A film session showcasing some of Washington’s standouts against the Carolina Panthers
The NFL preseason is a great evaluation period of a team’s strengths and weaknesses heading into the regular season. Of course, there will always be some negatives, and there will always be some positives that come to light. But, ultimately, it is essential to tell the story on both sides.
Here are some notable standouts from week one.
OC Scott Turner, Carson Wentz, and Terry McLaurin
Scott Turner – Turner showcased a very good Cover 3 beater on this particular play. In a 3-by-1 formation, Washington is running curls at different depths to the trip’s side, where the pass is intended to go. The flat defender, who is responsible for getting to the sideline, would be held up by the slot receiver, leaving the X-receiver open to the quarterback.
Carson Wentz – Carson Wentz shows very good post-snap processing in his ability to diagnose a Cover-3 shell and fire the football to an open Terry McLaurin. From a skillset standpoint, Wentz delivers this pass from the opposite hash, delivers the football on time, and leaves McLaurin with plenty of opportunities after the catch to gain additional yards. A testament to Wentz’s arm strength and what Turner needs to execute certain concepts in his playbook.
Terry McLaurin – McLaurin does a good job threatening the cornerback with speed before breaking down for his curl route, leaving an excellent cushion that most NFL cornerbacks would not recover from.
Phidarian Mathis
Both plays above happened in succession, and Mathis showcased why Washington fell in love with him as a prospect. Mathis, aligning as Washington’s backside 1-technique (between C/G), displays a good ability to absorb the combination block and stalemate the center. Carolina did gain yards, but not on Mathis’s side. On the second play, Mathis displays good pad level, great hand placement, vision, and strength. Mathis quickly sheds the center (although he is on the lighter OL) and gets swarms the pile.
Sam Cosmi
The second-year right tackle had some good reps in pass protection last week. His pass set points and foot quickness were impressive, and he displayed a good ability to handle power rushers. In addition, he showed comfortability being able to sink his hips and hold his ground against veteran defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis and rookie edge rusher Amare Barno. Not to mention the nasty streak and competitiveness that Comsi played with.
Jahan Dotson
There was much to make about Dotson not having a single target (officially) in his debut for the Commanders; however, his stat sheet does not do his performance justice. There were some things that Dotson could have done better in his reps, but on this particular play, he showed just how dangerous he could be for this offense versus man coverage. Dotson is facing a squatting cornerback. At the snap, it is easy to see how easily he threatened the corner and created instant separation. Dotson takes an outside release on his stem before pressing vertically and explodes out of his break w/good COD. A jerk stem that led to a great opportunity over the middle. (Another good scheme call from Turner to get Curtis Samuel open.)
Jamin Davis
If people tell you that Jamin Davis was invisible last week, don’t believe that narrative. Instead, point them to this article and this one.
JD McKissic on LB Jamin Davis: “looks like a totally different player.”
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 16, 2022
Davis is seeing concepts and blocking schemes cleaner, according to analysts at practice every day and his coaches, while also taking on blockers with great physicality. Additionally, he showcased how far he has come in his development on the field Saturday. It was not perfect, though, he did have a negatively graded run fit early on, and Safety Kam Curl was able to fill successfully. However, Ron Rivera said that he was in position nonetheless.