Washington Commanders Training Camp Preview

Breaking down the main storylines to watch as the Commanders open training camp

The Washington Commanders training camp for the 2024 season is officially underway. It’s a new look team across the board with new ownership, new general manager and front office, new head coach and coaching staff, new rookie quarterback and a roster that has had the most turnover in the NFL this offseason. So there’s a lot to keep track of across the roster throughout training camp. Here are some of the things I think are most important to keep an eye on. 

Jayden Daniels progress

This is the obvious storyline of training camp, so let's start with it. The Commanders selected Daniels with the second overall pick back in April and everyone will be watching to see how he does. One storyline will be how long until he’s named the starter, if indeed he is named the starter. Dan Quinn was asked this to start his press conference yesterday and said: “It's not a secret, but it is a journey and a process. As we're going, when he's ready, we'll know and when he's ready, he'll also know."

Essentially, when he’s ready, he’s ready and the team isn’t in a rush. That’s a very normal approach, even if 99% of us assume Daniels will be the starting quarterback come the season opener. So don’t get drawn in by the debates of “Should Daniels sit for a while?” and things of that nature, as frustrating as they might be. Look for reports of how many reps he’s receiving with the starting unit against how many Marcus Mariota gets. I imagine they will start off fairly even at the beginning of camp, but I suspect as camp progresses Daniels will see his reps with the starters increase significantly. If in three weeks time, Mariota is getting significantly more reps, then we can have the discussion on if Daniels is not ready. Until then, I wouldn’t worry about it. 

With the reps and “will he start” debate out the way, what are some things to be looking for from Daniels on the field? Obviously you want to see him completing passes and making accurate throws, showing some rapport with the likes of Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, but the details will be where the best indicators come from. How well does he command the huddle? Granted, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury doesn’t always like to huddle, but when they are huddling, how efficiently does he get the team in and out of the huddle? Are there mistakes being made by players not getting lined up properly or is the process smooth and Daniels is able to make corrections himself? If the process is consistently smooth, that’s a good indicator that Daniels has done his homework and learned the playbook as well as being able to communicate the calls clearly with his teammates.

Another big tell will be how well Daniels bounces back from a bad throw or a bad day of practice. Nobody is perfect, everyone will have a bad rep or day of practice, so no need to sound the alarm bells if you hear a report of him throwing a few interceptions in one practice. That on its own isn’t a big issue, but actually an opportunity. How well Daniels can handle those mistakes, learns from them and moves on to put in a better rep or practice the next day is key. It’s something the previous coaching staff praised Sam Howell for a lot, the ability to correct his own mistakes and move on quickly without dwelling on them. If Daniels can do the same, that will be a good sign of maturity and probably indicate to the coaching staff that he is ready. 

This will also be our first chance to see how he does against a real pass rush. Mini-camps and OTAs were largely just seven-on-seven drills with no real pass rush threat. Daniels reportedly did well for the most part, but it’s a completely different game when there’s multiple defensive lineman chasing you down and collapsing the pocket around you. Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. are building their defense too, so they aren’t going to take it easy on him. They’re going to present him with lots of looks and blitzes that he’s going to have to be able to sort through at the line of scrimmage and find ways to get them picked up or beat them with his arm. How he handles those looks, and the different looks he’ll see when the Commanders hold joint practices with the Jets and Dolphins later in camp, will be a very good indicator on how ready he is and how successful he could be in year one. 

Defensive personnel packages

There’s definitely some individual position battles that are worth keeping an eye out for, and I’ll get to them later in this piece, but I’m most excited to see the different personnel packages that Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. put together with this group. The defense under the last regime was quite basic from a personnel standpoint. They had a base 4-3 package, a nickel package with a slot corner replacing a linebacker, the infamous “buffalo nickel” package where a safety replaced a linebacker instead of a slot corner, a dime package with six defensive backs on the field and then a “cinco” package with five defensive lineman on the field. 

The Commanders pretty much lived in those five packages under the previous staff, but Quinn and Whitt are different. They will have a base 4-3 package, a nickel package, a buffalo nickel package, a dime package and their own version of a cinco package too. But they will also have variations of different packages depending on who’s on the field and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Joe Whitt Jr. explained over the offseason that this defense won't just be 11 starters, but a group that runs 16 or 17 players deep because each guy will have a specific role and there will be packages made to try and mix and match the different personnel available. 

Free agent signing Frankie Luvu might be the best example of how the different packages could work. Luvu is a very versatile player that is listed as a linebacker, but can do a lot more than that. Yes, he could play the Will (weak side) or Sam (strong side) or even Mike (middle) linebacker in a base 4-3 defense. He could also play the second inside linebacker role in a base 3-4 front. He will likely play the Will in different nickel packages. But he could also be used as a pass rush specialist because that is one of the biggest strengths of his game.

We saw this with Micah Parsons in Dallas under Quinn and Whitt where Parsons was listed as a linebacker, but spent a lot of time lined up as a defensive end in different packages. Now Luvu isn’t on the same level as a Parsons so I don’t want to put that label on him, but I could easily see him being used in similar ways that Quinn and Whitt used Parsons in Dallas. He could be a normal off-ball linebacker on one play, then shift to an edge rushing linebacker on the next, then move to a pure defensive end on another play. 

Each one of those looks will be its own package where the personnel changes, the fronts they use change and the coverages they use behind those fronts change. But it’s not just Luvu that is flexible in that way. The Commanders have a lot of flexibility with their defensive talent. Jeremy Chinn was signed as a strong safety, but he has experience playing as a nickel, a deep safety and where he’s probably most impressive as a dime linebacker. That can all be built into different personnel packages.

Quan Martin is a player this regime inherited, but he’s someone that has the flexibility to play deep safety and also play nickel corner. It seems like this staff liked him as the best free safety option in base packages, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t also have a nickel sub-package where Darrick Forrest subs in as the deep safety and Martin rotates down to the slot. Percy Butler is another inherited player with flexibility. He came into the league as this big, rangy free safety but looked at his best last season when playing closer to the box. In fact, his best plays came as a man coverage defender, so Quinn and Whitt may well see that skillset and build a package around him as a specific man defender against athletic receiving tight ends because he has the size and athletic ability to match up well against those types when not many safeties do. 

The defensive line should be fascinating with regards to personnel packages too. In Dallas, Quinn and Whitt rotated guys in regularly and you saw a stable of pass rushers get plenty of reps. Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne are obviously the top two guys, but there is plenty of talent to go around them. They could easily line up with a regular four-man front consisting of Allen, Payne and two defensive ends, but this staff is more creative than that. So expect different guys to rotate in there and lots of different looks to be presented. We could see some three-man fronts with Allen, Payne and rookie Johnny Newton. We could see some five-man fronts with a bunch of pass rush specialists like Dante Fowler and Efe Obada moving around and rushing from different spots. As I mentioned earlier, Frankie Luvu will almost certainly be in that mix too. So the different defensive personnel packages this staff puts together, particularly around the defensive line and the safeties, should be fun to watch in training camp and give us a better idea of what this defense might look like this season.

Offensive line composition

How exactly the offensive line shapes up will be one of the stories of camp without doubt. Two pieces are certainly locked in with Sam Cosmi returning at right guard (and arguably deserving a new contract) alongside new center Tyler Biadasz, who was one of the Commanders top free agent additions. Barring a further addition or a surprise development from a back up, Andrew Wylie is most likely the starting right tackle too. 

Left guard is a little less certain because free agent addition Nick Allegretti isn’t guaranteed anything, but it’s hard to imagine he would leave a fantastic situation in Kansas City, winning multiple Super Bowls with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, to come to Washington just to settle for a back up role. He signed with the intent to win that starting left guard spot fairly and it certainly seems like he will do that.

Perhaps Chris Paul continues his development under a new staff and could push for a place or maybe veteran Michael Deiter could pose a more realistic threat to Allegretti. Deiter did start some games for the Texans last year and was a teammate of Biadasz in college, so there’s some established chemistry there, but Deiter was likely brought in to be more of a high level back up that can play all three interior spots instead of really challenging to start. 

The only one that could really threaten Allegretti’s position would be Andrew Wylie if someone else emerged at right tackle. I don’t think there is a right tackle on the roster that would beat out Wylie right now, but perhaps there’s a veteran free agent or someone available via trade, which could then enable Wylie to kick inside and challenge for that left guard spot and probably win it. But I think that’s pretty unlikely at this stage, so Allegretti is probably going to win the left guard battle and be penciled in as the fourth starter on the offensive line. 

The real question then becomes who starts at left tackle? The Commanders failed to land any major free agent tackle and tried but failed to trade up for a tackle in the middle of the first round. That left them to draft Brandon Coleman in the third round and have him compete against Cornelius Lucas, a 33-year-old veteran back up swing tackle. That’s hardly an ideal situation to have at left tackle, especially with a rookie quarterback likely to start. I’ve written more detailed posts about both Coleman and Lucas this offseason, so check those out to see a breakdown of my opinion of their strengths and weaknesses. 

I’m not really sure how this one will play out, but I’d give the edge to Coleman right now. There’s obviously a huge risk in starting a third round rookie at left tackle, but I personally don’t feel great about Lucas as a regular starter over the course of a season, or even half a season. The Commanders will of course support him and claim their confidence in him, but there’s a reason he’s 33 and has been a back up swing tackle his whole career.

This is definitely a position I think the Commanders will be watching closely around the league. If anyone becomes available via trade or is on the bubble, I suspect they would be pretty interested in finding a more reliable veteran option. But that type of thing doesn’t happen early in camp, that tends to happen much later in camp, which gives Coleman a good chance to get some reps and prove himself as ready for the job, or indeed gives Lucas a chance to show he’s capable of holding down the spot for the time being. 

But it’s not just the starting unit that has questions. Having depth on the offensive line is a luxury that not many teams are afforded. The Commanders will likely keep eight to 10 offensive lineman on their final roster. Coleman, Lucas, Allegretti, Biadasz, Cosmi and Wylie are the top six. Deiter was signed to be a back up that can fill in at center and both guard spots so he makes seven. That leaves potentially three spots up for grabs. Can Chris Paul prove his development path is heading in the right direction and claim a spot? What about the likes of Braedon Daniels and Ricky Stromberg, recent mid-round picks from the previous regime? Neither are guaranteed to make this team, but it would be a boost to the depth if one or both could show something in camp to merit a spot.

Rivera first round picks

An important story of camp that could perhaps fly under the radar is the performance of the first round picks from the previous regime. It’s no secret that the previous regime missed on a lot of picks and that can be seen by the sheer volume of turnover that Adam Peters has overseen since taking over this offseason. It’s only been a few months since Rivera and his staff were let go and already there’s not too many players left on the roster that he brought in. But the biggest impact on speed at which this team can be rebuilt and become competitive again could come from the first round picks of the Rivera regime. 

Now obviously, one of those Rivera first round picks is already gone as Chase Young was traded at the deadline last year. His other three all have questions hanging over their heads too. Jamin Davis was the first round pick of Rivera’s second draft class in Washington and he’s never managed to live up to expectations. That’s certainly not all his fault, but time is running out for him to have a significant impact in Washington.

The early signs aren’t necessarily good for him either. Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner were both signed in free agency and rookie Jordan Magee has been receiving lots of praise during mini-camps and OTAs. Teams don’t typically play a base 4-3 defense with three linebackers any more, it’s a nickel league. That means only two linebackers will be on the field the vast majority of the time, and sometimes it will only be one. 

Luvu and Wagner are both obviously ahead of Davis at this point, but if Luvu is going to play a hybrid linebacker/pass rusher role, then there could still be a spot for Davis as the third linebacker. However, if Jordan Magee continues to draw praise and earn more reps, Davis could be in trouble. If Magee can prove he is capable of handling the responsibilities of playing the Mike spot, which Davis has consistently struggled with throughout his career, then Magee likely becomes the third linebacker on the depth chart.

That would then be trouble for Davis. The fourth linebacker on the depth chart needs to be able to play special teams and Davis has only played 34 special teams snaps in his NFL career. The Commanders signed a number of veteran linebackers with vast special teams experience. Anthony Pittman was a special teams ace for the Lions and signed with the Commanders this offseason. KeAndre Jones and Mykal Walker are both depth pieces that play special teams too. So if Davis ends up behind Magee on the depth chart, he could be in trouble. 

The team is of course trying Davis out as a pass rusher due to his athletic ability. I broke down why I think he could struggle in that role and why that could be yet another sign that Davis could be in trouble come the end of training camp, so check that piece out for a more detailed look at how Davis might shape up as a pass rusher and if that role is something that could save his career in Washington or not. 

Jahan Dotson is the first round pick from the Rivera era that should feel most secure. I don’t think he’s a risk of not making the team as he’s clearly the best receiver on the roster behind Terry McLaurin. But after a promising rookie year, he did have a down year last season. I wouldn’t call it make or break for Dotson and I back his talent to turn things around, but he still needs to go out and perform. I broke down Dotson’s issues last year and looked at a potential path to success for him going forward recently, so be sure to check that one out if you missed it. 

With Young gone, Davis potentially on the bubble and Dotson trying to bounce back from a poor second season, things aren’t looking great for the Rivera era first rounders. The fourth and final first round pick Rivera made in Washington was of course Emmanuel Forbes. He was drafted as a very talented corner with great ball skills and terrific instincts in zone and match coverages, but had issues playing pure man coverage and his weight was a big question mark.

He struggled mightily at times last year and this new regime could be bad for him in theory because Quinn and Whitt played a lot of man coverage in Dallas. However, the technique they teach their corners could potentially fit Forbes’ skill set perfectly, so it’s not like there is no hope. In fact, there is a possibility that Forbes bounces back strongly and uses his ball skills to create turnovers in a similar fashion to Daron Bland under Quinn and Whitt in Dallas last season. 

But to get on that path, there’s a lot of work that will be needed from Forbes. The technical work when playing man coverage will be key and finding ways to mitigate his skinny frame will be needed if he is to progress in a positive direction. Early indications from mini-camp and OTAs suggested that Benjamin St-Juste and free agent corner Michael Davis were running more frequently with the starting unit than Forbes, indicating they’re ahead of him right now as we enter camp. But that could easily change as neither of those guys are locks to start. So Forbes has an opportunity to turn things around, but given this staff has no ties to him, a poor second year could put him on the hot seat going forward. 

Individual position battles

Position battles are always the talk of training camp. Everyone is looking out for which players are running with the starters, which player might be a surprise to drop down to the second unit, and could someone rise as an undrafted free agent or under the radar piece and make the team? For the best teams in the league, the position battles are somewhat minimal, with a handful of positions up for grabs. Given the turnover Washington has seen this offseason, there are plenty of spots up for grabs. Here are some that I’m interesting watching play out:

Cornerback: I mentioned in the previous section that Forbes has an opportunity to bounce back from a poor first year and restore some of his reputation as a first round pick, but in order to do that, he’ll need to beat out Benjamin St-Juste and Michael Davis for playing time. Those two appeared to get more reps with the starting defense than Forbes in OTAs and mini-camp, but neither are locked in as starters and there’s plenty of time in camp for the order of the corner depth chart to change.

On the face of it, Davis and St-Juste would make sense as a pair. Both are big, long, physical corners that could line up and play press coverage in a system that uses plenty of man coverage. But the techniques that Quinn and Whitt use aren’t always pure press coverage techniques. That could give Forbes a shot to claim one of the starting corner spots.

But it's not just the starting corner spot that needs sorting out. Behind those top three guys, nobody is a lock to make the final roster. Christian Holmes, Tariq Castro-Fields, Kyu Blu-Kelly, Noah Igbinoghene and undrafted free agent Chigozie Anusiem make up the rest of the outside cornerback group and none of them are guaranteed to make the final roster. On one hand, it’s a huge opportunity for a few of those guys to claim a spot and earn some playing time, but on the other, it’s a questionable amount of depth at the position. I could easily see a veteran free agent corner signing midway through training camp and becoming a starter or significant depth piece.

Left tackle: I’ve already discussed this position in the offensive line section, but it’s undoubtedly an important position battle. Going with a third round rookie at left tackle is tough, especially with a rookie quarterback under center, but I personally don’t feel great about the alternative option of Cornelius Lucas starting for a prolonged period either. He proved last season he could fill in solidly as a spot starter every now and then, but once he started for a few games in a row, teams started to figure him out pretty quickly.

One of those teams was the Dallas Cowboys under Quinn and Whitt. A bunch of Cowboys pass rushers got the better of Lucas in the final game of last season. There’s no shame in losing reps to Parsons, obviously, but just about everyone gave him issues. Two players now with the Commanders in Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler both had strong reps against Lucas in that game, as did a few others. Now obviously, you can’t just play Coleman if he struggles in camp, as a lot of young lineman do, but I think there’s a lot riding on the hope that he can be ready to start early in his career.

Wide Receiver: McLaurin and Dotson are locks to make the team and be the top two receiving threats, but everything else behind them is open. In fact, with Dotson’s flexibility to play either the Z or shift inside to the slot and McLaurin’s ability to play either the X or Z, there is significant playing time up for grabs if anyone can take it. Rookie Luke McCaffrey is the other lock to make the team but while being a draft pick makes him a lock to make the team, it doesn’t mean he will win the job of the third receiver in the rotation.

Jamison Crowder and Olamide Zaccheaus are both interesting options for the slot while Dyami Brown, Brycen Tremayne and Mitchell Tinsley could all offer something different on the outside. There’s a lot of different combinations that could play out from this position group after the top couple of guys, so that could be fun to watch. 

Safety: I don’t think the position battle at safety for the base defense is one that will merit much debate. Chinn will likely be the starting strong safety and it looks like Quan Martin will start over Darrick Forrest at the free safety spot next to him. But as I talked about with the defensive personnel packages, there’s a lot of different skill sets in the safety room and there’s potentially a lot of different personnel packages that could be built around that. On any given play Chinn could be asked to play dime linebacker instead of safety or Martin could be asked to rotate down to the slot. 

Forrest could end up being the primary back up for both safety spots, but certain packages might see them favor Butler for his ability to match up in man coverage against tight ends, or maybe even rookie Dominique Hampton if they want to use a big nickel package. I wouldn’t rule out undrafted free agent Tyler Owens from the mix either. He’s very raw, but has the athletic profile that Quinn and Whitt have valued highly in recent years. Just like Chinn, Butler and Hampton, Owens is a big, athletic and physical safety that could play more in the box as a hybrid linebacker type. 

We also can’t forget special teams ace Jeremy Reaves. It’s hard to imagine he doesn’t make the team purely for his special teams ability, but there’s only so many safeties they can carry on the final roster. Teams typically only carry four, but the Commanders could make a case for five or maybe even six with all the different sub-packages the team could look to use.

Chinn and Martin are locks. It’s hard to imagine Reaves not making the team due to his special teams ability and Hampton was a draft pick which teams are reluctant to cut. That’s already four without even counting guys like Forrest and Butler who would be expected to make the team, or an undrafted free agent like Owens. So I think safety is a position to keep an eye on because there’s a lot of talent there and only so many roster spots available. 

Tight end: Like safety, I’m not sure there’s much of a battle going on at the top of the roster for the tight end position. It seems like veteran Zach Ertz will be the starting tight end given his familiarity with the Kingsbury system. Behind Ertz, John Bates will be the primary blocking tight end but rookie Ben Sinnott will have a significant role to play too. He will likely move around, lining up at fullback and H-Back along with tight end, but his upside as both a blocker and athletic receiving option means he can be a nice second tight end option in both the run game and in the passing game. 

That trio will likely be the top three tight ends on the roster and it’s very much possible the team only carries three tight ends on the final roster, but there is some other talent behind those three too. Cole Turner has always had impressive training camps and then struggled to get on the field in the regular season. Armani Rogers is an athletic freak that teams like to take a chance on at the tight end position, but he’s coming off a big injury last season and has an uphill battle on his hands to win a spot. Colson Yankoff is this regime’s version of Rogers, an athletic freak that’s worth taking a shot on as an undrafted free agent. 

Now there’s no guarantee that any of those three impress enough to even make a debate about challenging for a roster spot and certainly, that would make things easier for Adam Peters when it comes to finalizing the roster and being able to keep just three tight ends instead of four. But if one of those three guys can make a push in camp, then the tight end position becomes an interesting battle.

Could they keep a fourth tight end and cut numbers elsewhere? Sure. But if they can only afford to keep three and one of those back ups impresses, then potentially there could be a squeeze at the top with Ertz and Bates. I will stress again, it’s unlikely to happen and the most likely outcome is a depth chart consisting of Ertz, Bates and Sinnott, but it’s not impossible one of the other three has a strong camp and forces the team to make a tough decision.

The roster is fluid

One final point I will make about the Commanders’ roster as training camp gets underway is this: the roster is far from being set. The current 90 players they have will likely not be the 90 players they’re picking from when it comes to cut down to the final 53. The sad reality of the NFL is that there will be injuries and players will miss time, which will mean they have to be replaced with newly signed players. Adam Peters said in his press conference yesterday that he and his staff are always evaluating players and looking to upgrade the roster, either via trade, free agency or watching who might get cut by other teams. 

Now I’m not saying this means the Commanders are going to go and make a trade for Brandon Aiyuk and that’s how this roster changes. I’d be very surprised if that happens. But there are certain positions that still have questions needing to be answered. The cornerback spot, for example, is one where the Commanders could let the first week or two of camp play out and see who establishes themselves at the top of the depth chart. If some young guys step up, then great, but if one or two struggle, then the team could easily dip into the free agent market and bring in a veteran option.

I think Stephon Gilmore is likely waiting for a contending team to reach out to him rather than the Commanders, but he’s a good example of a veteran free agent that is still available and has links to this coaching staff. He would be someone the staff could wait a few weeks to bring in but still feel comfortable that he would know the system and techniques they want to play and get up to speed quickly enough to be relied upon early in the season. I’m sure they’d love to find someone with a similar profile at the tackle position too. 

And let's not forget about special teams. The new kickoff rule has changed the dynamic of special teams, which will have an impact on the final roster. With so few locks at receiver, someone like Crowder with punt returning experience could be given an edge. Dan Quinn yesterday said the new kickoff rule could suit more of a running back style returner, which could open the door for one of the reserve running backs on the roster to make the final team.

I also expect the kicker that starts week one isn’t currently on the roster. The team cut Brandon McManus just months after signing him in free agency because he was accused of sexual assault. Ramiz Ahmed was signed as a replacement, but he’s incredibly inexperienced at the NFL level and will likely be challenged by other kickers brought in throughout camp. It could well be that Washington’s kicker in week one is someone that loses a kicking battle on another team and is cut during the preseason.