ASHBURN, Va. -- After stressing red-zone work in the earliest days of training camp, the Commanders continued to open things up Tuesday, their sixth training camp practice, third with fans and second in pads.
As Jayden Daniels continues to split first-team reps with Marcus Mariota, the ballyhooed rookie is progressing nicely, and plenty of rookies around him are finding their spots as well. Here are key takeaways from Tuesday's spirited practice.
1. Jayden Daniels has plenty of good moments
Daniels took warmup snaps from starting center Tyler Biadasz and got plenty (but not all) of the work with the first-stringers. In the first 11-on-11 session, Daniels took over after Mariota and produced the first big cheer from the crowd, connecting with Olamide Zaccheaus on a well-thrown deep ball up the right sideline. Tariq Castro-Fields had good coverage on the play; Daniels' throw and Zaccheaus' catch were simply better.
Later in the drill, Daniels threw a well-placed ball to Jahan Dotson along the sideline. Dotson ran a really good route on this particular play, too, beating his defender at the top of the route. In the 11-on-11 second session, Daniels maintained his composure well on one play in particular. After he stumbled escaping the pocket, Daniels regained his footing and fired a dart to Dotson along the sideline. Dotson toe-tapped to stay in bounds.
In a later 11-on-11 session, Daniels hit McLaurin on another really good throw, similar to the one he made to Zaccheaus but up the opposite sideline. McLaurin reeled it in against Emmanuel Forbes.
Daniels had probably his best "drive" of the day in the final team session, in which the offense was given the ball on its own 35-yard line with 50 seconds. Daniels found Dotson on a good throw, After several incompletions, Daniels stuck a line drive right on Zach Ertz for a touchdown, with the veteran tight end using his body to shield off the defender. Ertz punted the ball up into the air and embraced Daniels as the two jogged off the field.
The day, of course, wasn't without miscues. Daniels and Jeremy McNichols bungled a basic handoff, and there were a pair of instances where Daniels missed on several throws in a row. Still, he is showing the deep ball touch and accuracy that propelled him to the Heisman Trophy and the No. 2 overall pick.
Daniels also continues to operate on time. He has done a good job getting the ball out (though it should be noted that it can be difficult to assess pressure when there's a "no contact" rule for the quarterbacks) and has certainly stood out from Mariota on that front, regardless of whether he is with the first or second team.
2. Offensive line shuffle continues
Rookie Brandon Coleman is certainly getting his steps (and reps) in. The third-round selection out of TCU played with the first and second teams at both left and right tackle Tuesday, and he's learning a lot on the fly.
"There's always like three points in my brain that I'm telling myself in the next period if I didn't do it well," Coleman said. "Like today, it was my hands were pretty bad in the first period. I was like, 'Work on my hands, work on my balance, keep my chest up.' And then in the two-minute, it worked out a little better. I was on my feet, I kept guys in front of me, and ... that's what I try to do, period to period."
Coleman's trial by fire is coming against veterans Dorance Armstrong Jr., Dante Fowler Jr. and Clelin Ferrell, among others.
"D-linemen in the league have a bunch of secondary and third moves," Coleman said. "There's guys when I punch and lift, they go inside, then they go back outside, and there's moves they have set up for everything, their knowledge of what o-linemen do is so vast compared to college. ... That's stuff that I just have to engrain in my brain, like shit's not over until the whistle blows."
It seems as if the interior spots -- Sam Cosmi at right guard, Biadasz at center and Nick Allegretti at left guard -- are locked in, and it's likely Andrew Wylie will start at right tackle, but Coleman and Cornelius Lucas are both getting significant first-team reps. Trent Scott has gotten some looks on the right side, too.
3. Unsung WR has big day
Brycen Tremayne stands out among the wide receiver corps simply because of his size. He's 6-foot-4 and towers over a group that's mostly on the smaller side.
On Tuesday, his play helped him stand out, too. Tremayne had an early drop but bounced back with two impressive snags. On what was the play of the day, the Stanford product stretched out for a diving catch from Mariota downfield. Later on, Tremayne broke away from cornerback Chigozie Anusiem late and caught another ball downfield. McLaurin sprinted down the opposite sideline cheering on his fellow wide receiver.
Behind McLaurin, Dotson and Dyami Brown (who Dan Quinn praised pre-practice), there's ample opportunity. Third-round pick Luke McCaffrey will also factor in, but as a former converted quarterback, he may need some time. Tremayne will have to prove he can contribute on special teams, but a pair of big offensive plays Tuesday certainly didn't hurt his cause. He has gotten plenty of run with the second team.
4. Mike Sainristil continues strong camp
While Daniels is the is the center of attention for good reason, the other rookie pretty much locked in as a starter come Week 1 is Mike Sainristil. The former Michigan star has earned lots of praise from Quinn, including ...
- "excellent ability to stay connected man-to-man"
- "very good communicator"
- "excellent ball skills"
- "exceptionally quick"
- "maybe more mature than the average cat but ... the humility of a young player"
We saw all of that on one play in particular Monday. Brian Robinson Jr. burst through for a big gain and looked to be finishing the play when Sainristil tracked him down and punched the ball out. Even though Robinson eventually fell on the ball, Sainristil's effort impressed his teammates: Ferrell celebrated with the rookie defensive back. The turnovers proved contagious, too, with Frankie Luvu jumping on an Ertz fumble shortly thereafter to the defense's excitement.
Sainristil's comments after practice reinforced the type of player the Commanders have seen in him.
"Part of it is just my play style," Sainristil said. "I'm a guy that's gonna go hard until the whistle's blown. And then the second part of it is just getting myself to make that second nature for me, so that when it comes game time, I don't even have to think about stuff like that. And then lastly, it was B-Rob today, so I'm getting him better by knowing 'I can't let up at the end of the play. I gotta make sure the ball's secured in the open field."
Sainristil has been a constant on the starting defense and one of the loudest voices on it too, even as a rookie. He was calling out adjustments on one red zone play during 11-on-11, for example. Washington has also explored using him in the return game. His 233 yards' worth of interception returns for the national champions was second in FBS last year.
5. Emptying the notebook: Newton returns, Dotson feels faster, more
Other observations from the practice included ...
- Jer'Zhan Newton (who goes by Johnny) got his first team reps of training camp. The second-round pick has worked his way back from foot surgery, but until Tuesday, he had not taken part in team drills. Newton had one nice penetration that forced McNichols to cut back. "He's a really good player," Quinn said.
- While it's hard to tell based on the lack of tackling, Robinson and Austin Ekeler had some big runs and have looked good in camp, especially on runs up the middle.
- Dotson has been busy during camp, and even though he's had a couple of drops, he's made a lot of nice plays, too. "I feel like I'm just getting more comfortable, and that's enabling me to play faster and faster," he said. "That's been a big emphasis for me."
- A pair of young edge rushers flashed: 2023 fifth-round pick K.J. Henry and 2024 seventh-round pick Javontae Jean-Baptiste. After Armstrong, Fowler and Ferrell, edge rusher is wide open. Henry and Jean-Baptiste will be right in the mix.
- Ramiz Ahmed had a strong day and didn't miss any field goals in the team portion, hitting from as far out as 51 yards with plenty of distance. Ahmed had some shaky moments last week, but Tuesday was a positive step.
