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Commanders Training Camp Preview

Lynnell Willingham will be covering the Washington Commanders for MCM during the 2024 season beginning with training camp in Ashburn, Va.

Nell’s Super 6 Pack: Commanders Top Training Camp Storylines:

#6 – Who will emerge as the team’s best edge rusher?

This off-season, the Commanders remade the roster bringing in a massive haul of free agents, including three pass rushers, two coming from Dallas in Dorrance Armstrong and Dante Fowler and former number 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell coming from San Francisco where he had his best year as a pro. It is expected that Armstrong will hold down one of the defensive end spots coming off of 16 sacks combined the past two seasons. How will he handle being a primary starter for the first time in his career? That remains to be seen. The most interesting component of Washington’s edge rush situation is how often the team will let new free agent linebacker Frankie Luvu and former first round pick linebacker Jamin Davis rush the quarterback. For Luvu, rushing the QB has become a real strength of his game the past two seasons racking up 12.5 sacks while also registering 236 tackles. How will that production shift in Dan Quinn’s defense? As for Davis, getting opportunities to rush the quarterback is something that he had not gotten the past three seasons as he worked primarily as a linebacker. This off-season he has worked exclusively with the edge rushers. If he cannot carve out a roll on the edge, the former first round pick’s roster spot may be in jeopardy. Another name to watch on the edge: second year defensive end KJ Henry who flashed during the second half of the season after the team moved on from Montez Sweat and Chase Young.

#5 – How will the battle at outside cornerback unfold?
In 2023. the Commanders were ranked the worst pass defense in the National Football League allowing 232 yards per game through the air. Not good enough. The team returns third year cornerback Benjamin St. Juste and 2023 first round pick Emmanuel Forbes on the outside, both of whom struggled mightily last season. A new face in the mix that is expected to compete for one of the two outside corner jobs is veteran corner Michael Davis, formally of the L.A. Chargers. This is a position battle that I don’t expect to have answers to until closer to the first game of the regular season. This coaching staff has high expectations for second year corner Emmanuel Forbes, who had a rough rookie year but seems poised to bounce back in this defensive scheme predicated on forcing turnovers, a strength of Forbes at Mississippi State.

#4 – Can Jon Allen and Daron Payne return to their 2022 form?

The Commanders defense was a top five unit in 2022 led by their dominant interior pass rushing duo of Jon Allen and Daron Payne. Payne tallied a career high in sacks and tackles for loss while Jon Allen was voted to his second consecutive Pro Bowl. In 2023, those both players took a major step back, as the entire defense struggled. Allen, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF)  had a grade of 59.7 and Payne had a grade of 61.2. Both were amongst the lowest of their careers. If this defense is going to return to its 2022 form, Allen and Payne have to be the driving force behind it. Reason for optimism: with Joe Whitt Jr. taking over this defense, expect a lot more creativity within the defensive front as they try to get after the QB. Payne and Allen will be moved around more than they have in their entire career. Will it benefit them?

#3 – Who will become the team’s third option at wide receiver?

2024 training camp for the Washington Commanders is expected to have plenty of competition. One position expected to be chock full of competition is wide receiver, specifically for the third receiver spot. The Commanders are bringing back Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, both looking to improve upon their 2023 campaigns. For McLaurin, it was his fourth straight 1000 yards season since arriving in Washington, McLaurin has been the most consistent member of the offense. After a promising rookie season, second year wide receiver Jahan Dotson took a bit of a step back in 2023 dealing with some key drops and overall inconsistent play. There is major optimism internally that he will bounce back this season with new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, and new quarterback Jayden Daniels. The missing ingredient in Washington’s receiving corps? A reliable third option. The Commanders selected Luke McCaffrey in round three of the 2024 NFL draft and throughout the off-season he has drawn significant praise from the coaching staff. Will he be able to lock down the wide receiver three job? He will be someone monitor closely throughout camp, another guy expected to be in the mix for that gig is third year wide receiver Dyami Brown. Brown has been a major disappointment through three seasons registering just 29 catches and three touchdowns, while one can argue, the quarterback instability has impacted his production. It is a make or break year for him heading into camp. If he does not secure the wide receiver three job, his roster spot may be in jeopardy. One thing to monitor: the Commanders have had rumored interest in disgruntled, 49ers wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. If a wide receiver three doesn’t emerge quickly, expect Washington to reengage San Francisco in trade talks.

#2 – Will this offensive line allow Washington to reach its ceiling offensively?

In 2023 the Commanders offensive line gave up the second most sacks in the NFL, allowing the quarterback to hit the turf 65 times. This offensive line was a major part of the problem, but one can argue that the quarterback play didn’t help. Washington added much-needed reinforcements upfront this off-season including bringing over Cowboys center Tyler Biadasz who has been one of the best at his position over the past several years since 2022. Bish has had over 1200 pass blocking snaps over that span he’s given up just four sacks and allowed just 50 QB pressures. His spot on the line seems secure. Washington is also returning right guard Sam Cosmi, who is emerging as one of the best young guards in the NFL. Unfortunately, in my opinion, those are the only two positions solidified up front for Washington. The team drafted tackle Brandon Coleman from TCU in April and it is expected that he will compete for the left tackle job. The Commanders also signed free agent Nick Allegretti from the Kansas City Chiefs. He is expected to compete at left guard, but is not a shoe-in to win the gig. Washington’s other open spot on the offensive line in my opinion resides at right tackle where Andrew Wiley returns as the starter. His play last year was up and down and with a new coaching staff, his job could be on the line. The offensive line battle will continue all the way up until the first game of the season. This is the position group that I think will have the most competition during training camp. The success of this unit will make or break 2024 for the Commanders.

#1 – Will Jayden Daniels prove he is the quarterback of the future?

Since 2002, Washington has started 25 – 25!! – different quarterbacks with only three of them having a winning record. In April, Washington selected Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jaden Daniels out of LSU with the number two overall pick. Throughout this off-season, he has done everything the right way and has given confidence to this organization and fanbase that he is the guy moving forward. From arriving at the facility at 5:45 a.m. to correcting his veteran teammates when necessary, Daniels has shown every major quality needed and a franchise quarterback. The big question is how he will fare when the real games start? And an even bigger question, when will he officially be named the starting quarterback? During his pre-camp press conference Tuesday, head coach Dan Quinn gave some insight into when we may see Daniels as the starter. “When he’s ready we’ll know, and when he’s ready he’ll also know” said Quinn. Despite Quinn not naming Daniels the starter, there is a large expectation that he will be the week one starter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Until then the learning continues for the young signal caller.

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