The Washington Commanders were back on the practice field Monday for Day 5 of training camp.
After almost a week of 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work with no pads, the pads come on Tuesday for the first time this summer. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin, for one, is excited.
“Oh, definitely because I, like, part of my game is, I like to run my routes physical as well,” McLaurin said. “And sometimes when you’re wearing jerseys, it kind of allows you get grabbed a little bit more than you would like, but when you get the pads on, it’s easier to use your hands, throw guys by, run through their chest a little bit and be a little bit more physical.”
As for what happened Monday, here are some notes and observations from Day 5.
No fans
Back at it. No fans today. pic.twitter.com/3Vd5qUmG0k
— John Keim (@john_keim) July 31, 2023
After the day off Sunday, the Commanders were back, and there were no fans this time around. Not to worry, though, fans will be back in attendance for the next three days.
Jamin Davis missed practice
Commanders LB Jamin Davis will not be at practice today. He’s appealing a reckless driving conviction in Loudoun County.
Reckless driving is a class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia, punishable with up to 12 months and a $2,500 fine. https://t.co/BhmF7rceqM
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) July 31, 2023
Davis missed practice for a legal reason and head coach Ron Rivera said he supported the third-year linebacker.
“He’s going through the legal process, and as he goes through it, we just got to be here and be supportive of him and understand that this is the legal process that he has to go through,” Rivera said of Davis.
Davis being out means more work for Cody Barton and Khaleke Hudson, who’ve run with the starters much of camp as Davis works his way back from a knee procedure he had in the offseason.
Howell 'up and down'
Sam Howell picked off by Kam Curl during 7’s
I’ll advised throw from Sam, up and down day so far.
— Lynnell Willingham (@Nell_BTP) July 31, 2023
It doesn’t sound like things were as bad for Howell on Monday as they were on Saturday. The defense was on everything Saturday. Howell did have good moments in Monday’s practice. Thus far, this is what should be expected from Howell in his first camp as the presumed starting quarterback. There will be good days, there will be rough moments and there will be mixed days. Monday was one of those mixed days for the second-year passer.
Kam Curl shining
.@KCurl_2 with the first highlight of the week 👏 pic.twitter.com/B2I4tMJrjZ
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 31, 2023
Remember last week when Curl said he wasn’t thinking about his contract, just picks? Here’s another example. Curl is such a smart player. This was an outstanding individual play here that Curl read perfectly, jumped the route and made the play.
If he can stay healthy, Curl will have a big year and could set a new career high in interceptions. There is more talent around him in the secondary now, allowing him to make more plays on the football.
Howell to McLaurin
Howell completes a drive with a 5 yard strike to McLaurin in the front corner of the end zone. Good route by McLaurin to create separation vs Fuller. “Good ball!” McLaurin yelled
— John Keim (@john_keim) July 31, 2023
Howell continues to bounce back nicely from negative plays. McLaurin commended Howell for a strong finish here.
Quan Martin
Probably said this before, but I really love the Quan Martin is always around the ball
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) July 31, 2023
This is a recurring theme from camp. The second-round pick is always around the football. Martin’s versatility will have him playing a key role in 2023.
Here’s what Zach Selby said in his latest from Monday regarding Martin:
Quan Martin finds ways to be around the ball on just about every play, even if his assignment takes him in a different direction. While he was working with the second group on defense, Martin started near the left side of the field and to the right to cover the possibility of a run. Once he realized the run was going the other way, Martin sprinted back to near his original position and wrapped up the running back for what would have been a tackle.
Left guard
Chris Paul rotating in with Saahdiq Charles at Lg with the starters. Did a nice job of cutting off Ridgeway on one of his first snaps out there
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) July 31, 2023
We saw this on Saturday, too. This is a legit competition. It sounded like Charles may have entered camp with a slight advantage over Paul, but we wonder if that has changed. The two will continue to rotate, according to Rivera.
“He’s one of the young guys coupled with [G/T] Sam [Cosmi] and Saahdiq that we’re going to count on to be part of that interior for us,” Rivera said. “And so we want to make sure he gets some work with the ones. That was one of the things that we do. We do it consciously.”
It doesn’t sound like this competition will be over anytime soon. The Commanders want to continue seeing each player receive some work with the starters.
