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The Washington Commanders wrapped up Week 2 of training camp on Saturday with some devastating news. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil, the NFL's highest-paid offensive lineman, suffered a torn triceps in Saturday's practice. He will miss a significant portion, if not all, of the 2026 season.
This injury came one day after wide receiver Stefon Diggs' first practice for the Commanders. Before Tunsil's injury, Washington signed three offensive linemen before Saturday's practice. Part of that was due to the uncertainty surrounding center Nick Allegretti's lingering calf injury.
Tunsil's unfortunate news overshadowed the returns of edge Dorance Armstrong and cornerback Trey Amos from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and punter Tress Way from the NFI list.
This week, the Commanders host the Miami Dolphins for a joint practice before the two teams play their preseason opener on Friday at Northwest Stadium.
Before we look ahead to Week 3, here are five takeaways from the first two weeks of training camp.
There were questions about center before Allegretti's calf strain on the first day of camp. Did GM Adam Peters do enough after releasing Tyler Biadasz? After all, Allegretti hasn't played a ton of center in his NFL career, starting only two games at the position — both last season. His top backups were Julian Good-Jones (two career snaps) and rookie sixth-round pick Matt Gulbin. That led the Commanders to sign Trey Hill, who played some center for the Bengals.
On the same morning that Quinn said Allegretti would miss another week, Washington added Max Scharping, Daniel Brunskill and Nicholas Petit-Frere. It's unknown if the Commanders view the new players as depth, or if it indicates a real concern about the overall unit. The depth took a big blow when Tunsil went down, because that meant Brandon Coleman, who was competing to start at left guard, would move back to left tackle. Chris Paul has won the left guard job by default. Fortunately, the Commanders still have Andrew Wylie and Trent Scott coming off the bench, but beyond that, there are plenty of questions.
There were so many questions about Washington's wide receivers all offseason, up until last week, when it was revealed that Diggs was signing with the Commanders. Even before Diggs signed, Washington's depth at receiver is much better than it was in either of the last two years. Diggs gives the Commanders a proven threat opposite Terry McLaurin. Those are Washington's top two receivers, and it's a pretty impressive duo. New offensive coordinator David Blough will also move them both around.
Beyond McLaurin and Diggs, you have Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks, rookie Antonio Williams, Dyami Brown, Jaylin Lane and Van Jefferson all battling to be the No. 3 guy. Each of Washington's receivers has flashed in camp. McCaffrey had an excellent week last week, while Williams is also gaining momentum. Burks has been solid all camp. Washington will now need to decide whether to keep six or seven receivers. It is a good problem to have.
We've probably heard more about the "green dot" this offseason than we've needed to. Of course, Washington lost the ultimate green dot this offseason, allowing future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner to depart. While Wagner's physical skills may have diminished, he remained the ultimate leader/coach on the field. Those were big shoes to fill. First-round pick Sonny Styles will eventually fill that role. He was born for it, but defensive coordinator Daronte Jones is not rushing anything. In fact, Jones feels comfortable with Frankie Luvu handling the role.
Multiple players confirmed Luvu had been handling those responsibilities, including Kinlaw.
Frankie, for sure," Kinlaw answered when asked about the voice of the defense. "Frankie for sure is getting everybody set, man. Me, I'm not vocal with it. I just try to lead by example, but I try to be more vocal here and there. I get so locked in sometimes, but Frankie, for sure. You hear Sonny, for sure. You hear [LB] Leo [Chenal], but yeah, Frankie, for sure."
It's worth noting that Styles has handled those duties, too, but it sounds like the Commanders will open the year with Luvu in that role.
Odafe Oweh has stood out in almost every practice. For his size, length and athleticism, it's hard not to notice Oweh. If you look at his career, the past two seasons were his best, and I would expect that trend to continue in Jones' defense. But don't forget about K'Lavon Chaisson. Chaisson has been outstanding every day. He's not flashy, although he's capable of making splashy plays. We've seen him get to Jayden Daniels in the backfield, sniff out screen plays, or blow up the run. A complete player who only continues to get better.
This week, we hope to see Dorance Armstrong back in action. Another player to know is rookie fifth-round pick Joshua Josephs. Josephs is raw as a pass rusher, but he has amazing traits. He has flashed multiple times over the first couple of weeks. Josephs will not be expected to play a significant role as a rookie, but the Commanders hope he can provide some pass-rush juice off the bench.
Washington is in much better shape at this position than it has been in years.
Over the first several practices, incumbent kicker Jake Moody was perfect. Undrafted rookie Drew Stevens was close to perfect, but Moody held a slight edge. Over the last week, this has completely flipped. Moody hasn't been bad, but he's missed a few. Meanwhile, Stevens is making almost everything, and he's drilling kicks from 50 yards or more like they're routine. Washington has lacked a true weapon at kicker in a league where many teams have guys who are making 60-yard kicks. You can't say this competition is over. There are two joint practices and three preseason games for these two kickers to separate. Every kick matters.
But, for now, Stevens would be the winner of this competition if you had to call it now. And that gap grows with each passing day. As long as he doesn't fall apart and struggle, Stevens is headed toward being the Commanders' Week 1 kicker.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: 5 takeaways after 2 weeks of Commanders training camp
Continue reading...
This injury came one day after wide receiver Stefon Diggs' first practice for the Commanders. Before Tunsil's injury, Washington signed three offensive linemen before Saturday's practice. Part of that was due to the uncertainty surrounding center Nick Allegretti's lingering calf injury.
Tunsil's unfortunate news overshadowed the returns of edge Dorance Armstrong and cornerback Trey Amos from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and punter Tress Way from the NFI list.
This week, the Commanders host the Miami Dolphins for a joint practice before the two teams play their preseason opener on Friday at Northwest Stadium.
Before we look ahead to Week 3, here are five takeaways from the first two weeks of training camp.
Offensive line uncertainty
There were questions about center before Allegretti's calf strain on the first day of camp. Did GM Adam Peters do enough after releasing Tyler Biadasz? After all, Allegretti hasn't played a ton of center in his NFL career, starting only two games at the position — both last season. His top backups were Julian Good-Jones (two career snaps) and rookie sixth-round pick Matt Gulbin. That led the Commanders to sign Trey Hill, who played some center for the Bengals.
On the same morning that Quinn said Allegretti would miss another week, Washington added Max Scharping, Daniel Brunskill and Nicholas Petit-Frere. It's unknown if the Commanders view the new players as depth, or if it indicates a real concern about the overall unit. The depth took a big blow when Tunsil went down, because that meant Brandon Coleman, who was competing to start at left guard, would move back to left tackle. Chris Paul has won the left guard job by default. Fortunately, the Commanders still have Andrew Wylie and Trent Scott coming off the bench, but beyond that, there are plenty of questions.
Stefon Diggs' signing turns WR into a strength
There were so many questions about Washington's wide receivers all offseason, up until last week, when it was revealed that Diggs was signing with the Commanders. Even before Diggs signed, Washington's depth at receiver is much better than it was in either of the last two years. Diggs gives the Commanders a proven threat opposite Terry McLaurin. Those are Washington's top two receivers, and it's a pretty impressive duo. New offensive coordinator David Blough will also move them both around.
Beyond McLaurin and Diggs, you have Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks, rookie Antonio Williams, Dyami Brown, Jaylin Lane and Van Jefferson all battling to be the No. 3 guy. Each of Washington's receivers has flashed in camp. McCaffrey had an excellent week last week, while Williams is also gaining momentum. Burks has been solid all camp. Washington will now need to decide whether to keep six or seven receivers. It is a good problem to have.
Frankie Luvu: the green dot?
We've probably heard more about the "green dot" this offseason than we've needed to. Of course, Washington lost the ultimate green dot this offseason, allowing future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner to depart. While Wagner's physical skills may have diminished, he remained the ultimate leader/coach on the field. Those were big shoes to fill. First-round pick Sonny Styles will eventually fill that role. He was born for it, but defensive coordinator Daronte Jones is not rushing anything. In fact, Jones feels comfortable with Frankie Luvu handling the role.
Multiple players confirmed Luvu had been handling those responsibilities, including Kinlaw.
Frankie, for sure," Kinlaw answered when asked about the voice of the defense. "Frankie for sure is getting everybody set, man. Me, I'm not vocal with it. I just try to lead by example, but I try to be more vocal here and there. I get so locked in sometimes, but Frankie, for sure. You hear Sonny, for sure. You hear [LB] Leo [Chenal], but yeah, Frankie, for sure."
It's worth noting that Styles has handled those duties, too, but it sounds like the Commanders will open the year with Luvu in that role.
EDGE rusher is in good shape
Odafe Oweh has stood out in almost every practice. For his size, length and athleticism, it's hard not to notice Oweh. If you look at his career, the past two seasons were his best, and I would expect that trend to continue in Jones' defense. But don't forget about K'Lavon Chaisson. Chaisson has been outstanding every day. He's not flashy, although he's capable of making splashy plays. We've seen him get to Jayden Daniels in the backfield, sniff out screen plays, or blow up the run. A complete player who only continues to get better.
This week, we hope to see Dorance Armstrong back in action. Another player to know is rookie fifth-round pick Joshua Josephs. Josephs is raw as a pass rusher, but he has amazing traits. He has flashed multiple times over the first couple of weeks. Josephs will not be expected to play a significant role as a rookie, but the Commanders hope he can provide some pass-rush juice off the bench.
Washington is in much better shape at this position than it has been in years.
Kicking competition is leaning heavily toward one way
Over the first several practices, incumbent kicker Jake Moody was perfect. Undrafted rookie Drew Stevens was close to perfect, but Moody held a slight edge. Over the last week, this has completely flipped. Moody hasn't been bad, but he's missed a few. Meanwhile, Stevens is making almost everything, and he's drilling kicks from 50 yards or more like they're routine. Washington has lacked a true weapon at kicker in a league where many teams have guys who are making 60-yard kicks. You can't say this competition is over. There are two joint practices and three preseason games for these two kickers to separate. Every kick matters.
But, for now, Stevens would be the winner of this competition if you had to call it now. And that gap grows with each passing day. As long as he doesn't fall apart and struggle, Stevens is headed toward being the Commanders' Week 1 kicker.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: 5 takeaways after 2 weeks of Commanders training camp
Continue reading...
