Washington’s in-flux offensive line looks out of sorts and other observations from Wednesday’s session.
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Jayden Daniels was getting pressured. Again.
The Baltimore Ravens had been getting after the Washington Commanders’ quarterback all practice Wednesday, and they were bearing down on him again on the final play. As Daniels does, he made something out of nothing, flung the ball off his back foot and hit wide receiver Antonio Williams in stride for a touchdown.
The Commanders erupted. The offense had looked rough all day, but the unit finally had something to celebrate.
For their final practice of training camp, the Commanders traveled to Owings Mills, Maryland, for a padded joint session with the Ravens. The teams will face each other Friday in Baltimore to conclude the preseason.
Here were my observations from practice:
The Commanders’ starting offensive line featured Brandon Coleman at left tackle, Chris Paul at left guard, Matt Gulbin at center, Julian Good-Jones at right guard and Josh Conerly Jr. at right tackle. The plan had been for Gulbin and Good-Jones to rotate at center but, with right guard Sam Cosmi out, that was scrapped.
Gulbin was locked in at center all practice. Meanwhile, Good-Jones spent most of his time rotating with Tanoa Togiai at right guard. Occasionally, Good-Jones played center. The constant movement at center has made it more difficult for Daniels to develop chemistry with his line.
“I got to do my job, at the end of the day,” Daniels said. “I never want to go out there and complain.”
Although Gulbin was with the starters throughout practice, his performance left plenty to be desired. He and Good-Jones will have another opportunity to prove themselves Friday, but it’s hard to feel good about where the Commanders stand at center.
D.J. Humphries, who signed a one-year deal with Washington on Tuesday, also worked at left tackle behind Coleman. Coach Dan Quinn said the addition of Humphries doesn’t change anything for Coleman. Nonetheless, the veteran provides a viable alternative.
Given Humphries hasn’t practiced all offseason, the Commanders limited his snaps. When he was out there, though, he looked solid.
With running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt sidelined, Kaytron Allen handled most of the first-team running back reps. Robert Henry Jr. was the first back off the bench.
The run blocking was poor, so neither player had much success. The O-line has been in flux, so it’s not a surprise that the chemistry in the run game is lacking, but it still stands out as a concern.
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“We were out of sync a little bit with our combos,” Conerly said. “There were some guys next to each other that haven’t worked next to each other at all this whole camp. … It’s like working with new co-workers.”
The passing offense also got off to a bumpy start against the Ravens. During an 11-on-11 red-zone drill, a poor snap from Gulbin landed in the dirt. Daniels recovered it and got a throw off intended for tight end Chig Okonkwo, but it went right into the arms of Baltimore safety Kyle Hamilton for an interception.
Outside of an intermediate catch over the middle by wide receiver Terry McLaurin, the 11-on-11, move-the-ball period was more of the same for the Commanders’ offense. This was when Togiai replaced Good-Jones, but it didn’t do much to improve the performance.
During the next 11-on-11, move-the-ball period, Daniels was “sacked” (without full contact) by multiple Ravens when the right side of the offensive line broke down. He was pressured again later in the drive from the right side, but managed to step up in the pocket and evade it before scrambling.
With the issues up front, it was difficult to evaluate Daniels and Washington’s pass catchers. Almost all of Daniels’s completions were in short-to-intermediate areas of the field. For most of practice, they just didn’t have enough time to operate.
“We have to own this, watch the tape and take the coaching to be able to move forward from this,” Daniels said. “The good thing about it is it’s August whatever and our first game isn’t until September 13th. That’s when it really matters.”
I spent the majority of practice embedded with the Commanders’ offense. But the defense looked significantly better during the final period of practice, when it got pressure on quarterback Lamar Jackson and kept him contained in the pocket.
On the final play of the drive, Jackson was pressured and lobbed an errant pass toward the end zone. Cornerback Mike Sainristil tracked the ball and made a leaping interception.
Despite ending practice on a touchdown, it was a brutal day for the Commanders’ offense. For the offensive line, it was probably the worst practice of training camp.
Washington is hoping improved health gives the group a lift. Cosmi should be back soon, and it’s possible center Nick Allegretti (calf) will be ready to go by Week 1. If that doesn’t work out, General Manager Adam Peters will have to strongly consider making additions to get serviceable play up front.
