As the Commanders' training camp progresses, players are diligently fine-tuning their skills, with a particular emphasis on red-zone work. Tuesday’s practice marked the sixth session of the camp, with fans in attendance for the third day and players donning full pads for the second time.
At the heart of the action was quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is splitting first-team reps with Marcus Mariota. Daniels had a mixed performance but showcased his potential with several impressive throws. Among the highlights, Daniels connected with Olamide Zaccheaus on a deep ball up the right sideline during an 11-on-11 session and hit Jahan Dotson along the sideline. He added a solid throw to Terry McLaurin up the opposite sideline and capped the final team session with a touchdown pass to Zach Ertz. However, not all went smoothly for Daniels, as he experienced a bungled handoff with Jeremy McNichols and weathered a series of missed throws.
On the offensive line, Brandon Coleman demonstrated his versatility and endurance, playing both the first and second teams at left and right tackle. He faced tough competition from veterans Dorance Armstrong Jr., Dante Fowler Jr., and Clelin Ferrell. Coleman acknowledged the learning curve, explaining, "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. 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.'" He added, "D-linemen in the league have a bunch of secondary and third moves. 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."
Receiver Tremayne rebounded from an early drop to make two downfield catches from Mariota, while Mike Sainristil's presence on the starting defense and involvement in the return game have been notably consistent. Sainristil emphasized his enduring effort, stating, "Part of it is just my play style. 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."
Defensively, Jer'Zhan Newton got his first taste of first-team reps and made an immediate impact, forcing McNichols to cut back during a play. Fellow defenders K.J. Henry and Javontae Jean-Baptiste also stood out, making their presence felt during practice sessions.
Special teams showcased kicker Ramiz Ahmed's reliability, as he did not miss any field goals during the team portion of Tuesday’s practice, hitting from as far as 51 yards with plenty of distance.
Jahan Dotson has been one of the most consistent performers throughout the camp. Reflecting on his progress, Dotson shared, "I feel like I'm just getting more comfortable, and that's enabling me to play faster and faster. That's been a big emphasis for me."
As the team continues its preparations, the blend of promising performances and areas needing improvement is a testament to the rigorous nature of NFL training camps. Each practice session brings the players closer to honing their skills and chemistry, aiming to translate these efforts into success on the field.