Tuesday’s Washington Commanders news provided some raised eyebrows.
Washington head coach Ron Rivera was not pleased with some aspects of Tuesday’s practice. Per John Keim, Rivera had players take a knee on a side field, talking to them for five to six minutes. Following practice, when Keim asked Rivera about it, he would only say he was not happy with some things.
It would not be surprising to find running backs Jaret Patterson, Jonathan Williams or Brian Robinson Jr taking some reps in punt coverage as the protection back. But Antonio Gibson? That certainly grabbed everyone’s attention. Will Saturday’s fumble impact Gibson’s status?
Washington made some roster moves getting down to the NFL 85-man limit for August 16. Troy Apke a fourth-round pick in 2018 (Penn State) was limited to only special teams duty in 2021, making him expendable. Also, tight end Sammis Reyes was placed on the Reserve/Injured list.
Wes Schweitzer (guard/center) injured a hip Tuesday. Schweitzer is a strong beast and coaches would certainly like to keep him healthy along the offensive line, especially with his experience and versatility to play all three inside positions.
Rookie guard Chris Paul (Tulsa) performed well at times Saturday. Rivera even described him as “stout” following Saturday’s game. With Schweitzer going down, it was Paul who took his place Tuesday and reportedly performed admirably.
Jamin Davis pleased running backs coach Randy Jordan with his coverage against J.D. McKissic. Davis disappointed in his rookie season (2021), but Jordan liked what he saw Tuesday from Davis, verbalized it to Davis, and slapped hands as well with Davis on the play.
Citing Keim again, he stated for this defense to step up in 2022, Davis is one player who will “need to get it.” Keim reported Davis did make three consecutive plays Tuesday that were encouraging, pointing to his improvement thus far in camp.
Scott Turner called plays from the sideline Saturday, providing more effective communication with his quarterbacks, and apparently will continue the new approach this season. Offensive assistant Jim Hostler who was with Rivera and Turner in Carolina and came to Washington in 2020 moves to the booth this season.
Cornerback Danny Johnson made a stellar interception in the red zone while covering wide receiver Dax Milne. Taylor Heinicke passed toward Milne but Johnson reaching up with one arm, picked off the pass, and took off down the field.