ASHBURN, Va. — The narrative changed and it changed fast.
The first couple of training camp practices for the Washington Commanders at times looked eerily similar to last year’s camp. The sessions were relatively short and limited to mostly red zone work without full pads, so it was impossible to get a complete picture of the offense. But what Washington did show wasn’t pretty.
Many of Jayden Daniels’ pass attempts were either slightly late or dropped by his receivers, and the defense capitalized. Training camp is often deceiving — remember when rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes appeared otherworldly at the start of camp in 2023? — but the early going this year amplified Washington’s roster shortcomings on offense.
By Monday, when the Commanders strapped on pads for the first time, the tide shifted.
Coach Dan Quinn was asked before that practice if any player had stood out in the first stretch of camp and he said Daniels had appeared even further ahead than he expected in taking control of a new offense.
Then Daniels validated his words with his finest showing of camp, which he followed with two more impressive days to help close the gap between the offense and defense.
“With him, it’s really easy,” tight end Chig Okonkwo said. “You just gotta be where you’re supposed to be and he’ll find you with an accurate ball.”
Commanders’ Daniels looks sharp; questions remain at key positions
Nicki Jhabvala
Quinn divided this year’s training camp into six blocks, each stressing different components. The first four days began a lengthy ramp-up that focused mostly on red zone. The latest stretch emphasized play from 30 yards in, with some situational work, such as end-of-game and two-minute scenarios, which allowed Daniels to showcase his decision-making and accuracy, two hallmarks of his Offensive Rookie of the Year season in 2024.
“He has the ability to pinpoint the ball into the right location,” Quinn said Wednesday. “He’s always had that trait. Now, in a new system, (the question was) can he even elevate that further? So, that’s the command that I’m looking for from those spots, and that’s the thing I would say right now that’s so impressive to me.”
Since he arrived in Washington, Daniels has made a point to spent extra time on the field after practices to get in more reps with his receivers and work on the finer details of routes and timing. That has continued, and seemed to pay early dividends.
One of Daniels’ most impressive throws of camp was on a deep ball to Terry McLaurin that sailed over the head of cornerback Mike Sainristil and fell perfectly into the receiver’s arms in stride.
“That’s not luck,” Quinn said. “That’s super hard to do. But the amount of unseen work to have that throw is evident.”
Daniels has had many others that have been just as impressive, including a deep ball over the middle to Luke McCaffrey, another in the back of the end zone to McLaurin, and one over the heads of two defenders to tight end Colson Yankoff that probably should’ve been ruled complete.
Daniels has so far appeared to be an even better version of the player he was a couple years ago, when he helped mask some of Washington’s deficiencies to guide it to the NFC Championship Game.
But unlike 2024, Daniels may finally have a more complete roster, thanks to general manager Adam Peters’ latest move.
Here’s what else we’ve gleaned from the start of camp:
The long wide receiver nightmare is over
Washington has another veteran receiver. Finally.
The Commanders on Wednesday agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Stefon Diggs that is worth up to $12 million, according to a league source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The move gives Washington another proven wideout who can complement McLaurin in the pass game, provides Daniels another reliable target after the team moved on from Deebo Samuel and tight end Zach Ertz, and offers Diggs a chance to play at home. Win. Win. Win.
Washington has tried for years to fill that so-called “No. 2” receiving role (Quinn doesn’t care for that label but I’m struggling to come up with a better one), leaving McLaurin to carry the brunt of the workload and forcing Daniels to often play Superman, a reality that was especially apparent last year as injuries tested the Commanders’ depth.
They entered camp this year with perhaps more depth at receiver, after re-signing Dyami Brown and Treylon Burks and adding Van Jefferson and rookie Antonio Williams. But that group had no clear leader and no one outside of McLaurin with consistent starting experience.
The team, according to sources who were granted anonymity for their candor on the matter, once viewed Brandon Aiyuk as a potential fit if the 49ers released him, but he remains under contract and after months of criticizing his general manager, head coach, former agent and even Daniels on social media, his odds of landing in Washington diminished.
The focus then shifted to Diggs, who had been in communication with the team for a while before agreeing to terms.
His first practice as a Commander will be Friday.
Uncertainty at center, cornerback
The arrival of Diggs shores up the receiver group, but two key positions are still shaky: center and cornerback.
Nick Allegretti has been out for most of camp because of a calf strain, creating concern about the team’s depth on the interior. Julian Good-Jones has been Allegretti’s primary fill-in with the ones, but he’s played only two offensive snaps in his NFL career, and his inexperience has showed. Washington also has rookie Matt Gulbin and signed former Bengals lineman Trey Hill for depth.
Quinn said he didn’t expect Allegretti’s injury to sideline him long term, but his absence has raised the question of how the team will fare if he gets injured in season. The answer so far hasn’t been promising.
Cornerback, however, may be even more concerning. Trey Amos still hasn’t returned to the field after suffering a fractured fibula in early November, which leaves him little time to get back into football shape for the season once he’s medically cleared. Washington brought in veteran Rasul Douglas for additional help, and recently signed Fabian Moreau following Ahkello Witherspoon’s abrupt retirement.
But given the Commanders’ defensive shortcomings in recent years, it’s fair to wonder if that’s enough.
“One of the things that Trey’s excellent at, he can play on and off the ball,” Quinn said. “And so, in this system, when do you wanna be down? When do you wanna be off? It’s all a big part of the disguise. So, when Trey’s working off to the side, honestly, like right now, a lot of the drill work is specific to what do the guys do today so he can almost mirror that to the side. So, he’s got a lot of versatility. Obviously, he’s got size and you feel that at the line of scrimmage a lot. But we’re excited to get back rolling with him.”
Frankie Luvu takes the mic
When the Commanders selected Sonny Styles at No. 7 in the draft, it seemed likely that he would be the primary “mic” linebacker, tasked with the green dot. Sure, he’s a rookie and calling plays on top of learning everything else can make for a tough transition to the NFL. But if any rookie seemed built for it, it was him.
Rookie Sonny Styles seemed likely to be the quarterback of the Commanders defense, but Frankie Luvu (right) has performed that job in training camp. (Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
But Quinn never publicly tabbed one player to wear the green dot; he repeatedly said it would depend on the defensive package on the field and who seemed most comfortable in the role. He also said it could be a linebacker or a defensive back.
After a week of camp, the primary guy has been Frankie Luvu.
Luvu boasts the most experience in that role, having worn the green dot in Carolina before he signed with Washington in 2024.
“I love it,” Luvu said. “I did it when I was in Carolina, and it’s just in that matter of, ‘Hey, get the calls and get the guys ready. Now what you got?’ That’s kind of my mentality, looking at what down it is, what package we’re in, then looking at what I’ve got to do and get the call.”
The kickers are legit
No, really. This position presented a real competition going into camp, and Jake Moody and rookie Drew Stevens have made it especially compelling. Through seven days, Moody has hit all but three of his field goal attempts, while Stevens has missed only once. Keep an eye on those two.
