Standig Room Only: A show about the Washington Commanders and D.C. sports

The Athletic's Ben Standig is live from the NFL owners' meeting in Orlando, which is where the Washington Commanders' top three figures spent time answering questions from local and national media members. Ben and JP Finlay (106.7 The Fan) recapped all three sessions from Adam Peters and Dan Quinn on the QB search, plans at two, and free agency to Josh Harris' updates on the stadium search. Then T...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is here talking Commanders at college pro days, fact or fiction about free agency choices and more with Nicki Jhabvala. Ben opens the episode with what matters and what doesn't on the pro day circuit as Washington QB search makes stops at USC and Michigan this week, with UNC and LSU coming up. Then Nicki joins the chat. What does the Vikings trade for a second first-roun...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is here talking about Austin Ekeler and the Commanders' free agency, and the NFL draft with college football insider Bruce Feldman (The Athletic). Ben opens the show with a rundown of Washington's 19 transactions since last week, the latest on QBs at two and a new home for Chase Young. Then, Bruce drops knowledge on Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels' rise, Drake Maye's futu...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is here for another eventful day as the Commanders trade QB Sam Howell to Seattle and see Kam Curl, Kendall Fuller, and Curtis Samuel sign elsewhere. Al Galdi (The Al Galdi podcast) joins the show (before the Howell/vets news) for a position-by-position breakdown of what Washington did over the opening three days of free agency and what remains. Jahan Dotson, Marcus Mari...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is assessing the Washington Commanders' free agency haul -- 15 agreements! -- with former NFL general manager Randy Mueller and 106.7 The Fan's Grant Paulsen. After day two of free agency, Ben and Randy (The Athletic) talked. Randy is a Frankie Luvu fan and sees the upside in Austin Ekeler. Plus, thoughts on Marcus Mariota and Sam Howell, Jeremy Chinn, the new defensive...

The Athletic's Ben Standig wraps up a busy quasi-first day of NFL free agency as the Washington Commanders agreed to terms with six free agents, including LB Frankie Luvu, C Tyler Biadish -- and a kicker. As for RB Austin Ekeler, Chargers insider Daniel Popper stops by to share his thoughts on the signing and why the doubters should tread lightly before writing Ekeler off. Ben also explains how he...

The Athletic's Ben Standig and Pro Football Focus's Brad Spielberger dive into free agency ahead of next week's start. The marketplace for Kam Curl and Kendall Fuller, and do they have futures in Washington? If the Commanders spend good money on a free agent, which position and player? Free agents discussed include Bryce Huff, Christian Wilkins, Curtis Samuel, Noah Brown, Tyler Boyd, Marquise Brow...

The Athletic's Ben Standig discusses Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye's film reviews, Zach Ertz's signing with the Commanders, and the cost of acquiring a second first-round pick. Ben opens with thoughts on Ertz replacing Logan Thomas before welcoming back The Athletic's film analyst, Ted Ngyuen, to discuss his new article about the pros and cons of each QB at 2. A conclusion is reached. J.J. McCarth...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is here to talk at the intersection of the NFL draft and free agency with guests Nick Baumgardner (The Athletic) and Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk). Ben opens the episode with an array of post-Combine thoughts, including Drake Maye vs. Jayden Daniels, J.J. McCarthy hype, and trading down from 2. The releases of Charles Leno and Logan Thomas mean what? Targeted free agen...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is podcasting from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Topics galore. Senior NFL writer Kalyn Kahler shared insight into USC QB Caleb Williams following her investigative story for The Athletic on what the presumed No. 1 overall pick and his team seek upon entering the league and what it means for the Commanders. Ben opens the show with takeaways from comments by A...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is in Indianapolis for this week's NFL Scouting Combine and talking about prospects with guest analyst Danny Kelly (The Ringer). Ben opens the episode with notes on Eric Bieniemy and Charles Leno before going through his initial draft of a mock draft. Thoughts on options at 2, but also the Commanders at 36, 40, and 67, and what to track leading to those slots. Then Ben a...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is here for an action-packed episode talking Commanders. Guests: Former NFL GM Randy Mueller, Washington Post columnist Barry Svruluga, Washington assistant coaches Brian Johnson, Ryan Kerrigan and Ken Norton Jr. Segment 1 - Ben's takeaways from Wednesday's meet-the-assistant day in Ashburn Segment 2 - Ben and Randy banter about which of the QB prospects the GM likes bes...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is here for an impromptu episode with Kevin Sheehan (Team 980/Kevin Sheehan podcast). The fellas, of course, discussed various Commanders' topics, including which free agents' should be re-signed, but this episode bounces around. What the failing NBA All-Star game says about viewer habits and the evolution of competition. Consuming more sports and stuff after the Super B...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is here talking Commanders' coordinators and Washington's new situation from an analytics angle with Ben Baldwin. The usual Ben opens the episode with first impressions from the Kliff Kingsbury ("Air Raid," Caleb Williams) and Joe Whitt Jr. (football aggression, avoiding groupthink) press conferences plus other notes. Then Ben Baldwin enters for what data says about the...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is here to share conversations about the Commanders' new assistant GM, former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn coming to Washington, and more with Nicki Jhabvala (Washington Post) and Al Galdi. Ben and Nicki open the show with thoughts on the addition of former Lions exec Lance Newmark, new titles for Martin Mayhew and Marty Hurney, how the big-name offensive hires will...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is here talking about the Commnders' latest assistant coaching hires, Super Bowl takeaways, drafting Caleb Willams and more with Mike Smeltz (The Athletic). Ben opens the episode with thoughts on coaching changes at OL and special teams. Then Mike joins to discuss Adam Peters' path to assembling a Super Bowl roster, Patrick Mahomes' greatness, Tony Romo's gaffes, Kyle Sh...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is here talking about Kliff Kingsbury, Drake Maye, and the Commanders filling out their coaching staff. Ben opens with some notes before interviewing Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo (10:32). Why Phil? He and his friend, Kingsbury, run a version of the Air Raid offense. That's also the scheme Longo used at North Carolina when he coached Sam Howell and Maye, the...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is here with colleagues David Aldridge and Cowboys insider Jon Machota to discuss new Commanders' head coach Dan Quinn, his coordinator hirings and the exit of Eric Bieniemy. Ben and David start with first impressions of Quinn at the introductory press conference. His energy (see the title of this episode), Quinn's working relationship with GM Adam Peters, new OC Kliff K...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is here for a rambling solo pod about the Washington Commanders hiring Dan Quinn as the team's new head coach. Numerous league sources are fans of adding the ex-Cowboys defensive coordinator, but did Josh Harris and Adam Peters settle for someone who wasn't their top choice? Thoughts on the Ben Johnson situation, possible coordinator targets and your mailbag questions. H...

The Athletic's Ben Standig sets the stage for this pivotal week as the Washington Commanders prepare to hire a new head coach (and, far down the list, attend the Senior Bowl). Ben shares the latest intel on the remaining interview schedule, whether Ben Johnson is destined to become the hire, why the Seahawks' search process adds a curious variable for Washington and the championship round games. T...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is talking about the NFL head coaching search, Ben Johnson's options, Commanders vs. NFC East, brainiac hire or leader of men, and a little bit about the Wizards making a coaching change. Guests: Cowboys insider Jon Machota (The Athletic) and Joe House (The Ringer). Is it time to lock in Johnson or Washington's HC position? Why isn't Mike Vrabel getting any mention, and...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is still talking about the Commanders' coaching search, but this time from the film breakdown perspective with his teammate Ted Nguyen. Ted is one of the top film analysts in the game and was kind enough to share details on Lions OC Ben Johnson's offense, what makes Ravens' DC Mike Macdonald's defense formidable, and Eric Bieniemy's first season with the Commanders (20:3...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is talking about the Commanders lining up second interviews with head-coach candidates, CEO vs play-caller, Lions OC Ben Johnson's presence, and more with the Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala. Also, thoughts on Ron Rivera's job interview with the Eagles and lessons learned from the Chiefs beyond Patrick Mahomes's awesomeness. (FWIW, we recorded before the Titans hired Br...

The Athletic's Ben Standig and Mike Smeltz banter about the head coach search and thought-provoking ideas involving the Commanders. Ben opens with the latest on what he's heard about the candidates, including Ben Johnson's buzz and other options lurking. Then Mike enters for outside-the-box on Washington topics involving Caleb Williams and Dak Prescott, whether this coming season might be as bad a...

The Athletic's Ben Standig is here to recap highlights from new GM Adam Peters' introductory press conference and chat with former Washington head coach Jay Gruden. After opening with Peters' comments on joining the franchise, the head coach search and more, Ben welcomes in Jay (11:45). They discuss playoff showcases for HC candidates Ben Johnson and Bobby Slowik, the tricky transition from coordi...