Wednesday’s joint practice with the Miami Dolphins gave the Washington Commanders their first real outside measuring stick of training camp, and the early returns were loud. The offense had its sharpest showing yet, the defense spent much of the morning living in Miami’s backfield, and the receivers kept stacking wins all over the field. Still, the session also exposed a couple of stubborn issues that Washington hasn’t cleaned up yet, especially inside the run game and along the offensive line.
Jayden Daniels kept looking like the same quarterback who has been checking every box all camp. He finished 12-for-16 in team periods, with two of the incompletions coming on pass breakups, another on a batted red-zone throw, and one that was simply off target.
Daniels looked smooth from under center and was especially effective in play-action boot concepts, where he stayed comfortable on the move instead of having to settle in and wait from the pocket. He connected deep with Van Jefferson, found Terry McLaurin for about 30 yards along the sideline, and hit Chig Okonkwo for a 27-yard gain.
One of the cleanest examples of how the offense is supposed to function came on a second-and-6 over route to Treylon Burks, with play action opening space behind the linebackers and Daniels dropping the ball in perfectly. In the two-minute drill, Daniels went 4-for-5, including two underneath completions to Diggs and another precise throw to Okonkwo to move the chains.
The receiver group had its best day of camp by a mile. McLaurin and Stefon Diggs were both perfect in receiver/DB one-on-ones, winning every rep they took.
Diggs stood out as the most polished of the bunch, consistently creating separation with his route running and carrying that edge into team work. He also hauled in a touchdown from Daniels near the back of the end zone during red-zone periods.
Burks put together a productive session, Jefferson showed strong work along the sideline, and Antonio Williams kept doing what he’s been doing all camp: making defenders miss and finding a way to produce. Williams caught a red-zone touchdown after lining up in the backfield next to Mariota, another reminder that the rookie just keeps showing up no matter how Washington uses him.
Diggs and McLaurin remain the headliners, but Wednesday suggested the group behind them may offer more useful options than it seemed to have before camp.
The defense answered with a disruptive morning of its own. Washington’s front blew up a lot of what Miami tried to get going, piling up pressures, tackles for loss, and constant backfield noise.
Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson spent most of the session making life miserable for Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis, with Chaisson stacking multiple would-be sacks. Daron Payne also got after Willis.
Joshua Josephs kept his chaos streak rolling, getting into Quinn Ewers’ face quickly enough on play action that it would have been another sack in live action. Mike Sainristil’s pick-six off Willis was probably the play of the day.
Even the kicking competition had a clean response day. Jake Moody and Drew Stevens both bounced back after their rough Monday, and both went 6-for-6.
Their makes came from 33, 38, 43, 48, 52, and 60 yards, with the 60-yarder standing as the longest attempt of camp so far. Stevens still appears to have the edge based on the full body of work, but Moody at least showed he’s not out of the race.
The biggest concern coming out of the morning wasn’t hard to spot. Washington’s interior run game still isn’t producing much, and Jacory Croskey-Merritt kept getting stuffed with little room to work between the tackles.
Pass protection was mostly fine, but there just wasn’t much push up front. With Nick Allegretti not on the field, the interior line looks like the clearest weakness right now.
Add in the continued center issues - rookie Matt Gulbin had multiple bad snaps - and there’s still some technical cleanup to do. The first-team group also drew at least one false start, another example of the self-inflicted mistakes that have shown up too often in camp.
For a practice that was supposed to test Washington, the Commanders passed most of the test. Daniels was sharp, the receivers made plays at every level, and the defensive front kept bringing the heat. But the interior run game and the execution errors are still there, and those are the items Washington has to attack before Friday’s preseason opener.
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Commanders Joint Practice Exposed A Problem Washington Can't Ignore
A joint practice with the Dolphins offered Washington a useful look at where the offense stands, and the biggest takeaway came up front. The Commanders offensive line had trouble finding its footing, with cohesion and run blocking both showing stress in a setting that is supposed to help sharpen the unit before the games count.
The concern only grew after the team had to adjust at left tackle, where Brandon Coleman has been moved in while Washington tries to steady the blindside. Jayden Daniels still handled himself well behind the line, but the bigger question is whether the Commanders can clean up the protection issues soon enough to feel good about the regular season. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Rookies Are Already Shaping A Camp Battle Fans Will Watch
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Drew Stevens is drawing extra attention because the kicking competition is one of the cleaner battles on the roster, with Jake Moody also in the mix. For Washington, the preseason will matter as much for these rookies as it will for anyone else, since their camp performances are likely to decide who sticks and who gets pushed to the outside when final roster decisions come due. [Read more 🡒]
Joshua Josephs Is Making Washingtons New-Look Pass Rush Hard To Ignore
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Josephs is also bringing a physical profile that is hard to miss when he steps on the field. His wingspan stands out even among NFL edge players, and Washington has already seen him translate that reach into more than just straight-line pressure, with signs he can hold up in coverage as well. For a defense looking to climb out of last seasons struggles, those kinds of versatile flashes are the sort of camp developments worth paying attention to. [Read more 🡒]