Day three of training camp for the Washington Commanders was the most spirited practice yet. With an off day in sight we saw the level of competition ratcheted up quite a bit!
ššDay 3 recap of @Commanders Training Campšš@mymcmedia pic.twitter.com/GagpBBolBj
— Lynnell Willingham (@Nell_BTP) July 26, 2024
Here are my top takeaways from todayās session:
Jayden Daniels embracing the competition while showing off his resiliency
On day three of camp we continued to see number two overall pick Jayden Daniels split reps with veteran QB Marcus Mariota. Through the first two days of camp, the rookie has been head and shoulders better than the 10-year vet, for the most part, that continued during session three of camp. Mariota has consistently held onto football being forced to scramble and simply hasnāt looked very decisive with the football. For Mariota, even when he has been on time with the football, his receivers havenāt helped him out by finishing the play and making the catch as we saw two big time drops from Brian Robinson Jr and Jahan Dotson. For Daniels, itās been the polar opposite. Heās routinely gotten the football out on time with good touch and accuracy. Today, a mixed bag performance from the young signal caller. Overall, Jayden had an OK practice but showed some signs of being a rookie. What stood out the most with Daniels? His ability to āflush itā and move on after a bad play. Jayden threw his first interception of camp today on a backside dig where he was late getting the ball out, veteran corner Mike Davis undercut the route and was able to secure the takeaway. After that miscue, it felt like Daniels was nearly flawless the rest of the session, spreading the ball around accurately and on time to his receivers. In years past weāve seen young QBs compound their mistakes by pressing afterwards and not staying the course. For Daniels, it was the complete opposite. A good sign that heās ready to be the starter. Unfortunately that decision isnāt up to Daniels, and the former Heisman trophy winner is just fine with that. āNo, I like competing. Iām a competitor, so regardless if I was announced the starter or not, you still got to compete. You still canāt be content of your job, comfortable. I think it is just your job to seal the deal. You got to go out there and compete. So for me itās not a problem at all. I like competing, thatās up to DQ (head coach Dan Quinn) and AP ([General Manager Adam Peters) for the decisions and stuff like that, but for me I can control how hard I go out there and practice and how I competeā explained Daniels when asked about his thought process not being the official starting quarterback.
Finding different ways to impact the QB, a top priority for Commanders defense
When Washington hired new head coach Dan Quinn, some locally raised their eyebrows due to rumors of Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson seemingly being a shoe-in for the job. Since then, itās been very apparent that Washington made the right hire. Quinn has assembled a rock star coaching staff littered with former players on both sides of the ball. On defense, it has really stood out. That group through the first three days is flying around to the football and playing with tons of energy. One thing Quinn and new defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr were known for during their time in Dallas was their creativity in creating pressure on the QB. During today’s session we saw this defense drill a bunch of different āstuntsā and āgamesā on the defensive line to help them generate pressure easily by creating favorable matchups up front. This was a major criticism of the preview staff under Ron Rivera, with the general belief being that they put too much pressure on their defensive line to win one on one match-ups too often. I suspect what we saw today was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how this group will attempt to generate pressure.
Rookie Tackle Brandon Coleman proving he can play left and right tackle
Offensive line and defensive line are two of the hardest positions to evaluate without pads on, but through the first three days of work, rookie offensive tackle Brandon Coleman more than looks the part. Listed at 6ā6″, 320lbs, Coleman is like a dancing bear along offensive line, displaying a powerful punch and tremendous lateral quickness. Coming into camp, one of the big storylines was whether or not Coleman would earn the starting left tackle job. To this point, he hasnāt worked with the first team offense at left tackle, but has been a mainstay with the second team at left tackle. During the second half of todayās session we saw Coleman run primarily with the first team at right tackle, and he impressed, showing off his agility in one on one pass rush situations against Dante Fowler Jr and Frankie Luvu, two guys that feast off their athleticism in pass rushing moments. For what it’s worth, we also saw veteran tackle Trent Scott take some first team reps at right tackle as well, so the incumbent starter, Andrew Wylie, may have been taking a vet rest day, highly unlikely during day three of camp. For sure, keep an eye on this situation along the offensive line
