PROVEN: Why Commanders RE-SIGNED Chris Paul, ADDED Jerome Ford & ELEVATED Their Offense

0:00It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Oh, could this vintage store be any cuter? Right. And the best part? They accept discover. Accept discover? In a little place like this? I don't think so, Jennifer. Oh, yeah, huh. Discover's accepted where I like to shop. Come on, baby. Get with the times. Right. So we shouldn't get the parachute pants? These are making a comeback. I think. Discover's accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. Based on the February 2025 Nilsen report. Hey, everyone. This is Ross Jackson, one of the hosts of the Lockdown Podcast Network. If your group chat's been a little quiet lately, I want to invite you to come and join ours. If you sign up for the everydayer club, you get access to the members' only group chats for your favorite teams, plus national chats for every sport. Personally, I love watching folks talk a little smack in the NFC South Trash talk chat.

1:01You also get an ad-free version of your favorite Lockdown show and a whole lot more. You can check it out by tapping the everydayer club link in the show notes. Chris Paul allowed just two sacks on 535 pass blocking snaps in 2025, bringing him back next to Laramie Tundsell. And it shows the commanders have the best shot at protecting Jane Daniels in 2026. You are Lockdown commanders, your daily podcast on the Washington commanders. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. This is Lockdown Commanders part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast networking on David Harrison. Your guy on the ground credential member of the media covering the Washington commanders for W USA 9 and your host of this show here with you five days a week and coming up on today's episode. Resigning Chris Paul was a massive value play by Adam Peters,

2:02letting him test them aren't your first with Washington ends up retaining elite pass protection on a team friendly one year deal locks down 80% of the offensive line and allows Peters to focus his remaining offensive line efforts on trying to solve the center position. And the bell cow era has been a thing in the past in the NFL Jerome Ford is a great fit alongside jacquery crosskey Mara and Rashad White, who brings explosive ability and provides redundancy for whites receiving skill set. Finally, both Paul and Ford are operating on one year prove it deals ensuring that Washington gets highly motivated starting caliber players at depth prices protecting the 2027 NFL salary cap. All of that coming up on today's episode of Lockdown Commanders part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. And that's all brought to you by Fandall Fandall's giving you away to turn college basketball energy into even bigger potential wins with a college basketball parlay profit boost head to Fandall.com to get started today. The Washington commanders have agreed to resign guard Chris Paul to a one year deal

3:03and they've agreed to a one year deal of free agent running back to room for sources confirmed to me who will come from the Cleveland Browns organization to start off with Chris Paul because what this really does bring back Chris Paul it identifies or I say addresses a question that we had about the front line ever since a release Tyler be honest we're not able to secure the services of Tyler and Linda bomb is what's going to go on with the interior of the offensive line. You're looking at the potential of two thirds of that interior three the center and the two guards having to be new players in 2026 with Chris Paul coming back that problem no longer exists. Now you're looking at your center which don't be wrong it's a very very key part of the offensive line but it's one less position for Adam Peters to have to address in 2026 and as we've discussed and we'll continue to discuss there are some solid options in the NFL draft to allow Nick Allegrette and one of those players to potentially compete for it and we've talked about several free agents who are still available on the open market as veterans who could potentially come in as well and compete

4:05though I think that Allegrette and a rookie probably makes the most sense at this point in time especially with Trent Scott veteran offensive lineman also coming back on a one year deal to be very valuable offensive depth of course don't forget the trivia question guys. Jaden Daniels first career NFL touch now passing on to who offensive lineman Trent Scott yeah we got to keep that fresh in the domes you never know when you're in need that you're at like a restaurant or something that does you know trivia nights or something like that you never know when that information is going to come in handy. So now with Chris Paul come back to watch players have secured not only two thirds of their interior offensive line but both of the parts of their offensive line on the left side Laramie Tunsell his extension is done all of the pre necessary you know concern or worry about a Laramie Tunsell extension reaching into training camp and a holdout and all that stuff gone for need though that deal has officially been signed we should hear from Laramie Tunsell in person or in an interview I should say here in the next week or so and then Chris Paul comes back to be that starting left guard or at least incumbent to the starting left guard position with this does it gives the commanders

5:08the two stars they had from 2025 to try to come in and provide Jaden Daniels with that blind side protection so your new offensive line your current offensive line should say on paper it looks to me like left tackle Laramie Tunsell left guard Chris Paul though again I do expect competition for that left guard position whether that just be Brandon Coleman or maybe a rookie I will see how things kind of play out by I don't think Chris Paul just walks into the position and boom is locked in no questions asked I think there is going to be a competition there Nick Allegretti is your starting center as of right now Sam Cosme at the right guard position Josh Connerley Jr holding down that right tackle position and so again center being the part that now Adam Peters can needs to focus on but also can focus on knowing that you have a veteran who's done this thing he's been in the league championship caliber effort and all that kind of stuff Chris Paul let's refresh everybody's memory of who Chris Paul is 2022 7th round draft pick out of Tulsa 8 starts in his first two seasons none in 2024 which really put his status on the team as a whole

6:08kind of in question one of the few Ron Rivera holdovers that Adam Peters and Dan Quinn have hold a held on to I think it matters when you notice that a guy is being kind of held on to he was a roster bubble type of guy in my books in 2024 enter 2025 kind of in the same way in fact I think I speculate a little bit that he may not even make the roster in 2025 ends up taking over Brandon Coleman is starting left guard two games or well after two games into the season never got a hundred percent like truly clear kind of you know guidance on what led that whole thing but he comes in only allows two sacks on 535 pass blocking snaps not the greatest run blocker in the world which is kind of the biggest reason I think that you know his his job is not necessarily solidified locked in all those kinds of things clearly because I mean the team didn't go to great lengths to resign him in the first place allowed him to go test the market there were reports of the Giants had interest in him at one point in time and I think what ends up eventually happening is Chris Paul is like you know if he's faced with like deals across the board I'm going to go back to Washington take that like deal because at least I know what I'm getting into I know what I'm

7:11comfortable with I know who I'm dealing with things like that outside of like the Miami dolphins where his brother Patrick plays for the Miami dolphins I don't think there was really a lot of contention out there for him outside of that so Chris Paul comes back on that one year deal if he can ball out then potentially gets an extension from the Washington players gets his pay day that way if he balls out but the Washington players can't afford them or choose not to resign him for whatever reason maybe that rookie they draft this year they think that he's just the bees knees and it's going to be the next great offensive garden the NFL so they let him walk he'll be able to have more ammo to go get a deal somewhere else I promise you that if he does what he did in 2025 in 2026 even without being the greatest run blocker in the NFL the quarterback is the first priority if NFL teams since he that he's done it for two years then that's going to matter he's definitely probably going to get a better market than he got this last off he's not saying he's going to break the bank either way but definitely a better market which will probably lead to him walking away if the commanders don't resign him before he hits the open water so again that one year deal not only is the car of the commanders kind of

8:12protecting themselves but Chris Paul's betting on himself if he maintains what he did in 2026 I think 2027 market will be a lot friendlier entering the free agency money this year his projected value marked by those two years 9.3 million dollars again don't know the current don't know the finalized terms as of right now on Chris Paul's deal but it's one year and you can you can pretty much you know bet I should say that it's a pretty team friendly deal in within those details once we get those details finalize that is as well as Jerome Ford another running back shortly after they signed Rashad white Rashad white two wash commanders roster the wash mares agreed to sign former Cleveland Brown's running back Jerome Ford will dive into everything that he brings coming up next on today's episode of locked on commanders part of the locked on podcast network your team every day and today's episode of locked on commanders is brought to you by Fandall college basketball is nonstop energy you got big games you got tight spreads you got momentum swings every single night from early tip-offs to late night west coast

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11:24at least the first bulk of it right is over but march is still very very much in place so promo code march if you sign up before the NCAA tournament tips off this Thursday you can compete against several people including locked on hosts in our men and women's bracket pools on discord the winner in each will get $100 in locked on merch and the rest of us can commiserate and the members only chats as our brackets blow up which mine tend to do pretty early on as a member of the club you also get at free versions of the show again it's all free for a month with code march at locked on commanders dot supercast dot com the Washington commanders have agreed to terms with former Cleveland Brown's running back Jerome Ford it is a one year deal it is a prove it deal and it is a more solidified version of the Washington commanders backfield now as Jerome Jerome Ford arrives joining Rashad white sophomore running back second year running back jacory crosskey merits jacory crosskey merit i think he certainly has a shot to retain that kind of lead back early down role absolutely feel

12:26like that could be a result coming out of training camp Rashad white is the more veteran of the players he's got more starting experience so for me right now i've got him penciled in as kind of the starting running back in this group though again it could go really any which way all those things Rashad white certainly is going to be a pass catching specialist third down safety blocking ability in Jerome Ford kind of has that Rashad white redundancy with four four six speed proving kickoff versatility as a kickoff returner and the pass catching ability as well I talked to Spencer German of locked on browns all you guys will see the video that he sent me here later on in the week when he talks about a 50 yard pass that Jerome Ford takes in for the Cleveland Browns to secure a playoff in in 2023 just an amazing play by the running back and offensive coordinator David Blau expected to do some of that Ben Johnson asks type of stuff but also says he wants to have a very balanced offense wants to have the running backs involved the running game involved but also when you do this kind of thing and you play from under center and you do all this stuff that you're going to see from the washman's offense this year you get a

13:29little bit more of that passing game being an extension of the run game type of stuff which is what receiving running backs are really able to do forage experience as a secondary type of receiver in Cleveland 647 career right receiving yards coming into this year makes him a fit for that and I don't think it's a mistake like Rashad white veteran running back knows how to do the blocking knows how to do the receiving he's going to be there in the room with your quarry cross mayor and now you bring in Jerome Ford veteran back knows how to do all those things he's going to be in the room with your quarry cross you merit to quarry cross mayor is going to be surrounded by backs who have that one cut burst ability that jacory has but have a little bit extra the receiving ability the blocking ability so this is an opportunity for jacory to not only learn from running backs coach Anthony Lynn but also to learn from veteran running backs who are doing what the washmakers hope that jacory can do and develop into as they move forward to make him kind of that feature back down the road where he can turn into kind of a three down backs I think it's a really interesting dynamic that you're seeing there and honestly drone for kind of benefited from a

14:30similar type of thing being in Cleveland with Nick chub cream hunt I like undoubtedly we haven't done the press conference with him yet but one thing that I bite consider asking him is just kind of what being around Nick chub and cream hunts did for his career and his development and we'll see what he says there but the thing the thing about Jerome Ford and why you know his name if you do is that when Nick chub went down in 2023 with that terrible injury Jerome Ford came in and eventually went off for a thousand one hundred thirty two total yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns in that season including like said that 50 yard touchdown catch that secured the Cleveland Browns playoff opportunity last year forgot bird on the depth chart had a shoulder injury late in the season ended up finishing with just 73 rushing yards so certainly certainly fell out of the plans there in Cleveland with Kevin Stefansky so the Atlanta Falcons were likely never on the board to sign Jerome Ford but come into Washington with a much more versatile scheme expected to be in place under David blouse certainly someone that is interesting man can certainly see a use in

15:31or you could see a use being carved out for him in the offense but also the touchdowns again kick return ability lute mcalfrey and Jerome Ford back there as kick returners like that's that's a pretty good duo and then you got jaylin Lane the partner Turner might you you like a lot of what you see there as well so our final takeaways from the overall episode here in the prove it deals you love the prove it deals from a general manager Adam Peters continuing to get really good players on prove it deals bring Chris Paul back for that depth price with with starting ability Jerome Ford as well with that 2023 history see what he can do here in 2025 no more bell cow you know error I think that's that's kind of been gone right remember Antonio Gibson and Brian Robinson junior even things like that so you like to see the committee being built but not just committee of two guys and then a bunch of dudes you got three guys right now and I don't think this takes Jeremiah love off the board at number seven if you're the Washington commanders if he's there so I think that's good news for all of you who want Jeremiah love on the team as well as it doesn't necessarily preclude them from doing that either so Jerome Ford agreeing to terms with the team is not

16:35officially done that contract that should happen sometime here in the next week or so Chris Paul agreeing to come back to the Washington commanders on one year deal again that deal should be solidified as well about or in about the next week and that's where we stand as it right now for the Washington commanders and that's the roster we're going to sit with much more much more improvement much more many more additions to the office decided things and what we thought we were going to get late in the in the week last week so that's good news and certainly will help us flash out a strategy for our next mock draft Monday coming up so make sure you are subscribed follow along with locked on commanders so you get all of the latest episodes and if you never miss an episode the everyday club is built for you locked on commanders dot supercars dot com to sign up use the promo code march to sign up for one month for free and get involved in our $100 prize bracket giveaway in the discord channels make sure you take take advantage of all of that to the everydayers I see you I appreciate you every single day and I thank you for coming through for

17:36another episode today to everybody out there until next time please stay safe be kind we will talk in real soon right here on locked on commanders part of the locked on podcast network your team every day