ASHBURN, Va. — The Commanders held their penultimate practice of training camp Thursday afternoon, but the biggest news came earlier in the day: Washington traded wide receiver Jahan Dotson to the Eagles.
“I was speechless,” fellow wide receiver Dyami Brown said. “That was a weird one … didn’t really expect that one. For him to go, I wish him the best of luck. We’ve been here, and we built that brotherly bond. It’s always love. I wish the best for him.”
Dotson had been in the midst of an up-and-down training camp, but his departure throws another twist into a wide receiver room that was already uncertain behind Terry McLaurin.
Speaking after practice, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury called Dotson a “great kid” but also praised the remaining group for their development.
“Very confident,” Kingsbury said. “They’ve made a bunch of plays so far in camp. [I’ve] been impressed, like I said, with how they’ve gotten better since the spring and continue to improve and [be a] very hard-working, competitive room.”
The Commanders will hold a more game preparation-focused practice Friday, Dan Quinn said, ahead of their preseason finale against the Patriots. With Dotson’s departure and plenty of roster questions looming, here were the key takeaways from Thursday’s session.
Jayden Daniels
The offense worked mainly on red-zone situations, and Daniels coincidentally hit rookie Luke McCaffrey — one of the players expected to see his role increase following Dotson’s departure — on the first play for a touchdown.
Overall, Daniels had some good moments, though his best came in a mock game scenario in which the offense received the ball near midfield, trailing by four with 51 seconds left. Daniels found McCaffrey for a big gain to the right sideline, and McCaffrey got out of bounds. On the next play, Daniels found a wide-open Zach Ertz for a touchdown of roughly 40 yards. The veteran tight end punted the ball emphatically in celebration as Terry McLaurin, smiling wide, ran up to celebrate, yelling, “End this shit!” (It was the starters’ final series of the day.)
In an earlier red zone drill, Daniels found McLaurin for two touchdowns in a four-play span. The second touchdown, a low throw-and-catch in the middle of the field, had the team’s top wide receiver celebrating.
Daniels wasn’t perfect — he had one throw behind Ertz that Jeremy Reaves drove on and broke up, and he fumbled a snap later — but his accuracy in general continues to be very good. He found Ertz (twice) and Austin Ekeler for touchdowns in low red-zone work. In one funny exchange, Daniels kept the ball and ran to the end zone while edge Jamin Davis contended that he would have stopped the play in the backfield. Daniels and assistant defensive backs coach William Gay (who played in the NFL from 2007-17) had some good-natured jawing as well.
Other offensive notes
- Brown had a nice catch along the sideline on a pass from Jeff Driskel. Brown and McLaurin, for now, figure to be the team’s starting outside wide receivers.
- Ben Sinnott had several catches over the middle, though on one it was unclear if the play would have been stopped for a sack, and on another, Quan Martin would have laid a huge hit on him if it had been in a game.
- Driskel continued to get essentially all of the non-Daniels reps as Marcus Mariota and Sam Hartman deal with injuries.
- After practice, Kingsbury highlighted Brian Robinson Jr. as a standout: “He’s a No. 1 back in this league, there’s no doubt. I mean he’s — I think after this season if he stays healthy, people will recognize what he can do in the run game, in the pass game.”
- Kingsbury also said the notion that Ekeler has lost a step “couldn’t be farther from the truth.”
Defensive notes
- Frankie Luvu continued his strong summer with a pair of interceptions. On the first, he nabbed a wayward throw on what looked to be a miscommunication. On the second, he came down with a deflected ball that went way up in the air, hyping up the defensive sideline.
- Reaves, who missed a couple of tackles against Miami, had a pair of pass breakups and brought a lot of energy to the team drills. Part of a deep safety group, he’s seen as a veteran leader and a special teams standout, but he’ll have to contribute on defense, too, and he did well Thursday.
- Tyler Owens, also in contention for a safety spot, got a hand in on a throw from Driskel to Mitchell Tinsley. It was hard to tell if Owens really broke it up or if it was a drop, but he continues to be around the ball.
- On the long Daniels-to-Ertz touchdown, Phidarian Mathis earned praise for a pass rush win.
A few other notes: Brandon Coleman (shoulder/pec) and Johnny Newton (foot) continued to be out, though Coleman did take part in some individual work. Also, the Commanders acquired kicker Cade York from the Browns in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick. They released Riley Patterson, who missed two field goals against the Dolphins. York was not at practice.
Five roster-bubble players who need a strong preseason finale
1. WR/RB/KR/PR Kazmeir Allen
Washington continues to move Allen around — he’s now working with the running backs, according to The Washington Post — and give him ample opportunities.
“He’s a guy that we could see similar, I’m not comparing, but Deebo-type role to move him around, do different things because he has that type of explosiveness,” Kingsbury said.
But Allen’s fumble in Week 2 and inconsistent catching are areas of concern.
2. LB/EDGE Jamin Davis
Davis continues to show progress making the transition from linebacker to edge defender, but it’s a big leap, and not one that will be done in days, weeks or months. Still, Davis had a strip sack against the Dolphins, and coaches loathe letting players with his size, speed and athleticism go.
“He’s going to be a very good player at it,” defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said. “I mean he has some traits that I’m excited for this young man moving forward in his future.”
3. WR Brycen Tremayne
Another wide receiver whose odds improved with the Dotson trade, Tremayne has made a host of plays downfield and presents a big target at 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds. Tremayne had a nice leaping catch against the Jets and a short catch against the Dolphins. He has also shown the ability to win over the middle, albeit often against backups.
4. OL Ricky Stromberg
Stromberg has worked at all three interior lineman positions, and that versatility is a must as he fights for a depth spot. Stromberg is coming off a major leg injury, though, and a good showing Sunday would help his cause.
5. S Darrick Forrest and Tyler Owens
OK, I’m cheating here, but Forrest and Owens could be competing for one spot, so we’ll lump them together. Owens, an undrafted rookie free agent, is a terrific athlete who has caught the eye of Quinn.
“It was cool to see Saturday night, him absolutely emptying the tank, both defensively and on special teams,” Quinn said. “So he’s really been hitting his stride.”
