it’s necessary for the defense to improve. But the failed experiment was costly. Washington gave up essentially three draft picks (the Commanders also swapped fifth-rounders) to acquire Lattimore from the New Orleans Saints at the 2024 trading deadline. The Commanders’ attempt to rebuild, at the time, seemed to be on a faster track than anticipated. But Lattimore was often more of a liability than an asset to Washington’s secondary, and the team proved last season that it’s clearly far from contending anytime soon. — Nicki Jhabvala
Commanders Wire
Kirk Cousins has interesting Sean McVay theory from time in Washington
Regarding how Bruce Allen low-balled Cousins after the 2015 season, never offering him anything close to his market value? Cousins took the high road again, stating he understood if they wanted more time to assess and he was glad to go ahead and play for the franchise tag. He also clarified that they did come with a legitimate offer later in 2017, but he thought that with Sean McVay having left, and changes were in the works, he would simply finish the season and see how the season progressed and see what his market value would be.
Interestingly, Cousins thought if the Redskins had won the 2016 finale against the Giants, they would have been in the playoffs, and that reduces the chance the Rams would have waited on 31-year-old Sean McVay. “I regret losing that game; I gave Sean the chance to go interview in LA, and the rest is history.”
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Vegas Insider
The Most Loved and Most Hated NFL Players, According to Fans
Players Who Rank Highly for Both Love and Hate
Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
- Love Rank: No. 1
- Hate Rank: No. 17
Allen ranks first for love while still landing inside the top 20 for hate — proof that the biggest stars attract the widest emotional swing.
Daniel Jones (Indianapolis Colts)
- Love Rank: No. 7
- Hate Rank: No. 5
Jones sits near the top of both lists, driven by heavy discussion volume and sharply divided expectations.
Justin Fields (New York Jets)
- Love Rank: No. 9
- Hate Rank: No. 8
Fields generates near-equal measures of optimism and frustration, making him one of the most debated players in the league.
What stands out
- Hurts leads by a wide margin.
Jalen Hurts ranks No. 1 with a Hate Score of 10.0, separating himself clearly from the rest of the league.
Blogging the Boys
Cynic vs skeptic
When I think of a lot of views on this board, it’s hard not to assign them one of these words, myself included.
From Google’s AI
A cynic is generally defined as someone who doubts human sincerity, believing actions are motivated solely by self-interest, often expressing this via sarcasm.
For sure that’s me at times.
A skeptic is a person who habitually doubts generally accepted beliefs, claims, or knowledge, requiring evidence before accepting them as true.
Wait, that’s me too!?
So if the team doesn’t win anything important in 30 years and Jerry says he’s doing something different now because his old ways weren’t working, which word is applicable?
So back to AI – Skepticism vs Cynicisim?
Skepticism is a constructive, evidence-based inquiry that doubts assumptions to find truth, while cynicism is a jaded, pessimistic default that assumes the worst in people and ignores evidence. Skeptics remain open-minded but demand proof, whereas cynics are closed-minded, distrustful, and motivated by negativity.
Ouch. But wait a minute. I think my view of Jerry is pretty much this – “jaded, pessimistic default that assumes the worst in people” but I think I AM basing that on empirical evidence! (30 years is a long time.) “Skeptics remain open-minded but demand proof”…
So what is there to be open-minded about? So if we believe Jerry has turned over a new leaf, and we believe there will be positive results in the future, what do we call that?
Back to AI – what is Pollyannish?
Pollyannaish describes an outlook that is excessively, naively, or blindly optimistic, often ignoring potential problems or harsh realities.
But there needs to be a better word for a kind of positivity (or negativity) that is based on commercial interests, no?
Google? What if the “pollyannaish”, “skeptic”, or “cynic” is offering their view for commercial interest, what do we call that?
When a person’s outlook—whether optimistic, skeptical, or cynical—is driven by commercial interest rather than genuine belief, it is generally referred to as rent-seeking behavior or, more specifically, motivated reasoning used for profit.
Now we are getting somewhere. So do I really qualify as a cynic when I know darn good and well much of what I am being fed is derived from “motivated reasoning”? Commercial interests if you will?
So yeah, if Jerry and our local media all have a commercial interest in convincing us things will be different (because they made a ton of money on Cowboy fans over the same 30 years of futility) shouldn’t we be cynical rather than skeptical? Do I really need another offseason of proof? Evidence?
Jerry, imo is ALWAYS rent-seeking. So I am going to go ahead and admit it…I’m a cynic when it comes to anything Cowboys that has a commercial interest for Jerry. Because it, in my view, is what keeps us from winning anything important for 30 years.
Big Blue View
NY Giants 2026 NFL Draft scouting report: Josiah Trotter, LB, Missouri
Can Josiah Trotter exceed his father’s legacy?
Josiah Trotter will likely begin his career as an early down and short-yardage linebacker, as well as a special teams player.
Trotter has the potential to be a three-down, and starting, linebacker in the NFL. However, he will need to make significant improvements in his pass coverage before teams trust him on neutral or passing downs. That could limit his draft stock, though his interviews and board work could convince teams to bet on his upside with a relatively high pick.
Final Word: An early Day 3 or later Day 2 pick
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Raiders hire Seahawks QB coach Andrew Janocko as new OC
Janocko will once again reunite with first-time head coach Klint Kubiak, whom he worked with in Seattle, New Orleans and Minnesota. Janocko was also a candidate for the same title in Seattle as Kubiak’s successor.
Janocko and Kubiak will be tasked with turning around a Raiders offense that was one of the worst in the league in 2025. Under Chip Kelly and interim offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Greg Olson, Las Vegas was last in points scored (14.2), rushing yards per game (77.5) and total yards (245.2), and 26th in red zone efficiency (50%).
Sources: Seahawks expected to hire 49ers’ Brian Fleury as OC
The Seattle Seahawks are expected to hire San Francisco 49ers tight ends coach and run game coordinator Brian Fleury as their new offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday.
The decision represents a pivot for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks, who began their search for Klint Kubiak’s replacement thinking they would likely promote from within.
Instead, they pluck from a division rival by hiring Fleury, who has spent the past seven seasons with the 49ers. He joined Kyle Shanahan’s staff in 2019 as a defensive quality-control coach and spent the next two seasons (2020-21) as an offensive quality-control coach before a promotion to tight ends coach (2022). Fleury added the title of run game coordinator last season.