A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East and the NFL in general
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Washington Post (paywall)
Day 11 takeaways: Commanders’ practice with Jets leaves plenty to be desired
The Commanders’ joint practice with New York in advance of their preseason opener at MetLife Stadium on Saturday was a mixed bag that seemed to confirm Washington’s shortcomings in its rebuild while also flashing its potential.
Daniels continued to show off his accuracy (he threw a beauty to Dyami Brown) and decision-making, which Coach Dan Quinn said he would be watching closely in this practice.
Daniels passed the test, making the right reads, showing a good grasp of Kliff Kingsbury’s system and never appearing flustered — even though his offensive line gave him plenty of reasons to do so.
The offense as a whole was flat largely because of the front five.
Right guard Sam Cosmi returned after missing multiple practices because of an illness, but Washington was without starting tackles Andrew Wylie (tightness) and Brandon Coleman (upper body injury). The latter hasn’t participated in a full practice since he was listed as the starting left tackle on the team’s first unofficial depth chart, and it seems likely the team will keep him out of Saturday’s game.
Washington used a rotation of fill-ins at tackle — Cornelius Lucas, Mason Brooks, Trent Scott, Chris Paul and new addition Armani Taylor — but found little success.
The defense didn’t have to face Rodgers — Coach Robert Saleh held him out of the rainy workout — but it was still uninspiring for the first half of the practice. The Commanders, still not competing at full speed, appeared efficient with their rushes but struggled at times in coverage, especially during one-on-ones. Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. had an especially tough day thanks to Garrett Wilson, who burned Forbes multiple times and in multiple ways.
Mike Sainristil, the second-round rookie poised to start at the “star,” or nickel, position, played like a veteran, appearing comfortable in the system and with the communication.
Ramiz Ahmed missed three consecutive field goal attempts from beyond 40 yards, and Riley Patterson missed two from 45 yards out. One of Patterson’s misses fell short and sailed a good five feet to the left of the goal post.
There were no fights. The Jets and Commanders walked away without losing any money to fines. The practice was clean overall, save for one moment in which Forbes got a little chippy. But it didn’t escalate beyond a shove. Success.
The Athletic (paywall)
Commanders show they’re still a work in progress during joint practice vs. Jets
Rain is one thing. Thursday’s steady showers, which morphed into a deluge at times, is another.
Washington’s execution on the field showed that, despite sunny reviews from its home practice, it remains a work in progress in all three phases.
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels took his first reps against one of the NFL’s top defenses. The performance reflected the variance expected with first-year passers. The defense labored to keep up with Jets receiver Garrett Wilson, even without quarterback Aaron Rodgers suiting up, and the Commanders’ two kickers struggled with accuracy in the elements.
Regardless, these practices are about competition and growth, not the scoreboard. On that front, players left the field feeling content about working against a new team.
Playing behind a makeshift offensive line, Daniels unofficially finished 7-of-15 in 11-on-11 drills with minimal yardage while working primarily underneath.
To help Daniels develop and have a functional offense in practice and preseason games, bolstering the offensive line is becoming vital. Not solely for the long-held concerns about the tackle options, but available bodies.
Third-round pick Brandon Coleman, an emerging left tackle contender who wore a shoulder wrap Tuesday, did not participate in a second consecutive practice. Right tackle Andrew Wylie continued the pattern of dressing but not working in team drills. Right guard Sam Cosmi (illness) returned to practice after missing the previous two sessions in Virginia but wasn’t an every-snap participant.
Penalties, often pre-snap, remain a summer concern.
Daniels and Marcus Mariota aren’t likely to play significant snaps Saturday in the teams’ preseason game. Coach Dan Quinn might keep them to minimal exposure if there aren’t enough viable linemen available.
Safety Darrick Forrest remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.
The Commanders continue rotating kick-returner candidates. Austin Ekeler, Forbes, Olamide Zaccheaus, Kazmeir Allen, Mike Sainristil and Noah Igbinoghene took turns.
Washington Times
LOVERRO: Are Commanders on a country road to training camp in West Virginia?
The Washington Commanders may be looking for greener pastures for their future training camps.
The Commanders and Shepherd University officials are in talks about the 323-acre campus in Shepherdstown, West Virginia — about 40 miles away from the team’s headquarters in Ashburn, where they currently hold training camp — hosting the Commanders training camp starting in 2026, sources said.
Commanders’ general manager Adam Peters has been in discussions with school officials about the move, and coach Dan Quinn has visited the school, which has a Division II football program, to tour the facilities, sources said.
The Commanders, asked about their plans, issued this statement: “The team has not finalized plans for training camp beyond this season.”
If this move takes place, it will be the fourth different state the Commanders have held training camp in 29 years — Pennsylvania (Carlisle) Maryland (Frostburg), Virginia (Ashburn and Richmond) and now possibly West Virginia.The team’s longest training camp location was Dickinson College in Carlisle, where they worked out from 1963 to 1994.
ESPN
Commanders’ Terry McLaurin eager to pair with QB Jayden Daniels
Jayden Daniels might be quarterback No. 11 for McLaurin, but he also might be the first to stick around for a while. So whenever Daniels tosses him a back shoulder throw at the exact spot he said he’d throw it, or when he hits him in stride with another dart, McLaurin can only smile.
“It’s hard not to be excited,” McLaurin said.
In his first five years in the NFL, McLaurin has played with just one quarterback who posted a QB rating above the league average (53.9) over that period: Kyle Allen at 68.2. Allen started four games in 2020 and got hurt.
Through it all, McLaurin — a third-round pick in 2019 — has produced. He has topped 1,000 yards in each of the past four seasons and ranks 20th in receiving yards per game since entering the league.
Enter Daniels, who could finally give him what he wants most: a chance to grow with a quarterback.
“Definitely trying not to put the cart before the horse,” McLaurin said. “But he’s come in and just been so prepared. I’ve played with a lot of first-time quarterbacks, and he plays like this is not going to be his first time playing in this league.”
Constant communication with Daniels has added to McLaurin’s optimism. They have discussed ball placement and where Daniels wants to throw against certain coverages.
Podcasts & videos
Wrapping up day 1 in Jersey – yes the Jets were better but plenty of good work for Washington. https://t.co/7HUSYSkQ78
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 8, 2024
Commanders’ Dan Quinn Is Stoked to Be an NFL Head Coach Again | The Rich Eisen Show
Wrapping up the joint practice. It’s Aug 8 folks. But some definite questions yet to be answered. https://t.co/tJZda154Pi
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 8, 2024
Jets Joint Practice Recap from New York ✈️ | Exclusive Recap with London Fletcher and Bram Weinstein
Locked on Commanders: Washington Commanders Struggle in All 3 Phases Against New York Jets in Training Camp Practice
NFC East links
Pro Football Talk
CeeDee Lamb laughs off latest comments from Jerry Jones
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on Thursday that he feels no urgency to get a new deal done with receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Lamb responded on Twitter with three letters. L, O, and L.
At one level, Jerry’s comment is bluster and bravado. At a deeper level, he might just mean it.
Dating back to the goofy “all-in” comments from late January, it seems that Jerry’s grift has been exposed. He’s not serious about winning championships. He’s serious about making money and keeping the Cowboys the most popular franchise in all of American sports.
From time to time, Jerry likes to say we’d be surprised by the amount of the check he’d write to guarantee a Super Bowl win. Maybe we’d be surprised because the number on the check would be so small.
Regardless, the Cowboys continue to be, when it comes to keeping their key players financially satisfied: (1) cheap; (2) short-sighted; and (3) not nearly as smart as they think they are.
As to Lamb, there’s nothing smart about claiming there’s no urgency to get a first-team All-Pro receiver signed and into the fold.
Big Blue View
Giants injury news: Drew Lock suffers a hip injury
Lock forced to leave game vs. Lions
New York Giants have announced that quarterback Drew Lock suffered a hip injury in the first quarter of the preseason game against the Detroit Lions.
Lock suffered the injury on a hit late in the first quarter against the Lions. Lock got the start but had a rough outing in his first game as a Giant getting sacked and taking multiple hits after throwing the ball. He alternatively had a lot of time but held the ball, or was forced to vacate the pocket.
Lock had completed just 4 of 10 passes for 17 yards and an interception, with a passer rating of 8.3.
NFL league links
Tweets
The real wide receiver market and where Lamb and Aiyuk standhttps://t.co/mU3aXE2vn2
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) August 8, 2024
Discussion topics
The Athletic (paywall)
Can Cowboys afford to pay Dak Prescott in NFL’s broken QB economy?
Prescott had an issue performing at a top-10 level against 2023 playoff teams. And that fits the bill for Prescott’s career. Overall, he’s a good QB who will win plenty of regular-season games but hasn’t performed at that same level against the league’s best, which is what you tend to see in the playoffs.
Remember, Dallas hasn’t been to an NFC Championship Game since 1995, meaning that on both Prescott’s rookie contract and the four-year, $160 million deal he’s currently playing on, he hasn’t taken the Cowboys where they want to go.
So why should the Cowboys expect that to change with Prescott eating up an even greater percentage of the cap? Building a Super Bowl-caliber roster around him would be an immense challenge, even for a team that drafts as well as Dallas does.
There’s no easy answer here. The soundest strategy is probably for the Cowboys to cap their offer at $60 million per year, and if Prescott wants to wait for free agency and another team goes above that, let him go. Sure, it’s easy to say from afar that the Cowboys should let their MVP-caliber QB walk out the door, but the Cowboys might be uniquely positioned to do what few other teams can.
There’s no GM under pressure in Dallas. It’s Jerry and Stephen Jones, and they aren’t going anywhere. If they want to let Prescott leave, no one is going to fire them for making a mistake (if that’s what it turns out to be).
Let’s say they do that. What would be their path forward then?