The Commanders are being careful with Trey Amos, and Dan Quinn isn’t worried about Nick Allegretti’s missed camp time.
Quinn called Allegretti “one of our smartest players,” pointing to the way the center handles protection calls and line adjustments. Even so, he said the missed work wasn’t the reason for any issues in Allegretti’s play. Quinn also said the team was glad to have him back in the building.
“ Nick is one of our smartest players, so that’s a position that you rely on, ” Quinn said, via the team’s website. “ He’s making calls, ‘Where am I setting things?’
So that’s a good piece. But yeah, I would say it’s not a part of that, why he had so many plays or decisiveness.
But we’re excited he’s back to work today, I can tell you that. ”
Peters offered a similar update on Amos, saying Washington wants to manage the defensive back’s return with the bigger picture in mind. The team placed him on injured reserve, and Peters said the idea was to give him enough time to be ready later in the season rather than rush him back.
“ We wanna take it slow with him, that’s why we put him on IR, ” Peters said, via the team’s website. “ And could he have come back right around, in a few weeks?
Maybe, but with the advances in sport science and understanding what it will take for him to get ready to play from not having played since mid-season last year, we wanted to take that a little bit slower. So, we’re confident he’ll be ready when it’s time for him to come out.
”
In Dallas, Quinnen Williams said the defense feels transformed under new coordinator Christian Parker. Williams described the shift as dramatic, crediting both the coaching staff and the daily competition against the offense during OTAs and training camp.
“The growth, it’s like night and day,” Williams said, via the team’s official website. “Starting in OTAs, and starting the first week of training camp, getting a chance to go against one of the best offenses in battle every single day has helped us tremendously.
The mindset coming from the coaches, top down to the players and to the leadership, has been drastically changed. It’s just fun, man.
I just can’t wait to see the process and the results from all the hard work, but we’re not done yet.”
Cowboys rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham is also drawing strong reviews from Brian Schottenheimer. The head coach, speaking about the third-round pick from this year’s draft, praised Barham’s seriousness, his intent and the way he carries himself in the building.
“He’s awesome,” Schottenheimer said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “And I think I’m getting to know Jaishawn on a much closer level.
He’s very serious and (has) great intent. You talk about a guy that’s wired the right way.
And don’t let his demeanor, the way he carries himself around you guys make you think for one second that he’s not all in for this football team. He is very serious at what he does and he wants to be great.
But he’s getting more and more comfortable in this locker room around our players and around our coaches. I think he’s a terrific young man.”
Barham said he knows the work is far from finished.
“I still got a lot of work to put in,” Barham said. “I’m just trying to get better every day, trusting the coaches, trusting my teammates. All around I’m not perfect, so there’s a lot of stuff I can still work on.”
Schottenheimer added that Barham’s professionalism and versatility have stood out since he arrived, and he pointed back to draft day as part of the reason Dallas felt good about the pick.
“From the time he’s gotten here, we’ve been really excited about the player, the person, the seriousness that he approaches meetings with and the ability to communicate,” Schottenheimer said. “The versatility is real and it kind of goes back to draft day. We did the work, we did the prep, he was there, Jerry made the call, and it was great.”
In Other News...
Commanders Just Added Receiver Depth That Could Matter Faster Than Expected
Ahead of Week 1 preparations, the Commanders quietly added another layer to their receiver room by signing Van Jefferson Jr. to the practice squad. Jefferson had put together a strong training camp, but Washington ultimately kept Luke McCaffrey on the final 53-man roster, leaving Jefferson available for a quick return to the building if the team wanted more experience and depth at the position.
For a roster still taking shape early in the season, the move gives Washington a useful contingency if injuries hit or if the wideout rotation needs a boost. Jeffersons arrival does not change the depth chart today, but it does give the Commanders a proven option in reserve, and those kinds of additions can matter sooner than expected once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Just Sent A Clear Message About Who Runs This Team
The Commanders have set their leadership structure for the season, and it starts with Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin on offense. Daniels was named the offensive captain, while McLaurin will serve as a leader among the skill players, giving Washington a clear sense of who is expected to guide that side of the ball. On defense, Frankie Luvu earned captain honors and Jeremy Reaves was listed as a defensive leader, rounding out a group that gives the locker room a mix of young momentum and established voices.
For a team trying to define its identity under a new seasons pressure, captaincy announcements can matter as much for symbolism as for anything else. Washington is making plain which players it wants front and center when things get tense, and the blend of Daniels, McLaurin, Luvu and Reaves suggests the Commanders are leaning on both production and presence. The real question now is how that structure shows up once the games start and leadership has to be more than a label. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Just Made Jaden Bradleys Early Path A Lot Tougher
The Commanders added another layer to their receiver room by bringing veteran Van Jefferson Jr. onto the practice squad, a move that gives Washington more depth behind its top pass catchers and more experience in the building as the season moves along. For a player like undrafted rookie Jaden Bradley, who also landed on the practice squad, it changes the landscape pretty quickly and makes every rep matter a little more.
Bradley still has the kind of profile Washington likes to develop, and the team has already shown it values his work ethic. But with another seasoned receiver now in the mix, his path to getting noticed is less direct, and the next stretch will be about proving he can keep growing in a role that is built as much on patience as opportunity. [Read more 🡒]