In the first week of Washington Commanders training camp, the defense has set the tone. That was clear enough that even Terry McLaurin said as much. But the offense - and Jayden Daniels in particular - has been settling in a little more each day.
That’s not exactly a red flag. Defenses are often ahead early in camp, and Washington has a wrinkle that makes the whole thing more interesting: both sides are adjusting to new coordinators, with David Blough taking over the offense and Daronte Jones leading the defense.
So the Commanders aren’t treating practice like a scoreboard battle. The defense is mixing in different looks for Daniels, including some he hasn’t faced before, and that’s the point. It gives Washington a chance to challenge its quarterback while also letting Blough see how Daniels handles those situations.
The overhaul on defense has been substantial. Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Charles Omenihu, Tim Settle, Leo Chenal, Sonny Styles, Amik Robertson, Nick Cross and Rasul Douglas are among the new faces in major roles. The big offseason theme around that group has been simple: younger and faster.
Daniels said the new-look defense is making life difficult in camp.
"Guys are flying around, communicating, making it hard on us, and that's the challenge throughout camp," Daniels told Marshall Kramsky for WUSA Channel 9 in Washington, D.C.
He also explained the bigger picture of what Washington is trying to get out of these practices.
"We're not really necessarily game planning versus each other; we're not going to play each other, but, you know, how hard can we make it on them? How hard can they make it on us? So, when we do go against somebody else, we've already seen that, or this scheme, we have answers for a lot of different things."
That’s exactly the kind of summer work Washington wants for Daniels. He’s not only learning a new offense, he’s also adjusting to taking snaps under center more consistently. The Commanders are banking on these reps paying off later.
How much Daniels plays in the preseason will be worth watching. But he’s expected to get plenty of work in Washington’s two joint practices, which tend to offer more value than the preseason games themselves.
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What keeps Jacoby in the conversation now is not nostalgia alone, but how his career stacks up against the respect he earned from teammates and opponents alike. He collected multiple All-Pro honors and Pro Bowl selections, yet his rsum still sits outside the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is why his name keeps resurfacing whenever fans revisit Washingtons best players and the debate over who truly belongs among the sports immortals. [Read more 🡒]