The Commanders held several top players out of Tuesday’s training camp practice. That made logical sense.
Washington experienced a long, physical padded practice on Monday, with a late-morning joint practice against the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday. No sense in pushing it between those two important sessions.
The Commanders want to be ready for Wednesday’s experience, which offers great benefit. Joint practices ramp up the level of competition, against new players and new schemes, in a more controlled
environment without live tackling.
Frontline players will get plenty of reps on Wednesday they likely won’t take in Friday night’s preseason opener against the Dolphins at Northwest Stadium.
The first of two joint practices – the other occurs on Aug. 26 versus the host Baltimore Ravens – will provide a valuable progress report on Commanders training camp.
There are several names to keep an eye/ear out for during this session over the preseason. Let’s discuss a few of them heading into Wednesday.
RB Bill Croskey-Merritt
You still can’t bring running backs to the ground in joint practices, but this might offer as clear an evaluation picture for Croskey-Merritt, who shouldn’t see many snaps in preseason games.
Wednesday offers a great chance for him to show improvement in the passing game, as a receiver and a blocker, after hard work spent in that ares this offseason. He’s got to hold onto the football, though. Every drop is a big deal when ball security has been somewhat of an issue.
WR Luke McCaffrey
We get it. Depth charts released by the team are unofficial. But I used to work for a team and I know the head coach looks at it and has some say in how it reads. So, Luke McCaffrey being listed as a first-team receiver with Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs ain’t nothin’. By all accounts, McCaffrey has had a strong start to camp with made some big plays and contested catches in traffic. The battle for receiver snaps is fierce with the top veterans and rookie Antonio Williams. McCaffrey must capitalize on big moments like these joint practices and continue to shine.
EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson
The veteran edge rusher has been highlighted several times this summer as a disruptive presence. Can that continue against another team, especially against mobile Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis?
DB Jeremy Reaves
Head coach Dan Quinn has made a point to say veteran Jeremy Reaves has “earned the right” to compete for a first-team defensive slot. He’s in the mix at free safety, and the Commanders use a lot of three-safety looks. Reaves must continue his strong camp in this joint practice and continue to prove himself worthy of regular-season snaps.
LT Brandon Coleman
This one’s obvious. Every practice is an important test for the young player taking over for Laremy Tunsil. While Quinn made it clear Tuesday that Coleman is the Commanders’ starting left tackle, he must continue to inspire confidence in his teammates, especially quarterback Jayden Daniels, that he can get the job done.
CB Rasul Douglas
Trey Amos has missed most of camp, and is back on the sidelines with an ankle issue. That provides more first-team reps for a savvy cornerback with a penchant for creating turnovers. Douglas signed with Washington in July with an eye on regular playing time, and will continue pushing for the chance to start at on outside cornerback spot.
TE Chig Okonkwo
Okonkwo’s the type of player who might not see much time (if any) in preseason games. This joint practice should provide some insight into his receiving ability in a competitive environment and his use within the offense. Offensive coordinator David Blough won’t be giving away trade secrets, but watching Okonkwo function in-line and as a receiver will be important as we continue to see how he fits into this scheme.
Which Commanders players are you keeping close tabs on during Wednesday’s joint practice with the Dolphins, let us know in the comments below:
