ASHBURN, Va. — The 25th stop on my camp trip is the back end of my Thursday doubleheader, and a check-in with the rebooted and reborn Washington Commanders …
• There’s an unquestioned belief in the Commanders’ facility that the talent has, for the second consecutive offseason, been upgraded in a huge way. The variable is whether Washington can win as many close games this year, and catch as many breaks, as it did in 2024. That said, the improvement is noticeable on the line of scrimmage. On offense, the tackle position has been overhauled, with Laremy Tunsil, at 31, looking like the Pro Bowler he’s always been, and first-rounder Josh Conerly Jr. (who was seen by Washington as one of the top 10 or so players in the draft) settling in nicely at right tackle. Those additions enabled the coaches to move second-year man Brandon Coleman inside and, perhaps, turn an average line into a team strength. Meanwhile, on defense, former first-rounder Javon Kinlaw has been a revelation. GM Adam Peters had institutional knowledge of Kinlaw, having drafted him in San Francisco. He and the staff saw a player who was a COVID-19 rookie, who sustained a nasty injury early in his career. He never had a real training camp before this summer, giving a player with a lot of upside to tap into. Added to Daron Payne, Von Miller and Dorance Armstrong, the Commanders feel like they’ll have a versatile group that can move around, make the front more multiple, and deploy creatively to stop the run and make up for the roster’s lack of a true top pass rusher.
• Another thing that will help Dan Quinn and DC Joe Whitt Jr. get creative is an upgraded secondary. The corner spot is much better than it was a year ago, with Marshon Lattimore looking more like his New Orleans-era self, rookie Trey Amos quickly emerging as a starting-level player, and Mike Sainristil able to settle in at the slot position, with the outside spots taken care of. There’s depth there, too, with vets Noah Igbinoghene and Jonathan Jones. Meanwhile, at safety, third-year man Quan Martin emerged as the breakout star of camp over the past month, playing faster and becoming more vocal as a leader alongside veterans Will Harris and Jeremy Reaves.
• Terry McLauin’s holdout and injury to Noah Brown have come with a silver lining, in that it’s allowed for Jayden Daniels to build chemistry with Deebo Samuel and rookie Jaylin Lane. Samuel’s passionate, physical play style has made him a good fit for Quinn’s program. With Peters’s background having been part of drafting Samuel in San Francisco, Washington thought the seventh-year vet might have a downfield dimension to his game that wasn’t fully tapped, because it wasn’t needed as much, with the 49ers. Meanwhile, Lane’s timed speed (4.34 in the 40-yard dash at the combine) has carried over onto the practice field, where the Commanders see a top-shelf return man and a weapon to throw into the mix on offense. As for McLaurin, I think the negotiation is in a better spot than it’s been, but the sides started out pretty far apart, so there was a lot of ground to make up. Maybe the deadlines in the next couple of weeks will help push an agreement through.
• While we’re there, with Brian Robinson Jr. on the way out, rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt is looming as a reason why the team feels so comfortable walking away from a solid, dependable veteran. His burst and speed are noticeable. But he’s not the biggest guy, and it’s hard to determine how much work will be too much for him. Austin Ekeler gives the Commanders a nice third-down type of back, and Jeremy McNichols is waiting in the wings. Washington could add another body at the position, but the emergence of the seventh-rounder Croskey-Merritt has made that more of a want than a need. Add the potential here to the improvement of the line, and the involvement of Daniels in the run game, and there’s a lot of room for OC Kliff Kingsbury to generate big plays on the ground.
• On Daniels, I guess the first question would be how he tops his rookie year, and it seems like, nitpicky as everyone gets after a first-round quarterback has some early success, Daniels is already into the narrowing-down-on-the-details phase of his career. This offseason, that’s meant making the Kingsbury offense his own. It’s meant having the power to change the play at the line of scrimmage. It’s meant gaining the level of respect in the locker room where he can correct and call out teammates as need be. And Kingsbury has been able to tailor-make the offense even more to get the most out of Daniels. So while there’s still work to do on the roster, for the first time in a long time, this franchise is entering a season with very few at quarterback.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Five Takeaways From Commanders Training Camp.
