The Washington Commanders squeezed in an extra Day 15 practice Monday, turning what had been scheduled as a walk-through into a short work session that gave them three straight days on the field before Wednesday’s joint practice with the Ravens.
The session lasted about an hour and included only limited 11-on-11 work, so the real takeaway came before practice even started, when Dan Quinn explained why the team added the extra day. He said it was not a “knee-jerk” response to Saturday’s game.
“I didn't love all that I saw from an identity standpoint, but it wasn't like a knee-jerk reaction to that,” Quinn said.
The bigger reason, Quinn said, was the amount of shuffling Washington has been doing at different spots. With players moving around and the roster picture tightening, every rep matters more now than it did earlier in camp.
That was especially true at running back Monday, where Robert Henry Jr. and Kaytron Allen handled most of the work while Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White were not available for full duty. Henry and Allen both popped off positive runs, which only sharpened the competition for players trying to make an impression before cuts are made.
For the players on the fringe, these practices are no longer just about getting better. They’re about forcing the staff to think twice before the roster gets cut to 53.
Quinn made it clear that Wednesday’s joint practice with Baltimore is the real event of the week. He called it a “big deal” and said the team’s attention will shift more toward the starters and the players who likely won’t see much, if any, action in Friday’s preseason finale.
That setup matters for Jayden Daniels, who has had limited preseason work. Quinn said the joint practice gives Washington a controlled environment against a quality opponent, which is exactly what the team wants at this point.
“As far as Jayden goes, we haven't gotten there with the game, but having the joint is a big deal for us,” said Quinn. “And so, that's where we want to get a lot of reps for him and for many others.”
In other words, Wednesday is shaping up to be the closest thing the starters get to a true dress rehearsal.
The biggest unresolved issue remains the same one Washington has been sorting through all summer: several positions still need answers, and some key players are either unavailable or limited. Center is the clearest example. Quinn said Nick Allegretti is still not ready, and Matt Gulbin will go back to working exclusively at center this week after spending some time at guard.
“We do, but we still have work to do there... between the three of them, we're still in the process of evaluating what's the best way for us to go.”
That uncertainty has lingered all summer, even after the offseason program came with confidence that Allegretti would win the job.
Rachaad White did return, but only in a limited role. Croskey-Merritt worked on the side, which again opened the door for Henry and Allen to get more opportunities. Tim Settle also returned to practice, while Quinn said several players were aiming more toward next week than Wednesday’s session in Baltimore.
With roster cuts looming, Washington’s most important evaluation work still sits ahead. The Ravens practice and the preseason finale should reveal far more than Monday’s brief workout ever could.
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With a joint practice against the Ravens coming up, the message from Quinn was less about easing through the week and more about raising the standard now. The switch in plans suggested he wanted his players locked in and moving with purpose, a small but telling reminder that he is not interested in letting an uneven preseason outing linger or turn into anything bigger. [Read more 🡒]
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It was also the Commanders first defensive touchdown since the 2024 divisional playoff round, which adds a little more weight to a play that usually gets filed away as a preseason highlight. For Josephs, the bigger takeaway is the way he has kept stacking encouraging moments while Washington leans into a turnover-driven approach, and that kind of early momentum can make a young pass rusher much harder to ignore when roster decisions get real. [Read more 🡒]