The Washington Commanders opened veteran report day with a pair of injury updates, and neither one sounds like a long-term issue.
Head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters met with the media Tuesday afternoon, and the first news out of camp centered on punter Tress Way and linebacker Kain Medrano. Both are dealing with injuries, but the team does not expect either to be sidelined for long.
Way, Washington’s longest-tenured player, is working through a pectoral injury. He should still be able to do some work, but once pads come on, that part of camp is likely off limits. Even with the injury, he remains the favorite to open the season as the starting punter, though the team did work out three punters on Tuesday.
Medrano is also starting camp off to the side while he handles a minor hamstring injury. His situation appears less serious than Way’s, and he should still have time to get into the mix once he’s cleared. With special teams ace Nick Bellore retiring yesterday, Medrano could be in line for a bigger role on special teams if he stays healthy.
For now, though, Washington does not seem to view either injury as something that changes the bigger picture. Way has little to prove early in camp, and Medrano still has plenty of runway to compete once he’s back.
The team also brought in nine players on the eve of training camp’s first practice, including three punters. One of them, Matt Haack, was signed, according to his agent.
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