Antonio Williams kept finding pockets of calm in a practice session that had little of it for the Washington Commanders.
By every measure, Wednesday’s joint work with the Baltimore Ravens was rough on Washington. The Commanders were beaten up, pushed around and generally outplayed. But even in that mess, Williams kept flashing.
The rookie receiver has spent the summer moving through the usual adjustment period, and now the game is starting to slow down for him. His preseason showing against the Detroit Lions already hinted at that, and the joint practice against Baltimore gave another reminder that he may be settling in fast.
In one-on-one drills, Williams’ route running and hand manipulation gave Ravens defensive backs trouble. All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton couldn’t stay with him. Even when the Commanders’ offense had little room to breathe in 11-on-11 periods, Williams still found a way to stand out.
With Jayden Daniels under heavy pressure behind a shaky offensive line, the quarterback lofted a deep ball that Williams tracked and hauled in cleanly. It was one of the few bright spots in a practice where almost nothing was going Washington’s way.
Nobody else really got much going. Williams did.
That matters. In the NFL, you do not get many easy snaps, and you certainly do not get many clean chances when the session turns ugly. The players who separate themselves are the ones who keep making plays anyway, and Williams looked like one of those guys.
This is not just a one-off, either. Coaches and teammates have been talking up Williams since he arrived, pointing to his route-running, body control and overall sharpness. Even with four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs now in camp, the first-year pro still appears set for a real role.
An important one, too.
The Commanders believe they found value in Williams, a player once projected as a first-round pick before injuries and Clemson’s collapse last season pushed him down the board. That slide gave Washington a chance to grab him, and so far he has done plenty to justify the optimism.
There will be growing pains, and there is no expectation that he has to become the center of the offense with Terry McLaurin and Diggs in front of him. But if Williams keeps building on this start, the opportunities should be there once the regular season hits.
For now, the early returns are strong. Williams looks like the Commanders’ WR3, and maybe more down the line. Most importantly, he is making the kind of case that turns pre-draft doubts into old news.
In Other News...
Dan Quinn Already Has A Commanders Problem Fans Wont Ignore
The preseason can be a noisy place to draw conclusions, but the Commanders lopsided loss to the Ravens offered plenty of reasons for concern anyway. Washington had issues on both sides of the ball, with the offense failing to find much rhythm and the defense giving up far too much ground, all of it feeding a familiar worry around this roster: there may not be enough depth to withstand the kind of injuries that can quickly change a season.
Dan Quinn already entered the summer with pressure hanging over him after a disappointing first year, and a rough August outing is not the kind of signal that calms anyone down. Preseason results do not decide job security, but they do shape the conversation, and this one only sharpened questions about how ready Washington really is for September. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Cutdown Battle Suddenly Centers On One Troubling Linebacker
Kain Medranos first real chance to make his case in the Commanders preseason came at a tricky time, with roster decisions looming and the linebacker room already crowded. The second-year linebacker did not help himself against the Ravens, and that outing has put his standing in real jeopardy as Washington sorts through a competition that is as much about depth as it is about upside.
For Medrano, the path forward is likely tied to the less glamorous parts of the job. Special teams could be the deciding factor in whether he sticks on the 53-man roster, and if he does not, the Commanders may still view him as a candidate to remain in the building on the practice squad. For a young linebacker trying to carve out a role, that leaves the next few days feeling especially important. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Fans Just Got A New Reason To Start Planning Sundays
Nike has added another piece to the Commanders growing game-day ecosystem with a new Washington-themed Vomero 18 running shoe now available through Fanatics. It is the kind of release that fits neatly into the rhythm of football season, giving fans something to wear away from the stadium while still keeping their colors close at hand. For a fan base already looking ahead, it also lands alongside a fresh look at the teams 2026 schedule, a reminder that Sundays can start feeling planned long before the season arrives.
The schedule gives Washington supporters a full roadmap for the year ahead, with dates and opponents laid out for every game, and tickets for the 2026 season are already on the market. Between the new shoe and the early ticket window, the timing is built for fans who like to get organized early and make the fall feel official. The only thing left is for the long wait to actually turn into kickoff weekends. [Read more 🡒]