After the free agency frenzy and chaos of the NFL Draft died down, many NFL teams continued to add players to their rosters. The Washington Commanders signed nine undrafted rookie free agents after the draft was done, and a handful of them have made a legitimate case to remain on the final 53-man roster when the time comes.
One player attempting to make a case for himself is wide receiver Jaden Bradley. NFL Insider and **** yst Brian Baldinger breaks down one of Bradley's receptions in the Commanders' loss to the Detroit Lions on Saturday.
.Commanders Lions UDFA Jaden Bradley with the best catch of week 2 in preseason. Great way to get noticed pic.twitter.com/sNxIVH0r2A
"Trying to make a football team as an undrafted free agent like Jaden Bradley right here, from the slot," Baldiner begins. "Spray fade right here, all right? And you come down with this kind of a catch right in front of the bench, in front of Dan Quinn, in front of Jayden Daniels, like guys jumping up and down, celebrating the catch right there. That's cool. Antonio Williams, the rookie wide receiver, joining him.
"And watch this throw right here. Jaden Bradley is from DeMatha High School; he's a local product. Good blitz pickup here, by the way. Kaliakmanis lets it fly, and watch this catch; this is the best catch I've seen in the second week of preseason so far. That's how you get people's attention. That's how you make the team. That's how you get noticed as an undrafted free agent. Look at Terry McLaurin right here, coming down to celebrate with the rookie free agent. That's cool. I like that."

#Commanders

The New York Giants hosted the Minnesota Vikings in their first preseason game of 2026 on Saturday.
The Giants didn't come away with a win, losing 13-10, but head coach John Harbaugh got a good look at some of the players he's been evaluating over the summer in a real-game situation. There were solid plays and areas of opportunity, but it's just the first preseason game, so no one expected perfection.
One of the brighter spots during the game was seeing how rookie linebacker Arvell Reese performed in his first NFL game setting. Reese was on the field for 12 defensive snaps and four special teams snaps in the preseason game, and watching his highlights should have Giants fans paying attention.
NFL ****** yst Brian Baldinger broke down Reese's play.
"Let's just put the periscope on Arvell Reese here," Baldinger says. "He played 12 snaps in his debut against the Vikings, and what are the Giants going to do? They're going to shift to the strong side, two tight ends over here. So they're gonna overload to match it up. So where do you think the Vikings are going to come? They're going to come to the weak side, behind (Christian) Darrisaw at left tackle, right. What's Arvell Reese gonna do? You know what you do? You just step up and blow it up. Just step up and blow it up. It's beautiful.

#reese

Ex-NFL star and current **** yst Brian Baldinger thoroughly enjoyed Ty Simpson's preseason debut against the Chiefs. Baldinger pointed to the second quarter as the moment the offense found its rhythm under the Los Angeles Rams rookie quarterback.
Baldinger walked through a string of bootleg plays where Simpson hit tight ends and receivers. He noted a shotgun snap that showed off some arm strength, then pointed to a staple of Sean McVay's offense.
"It was very simple," Baldinger said, complimentarily. "... This is just the Rams. Let's fake the bubble screen over here, and we'll throw the spot screen over here. And we'll just let [the back] score the touchdown, one of two touchdown throws on the day."
From there, Baldinger highlighted a downfield shot on a fade route away from the safety, praising Simpson's willingness to drive the ball, before closing on a play-action pass to a crossing route that hit the receiver in stride.
"Nice job by Ty Simpson just executing," Baldinger said. "Very efficient."

#simpson #screen #we 'll

Maybe the most encouraging thing coming out of the Cincinnati Bengals' first preseason game was the strong showing by the rookie class.
Names like Cashius Howell and one unexpected depth piece looked very good.
So, too, did Landon Robinson.
The fan-favorite seventh-round pick made some notable splash plays during the live broadcast and it has only been reinforced when looking at the film and numbers.
Film like this, via Brian Baldinger:

#like #maybe #cashius #howell

Less than five days ago, the Washington Commanders signed veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a one-year contract for the 2026 season. There was speculation that Brandon Aiyuk might join the burgundy and gold, but his social media antics, combined with still being under contract, forced the Commanders in another direction.
The Commanders needed to add another big threat to the offense. Jayden Daniels will still rely on Terry McLaurin, but with Diggs on the field, opposing defenses will be spread thin, and Daniels will have an easier time moving the ball down the field. It's easy to see why the Commanders wanted to sign Diggs, but why did Diggs ultimately choose to come to Washington? NFL Network's Mike Garofolo and Brian Baldinger asked that very question of Diggs after practice on Saturday.
"One, it was home," Diggs says. "I liked something about this team. Just the energy, the coaches. You know, DQ (Dan Quinn) is a ******* of a coach; I talked to AP (Adam Peters), they were building something, and they've had some success in recent years. They had some injuries last year, but I like going and being part of something that's going in the right direction. I had some other options to go some other places, but this made the most sense when you go in and weigh the pros and cons and how I want my life to be built. You know, I'm 32 years old. I've got more football behind me than in front of me, but I want to demonstrate I can hoop still. I can do everything I want to do out here; I can be a great receiver, and be a good receiver for Jayden."
Diggs was born in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and played football for the University of Maryland Terrapins in college. Landing in Washington was partly a homecoming for the veteran wideout, but knowing that this team needed just one more tool to take the next step, Diggs was willing to be that tool.
With Diggs and McLaurin on the field, plus the addition of Chig Okonkwo and the rise of rookie Antonio Williams, the Commanders' offense will be formidable in 2026.

#diggs #washington #still #want

What happens at tight end, now?
A significant question that has arisen is the fact that starting tight end John Bates is out for at least a couple of weeks. What does this mean for the Washington run offense, and is there a tight end ready to be promoted if Bates' injury becomes an ongoing dilemma for the 2026 season?
This "could be" a major obstacle for the 2026 season if Bates does not fully heal before testing his injured/strained hamstring. No, Bates is not an above-average receiving tight end in the NFL. But he is certainly one of the better blocking tight ends in the NFL. For those old enough, think what Don Warren meant to Joe Gibbs and the Redskins offenses during his lengthy 14-year career in Washington (1979-92).
NFL **** yst Brian Baldinger has praised Bates' blocking more than a few times. Baldinger has even referred to Bates as, "the best blocking tight end in the NFL." The 'JBB' is the 'John Bates' Block,' as Baldinger has stated in his NFL film reviews. So, this injury to Bates could be a major headache if he does not heal and remain healthy this season. The Commanders need Bates. But what if they don't get a healthy Bates in 2026?
TE Ben Sinnott, plain and simple, MUST step up. Newly signed TE Chig Okonkwo this offseason is more of a hybrid tight end/receiver. He is not an in-the-trenches tight end like Bates. Zach Ertz was a very good receiving tight end, but not nearly the blocker Bates is. Sinnott is more physical than Ertz, but still far from a Bates, thus far after his two seasons.

#tight #baldinger #ertz

The Oklahoma Sooners have a good shot at having an elite offensive line in 2026.
The Oklahoma Sooners' offensive line is taking its development seriously this offseason, and the latest move should catch the attention of anyone watching this group heading into 2026.

Several Sooners linemen spent time with Brian Baldinger, the former NFL offensive lineman and renowned film **** yst, at the OL Masterminds summit. For a young group facing enormous expectations, the investment in outside coaching and film study could pay dividends when the season kicks off.
.OU_Football the whole offensive line in attendance at this years #OLMasterminds . Breaking down their game Vol_Football #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/C11s9Nq83l
Before the 2026 season begins, there will be some uncomfortable conversations about which position groups on this Oklahoma team face the most pressure. The offensive line is right up there.

The Sooners didn't necessarily underperform last season, but they could have been better at times. This year, they bring back many of their young guys who have shown flashes of potential as studs, and the expectations will follow.
Oklahoma is expected to play at a high level, and the schedule won't make it easy. The Sooners will face some talented defensive fronts.

Offensive line is one of those position groups in college football (and even in the NFL) where, if things aren't working up front, nothing else works. They're required to block in both the pass and run games. When that breaks down, the entire offense stalls.

Cleveland Browns' newest key addition to their roster is back to work this week at Von Miller's ninth annual Sack Summit hosted in Las Vegas. Jared Verse is in attendance representing the Cleveland Browns alongside all of the league's best pass rushers.
While Cleveland gave up a generational pass rusher, they did receive a very good one in return. With Verse being out at Sack Summit, it gave Brian Baldinger a great opportunity to break down a Verse clip of him getting after the quarterback.
Baldinger is the authority when it comes to pass rushing and line of scrimmage breakdowns. Unless you have been schooled in it, it is very hard to understand and teach the line of scrimmage play. Everyone up front is connected. The offense has to have five guys working together on the same page, while on defense, they have three or four guys who all have to be connected schematically.
Everyone has a plan, and then the ball is snapped, and the biggest and strongest guys begin hand-to-hand combat and go to war with each other for three straight hours. The work that takes place up front is fascinating to learn, and Baldinger is one of the best at teaching it.
For this Verse clip, he breaks down exactly how Verse rushed through one of the best tackles in the game to get to Baker Mayfield and sack the quarterback.

Francis ‘Sisi’ Mauigoa, the guard selected No. 10 overall by the New York Giants in the 2026 NFL Draft, has received the Brian Baldinger seal of approval.
Baldinger, an NFL ***** yst and former player known for his ‘Baldy’s Breakdowns’ of players, believes Mauigoa can be a “great guard.”
Baldinger said Mauigoa was “well-coached” at Miami and has “real power” in his game.
“He’s got excellent power at the point of attack,” Baldinger said in a video for the Giants’ YouTube channel. “He looks like he could be a better guard than a tackle.
“He really looks like he could be a great guard … He’s going to move the line of scrimmage with his power.”