The Washington Commanders got a few encouraging signs back on the practice field Monday, just as the roster dust was settling after cut-down day.
Washington finalized its initial 53-man roster on Sunday, then made a pair of additional moves Monday by placing Laremy Tunsil and Johnny Newton on injured reserve with the designation to return. To fill those spots, the team brought back cornerback Fabian Moreau and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle.
Then came the better news: center Nick Allegretti, quarterback Marcus Mariota, tight end Ben Sinnott and defensive tackle Daron Payne all returned to practice.
Allegretti’s return stands out the most. He had missed almost all of training camp after shifting from guard this offseason, leaving a real question mark at center. But head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters don’t sound rattled.
“So, not having Nick for most of camp was something we had to work through, but we have a ton of confidence in him,” Peters said. “And he’s played, I think 3,000-some-odd snaps in this league.
And he’s played good football for us before. He went through the whole offseason, so we’re really confident.
He’s not a guy that needs a ton of reps, especially from a mental standpoint.”
Allegretti strained his calf on the first day of training camp, which only deepened Washington’s concerns at center. A week later, those issues grew when Tunsil tore his triceps, setting off a chain reaction along the offensive line and pushing Brandon Coleman, who had been competing to start at left guard, back to left tackle.
Mariota sprained his MCL in the preseason opener, though the expectation had always been that he would be ready for Week 1. Sinnott was hurt late in camp, and Payne had been dealing with an undisclosed injury.
Washington opens the season in 13 days on the road at Philadelphia.
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