The Commanders got a look at two rookie runners who made an immediate impression in preseason action, and undrafted back Robert Henry wasted no time showing he belonged. Henry ran for 75 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries in his debut, then said the game slowed down for him once he absorbed his first hit.
“I’d say after the first play, I definitely felt comfortable, because I got my first hit off,” Henry said, via Zach Selby of the team’s site. “ I just felt like I was supposed to be there.”
Kaytron Allen, who enters his rookie season as a sixth-round pick, turned in a strong night of his own with 85 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. He said Henry’s success helped spark him.
“I feel like when Rob started getting all around, I feel like he got me going,” Allen said. “I see him score, I know I had to score just because he scored and he just got me going.
Rob had a great game. Proud of him.”
Commanders coach Dan Quinn also came away encouraged, pointing to Henry’s work in pass protection.
“Sometimes as a running back, that can be a difficult thing to get down early,” Quinn said. “And so, on one of the long passes, he had a good protection of the player off the edge, and so I thought those were good flashes.”
In Philadelphia, the conversation is centered on the ground game after it slipped in 2025, and right tackle Lane Johnson believes Saquon Barkley is set up to look like his old self again.
“The more productive we are in the run game and stuff feeds off that, we’ll see the Saquon from two years ago,” Johnson said. “We’ll see the big plays, we’ll see him flexing out wide at wide receiver, we’ll see him in the screen game.”
And in New York, Giants cornerback Paulson Adebo says defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson’s system is a natural fit, especially with the press-man looks.
“ Absolutely, yeah. I mean, it’s definitely something that I love to do, ” Adebo said, via Giants Wire.
Adebo was blunt about his own 2025 performance, saying it didn’t measure up no matter what was going on around him.
“ Overall, not good enough, regardless of whatever circumstance is going on, ” he said.
He also made clear that his standard hasn’t changed. The expectations around him may be rising, but his personal goal stays the same.
“ For me, personally, my goal is always to be the best in the league, so year in and year out, that’s always been my goal since I came in as a rookie, second year, third year, fourth year, so that doesn’t change. But definitely there’s more expectations, so there’s more from the outside as far as being able to fulfill those expectations,” he said. “ But for me, personally, it’s always been the same, trying to be the best in the league.”
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Robert Griffin IIIs career is the warning sign hovering over all of it, a reminder of how quickly things can go sideways when a quarterbacks body and the teams protection plan are not aligned. That is why Dan Quinn and David Blough face more than a tactical challenge in Washington. They have to be willing to adjust the offense around Daniels, and if necessary, take the ball out of his hands for the sake of preserving the long view of his career. [Read more 🡒]
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For a team still sorting out depth and roles, those are the kinds of performances that can linger well beyond one exhibition game. Hursts showing is the sort that puts a player squarely into the roster conversation, especially when the defense is looking for reliable pieces who can translate preseason flashes into something more lasting once cut-down decisions arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Have An Offensive Line Concern They Still Havent Solved
The Commanders went into camp already carrying a real question at center, and it only grew more pressing when general manager Adam Peters moved on from starter Tyler Biadasz without bringing in a veteran replacement. Washington instead turned to Nick Allegretti, whose experience at the position is limited, as the next option in line, a gamble that has kept the middle of the line under scrutiny all summer.
Allegrettis calf injury only made the situation murkier, forcing Julian Good-Jones into the starting job for much of camp while sixth-round pick Matt Gulbin served as the backup. Head coach Ron Rivera has already acknowledged the challenge there, and the Commanders still need to sort out the position before the roster cutdown. [Read more 🡒]