ASHBURN, Va. -- The biggest news from Commanders practice came before the players hit the field: Dan Quinn revealed Jayden Daniels would be the starter on the team's first unofficial depth chart minutes before it was released and that Daniels would start Saturday's preseason opener against the Jets.
There were plenty other interesting notes from the depth chart. Keep in mind that Quinn stressed it was a preliminary, unofficial depth chart; he half-joked that vice president of football operations Sean DeBarbieri played a large role in creating it. Joint practices and preseason games will reveal much more.
Still, it provides some insights as to where things stand ahead of joint practices and the preseason opener. Here are three major ones, outside the quarterback announcement:
1. Brandon Coleman at left tackle
Daniels' blindside -- for now -- will be protected by another rookie, third-round selection Brandon Coleman. The TCU product has impressed in camp with his athleticism and ability to acclimate after he played both guard and tackle for the Horned Frogs.
Still, it's just been a few weeks of practice, and Quinn knows that. He singled Coleman out as a player he's particularly interested in watching against the Jets' talented defense.
"Anything we ask Brandon to do, he's shown up and he's tried it," offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said. "A lot of times with young rookies, they're used to a certain technique that may not be able to work at this level, and so you got to adjust it. And he's tried to do it exactly how we've coached, and he's a tremendous athlete and works his tail off, so we like his progress."
Should Coleman remain the starter, he'd be Washington's first rookie to start a season opener at left tackle since Trent Williams in 2010.
2. Wide receiver spots are wide open
Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson are the clear top two wide receivers, and Dyami Brown has drawn praise for his work and is listed as a second-stringer behind McLaurin. After that, there are far more players than spots available, and the next few weeks will be key in determining who Daniels' targets will be.
"We know of a couple that for sure are going to be on the team and what you're going to get," Kingsbury said. "And then there's a group there that we're still waiting to see what they can do, how they fit in our offense, how to best maximize them. I think the guys that are able to do more -- if you can move them inside, move them outside in our system -- are the ones that are going to have a chance to stick."
Olamide Zaccheaus is listed as the starting slot wide receiver. That's pretty consistent with where he has fit in during camp, getting plenty of run with first- and second-stringers alike. Zaccheaus was with Quinn in 2019 and 2020 in Atlanta and posted a career-high 533 yards receiving for the Falcons in 2022. He was with the Eagles last season. Zaccheaus is directly in front of fourth-round rookie Luke McCaffrey in that spot. McCaffrey, a converted quarterback, has some promising upside but is still learning the nuances of the position.
Brycen Tremayne has made some big downfield catches and, at 6-foot-4, provides the room with some size. Davion Davis has made some athletic catches throughout camp, and Mitchell Tinsley has had moments as well. Jamison Crowder, Kazmeir Allen and recently acquired Byron Pringle can all help in the return game, which has taken on new importance with the rule changes. Zaccheaus has also been used in that aspect, too, and if coaches deem he can fill two roles, that will leave one fewer opening.
3. Deep competition at safety
Safety is arguably the team's deepest position. Jeremy Chinn and Quan Martin are listed as starters, with last year's starter, Darrick Forrest, and special-teams ace Jeremy Reaves behind them. Percy Butler, a very good athlete who can help on special teams, and sixth-round pick Dominique Hampton occupy third-string roles, and intriguing undrafted rookie Tyler Owens is a fourth-stringer.
Sorting this out will require some time -- and some tough decisions. Chinn and Martin seem to be relatively entrenched as starters, and Butler has gotten a lot of work with the second team and the first team, especially with Forrest out recently. Reaves is a former captain and a clear leader, not just among the defensive backs, but on the team as a whole. And then there's Owens, who has made a penchant for being around the ball and is an excellent athlete.
"I'm really excited, man," Owens said Tuesday of the chance to face a new team. "I just want to go out here and compete, do it on the biggest of stages. It's been my dream, so it's great."
Tuesday's practice was the final one before the team heads to Florham Park, New Jersey, for a pair of joint practices with Aaron Rodgers and Co. and also the final one with fans in attendance. Despite temperatures soaring to near 90 degrees and plenty of humidity making it feel hotter, the fans showed out in impressive fashion to watch Washington practice in shells. Here are some of the main takeaways from the session:
Offense
- Daniels got most of the first-team work, though it was behind a makeshift offensive line that included Trent Scott at right tackle, Cornelius Lucas at left tackle and Michael Deiter at guard.
- Starting right tackle Andrew Wylie continues to miss time with "tightness," while Coleman and starting right guard Sam Cosmi (illness) did not participate. Washington is expected to work out offensive linemen, per The Athletic's Ben Standig.
- Still, Daniels had some good moments. That included a lofted ball to Zach Ertz, who made a fantastic one-handed stab to reel in the ball alongside the sideline in front of Jeremy Reaves. Ertz has had some nice moments in camp, and this was another one.
- Daniels followed that up with another pretty deep ball to Tremayne, who continues to flash. Tremayne beat Michael Davis on the play. Tremayne also took a short swing pass for a considerable gain -- though it can be hard to tell without pads -- in a later 11-on-11 session.
- Ertz probably had the catch of the day, but Dotson made a great adjustment on a wobbly Marcus Mariota pass down the middle of the field. The speedy third-year wide out had a step or two on the defense but slowed down, tracked the ball and made the grab while going to the ground in between two defenders. Dotson has been busy all training camp.
- Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler both had some nice runs. They are listed as co-starters on the depth chart, and they will both figure prominently.
- Like Tremayne, Davion Davis has had some nice catches, and that continued on one-on-ones, when he and Mariota connected on a touchdown against Noah Igbinoghene.
Defense
- The Commanders continue to rotate a ton of bodies defensively, and the highlight of the day was a diving interception from reserve safety Ben Nikkel. The ball was tipped, and Nikkel laid all the way out to reel it in. Javontae Jean-Baptiste had a nice move inside to create some disruption up front.
- Jean-Baptiste and K.J. Henry continue to flash as the potential young depth behind Dorance Armstrong, Clelin Ferrell and Dante Fowler Jr. Henry and Frankie Luvu combined to create some pressure on Daniels early in an 11-on-11 session.
- Jamin Davis, who has played linebacker throughout his career but has mostly been an edge defender this training camp, seems to be behind both Jean-Baptiste and Henry in the pecking order. Switching positions is never easy, and while Davis has impressive physical tools, it's clear he has a long way to go as an edge rusher. The 2021 first-rounder is listed as Fowler's backup as outside linebacker on the depth chart.
- Bobby Wagner's veteran presence is felt up and down the roster. On one 11-on-11 rep, Wagner beat running back Jeremy McNichols, who was in protection. During field goal drills at the end of practice, Wagner went over to the offensive side and talked to McNichols.
- In one-on-ones, Michael Davis had a great pass breakup against Brown, who appeared to get separation for a split second. Davis undercut the route and knocked it away, earning vociferous praise from assistant defensive backs coach (and longtime Steelers cornerback) William Gay.
- Kyu Blu Kelly also had a good pass breakup, playing through the ball and knocking it out as Luke McCaffrey tried to finish the catch.
