Commanders Week 9 notebook: Jayden Daniels returns, NFL trade deadline notes, stopping the slide against Seahawks

Washington's playoff chances hinge on a consistent performance against the surging Seahawks; deadline rumors; Brandon Coleman channels Luka Doncic; the return of Daniels and a work of Art.

Jayden Daniels, Chris Paul, Laremy Tunsil (courtesy All Pro Reels)

ASHBURN, Va. — Brandon Coleman fancied himself a guard even when he played tackle. Not the Russ Grimm type. Think Kyrie Irving.

The son of an American military man and a German mother was born in Virginia but raised in Berlin, where basketball passion prevails and American football is a mystery. Coleman fell hard for hoops, developing a strong mid-range game as a two-guard for a traveling Berlin select team. There are whispers around the Washington Commanders locker room that the 6-foot-5, 320-pound lineman, rumored to be arguably the best basketball player on the roster (Coleman would only endorse the top 3-5).

Irving is Coleman's favorite player, but, lacking the NBA champion point guard's handles, he learned to use his hefty frame on drives to the rim. The Commanders’ second-year lineman now keeps his distance from the crowded paint area these days during offseason pick-up games at LA Fitness. He knows risking a leg or ankle injury amid all the interior jumping isn’t the smart play. That doesn’t mean Coleman has turned into a perimeter chucker — unless an opponent gets under his skin. That’s when “the 3-pointer is going to come online.”

The Dallas Mavericks fan — Coleman, lived with his sister in Denton, Texas, during his high school years — also incorporated Luka Doncic’s patient tempo into his own game. “There’s no need to rush,” he said.

That mentality has served him well during a 2025 season that included a public benching after two weeks followed by being declared inactive for five consecutive games. Frustration followed, but so did needed introspection and a chance to re-engage on the field at a point where the Commanders’ season is slipping away and the trade deadline is rapidly approaching.

The Playbook:

• Look in the mirror

• Trade deadline: Coming, going or staying pat

• Coachspeak - Assistant HC Brian Johnson

• Seahawks preview — Tale of the tape

• Injuries and Inactives - Roster spot required

• Notes and Nuggets - Blitzing Jayden Daniels, running into a wall, inactives, replacing McLaurin

• Old school — Work if Art (For those more interested in nostalgia than the present, you’ll find a video clip from this summer of Art Monk reflecting on his career ahead of Sunday’s jersey retirement.)

• For a three-game losing streak palate cleanse, meet the pets of LMS