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The Washington Commanders were back on the field Tuesday, but this time, without the pads. The Commanders were in pads Monday for the first time this summer.
Head coach Dan Quinn met with the media ahead of practice and revealed that veteran guard Nate Herbig was retiring. Signed this offseason, the 27-year-old Herbig has played in 61 games through six seasons, with 30 starts. Herbig was competing with Chris Paul, Julian Good-Jones and others for a backup interior spot.
In our first 53-man roster projection before training camp began, we had Herbig making the team. Nick Allegretti will be Washington's top interior reserve and will start at right guard if Sam Cosmi misses time to begin the season.
Back to what happened on the field. Here are six takeaways from Day 6 of training camp.
Sainristil had a phenomenal rookie season, playing inside and outside cornerback. However, he was overshadowed by both Philadelphia cornerbacks, even if he was just as good. The Eagles had the NFL's No. 1 defense, which helped their rookie duo. This summer, Sainristil is everywhere. He is always around the ball and he's making plays on the ball. He chirps at his teammates, good-naturedly, of course, and understands where he's supposed to be at all times. Sainristil is playing with extreme confidence. Sainristil had another good day on Tuesday.
Everyone knows Terry McLaurin is WR1. However, with him out, Deebo Samuel has been Jayden Daniels' favorite receiver target. The duo has been building a rapport since the spring and has looked to be on the same page early in training camp. Much has been made of what Samuel does well. Yes, he's phenomenal after the catch, when he gets the ball in his hands near the line of scrimmage. However, Samuel has been running downfield routes, diving for loose balls and more. He's motivated. McLaurin's absence could benefit Daniels and Samuel.
Washington's sixth-round pick has had a quiet start to camp, but that doesn't mean a bad start. During Tuesday's practice, Medrano made impact plays on back-to-back snaps. Medrano is likely on the 53-man roster because he will stand out on special teams. But it's encouraging when he's making plays on defense. The Commanders believe he could be a future starter once he cleans up some things. He's raw, but he's exceptionally talented.
We know Samuel is having a good camp, but that's not unexpected. With McLaurin out and Noah Brown taking it slow to begin camp, it's an excellent opportunity for others. Some have flashed, such as veteran Chris Moore and rookie Jaylin Lane. Has anyone stepped up and earned a spot yet? Not yet, but that's what the preseason is for. I've seen some complain about Luke McCaffrey. McCaffrey had a good spring, and he's been fine at camp. Has he been dominant? No. But that doesn't mean he hasn't performed well. The Commanders need more consistent moments from this group, not named Deebo Samuel.
Ben Sinnott is having a terrific camp. While he played in every game as a rookie, he was buried behind Zach Ertz and John Bates. While those two are back in 2025, the hope is that Sinnott will take some snaps away from Ertz. Not because the coaches don't love Ertz, they do, but it's the natural progression you want to see from a second-round pick. Ideally, at some point, Sinnott will split snaps with Ertz. Bates' role will not be impacted. Having Ertz around as a mentor has been excellent for Sinnott. The second-year tight end also seems to be earning the trust of quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Fans are impatient. Some were ready to throw in the towel on Sinnott, through no fault of his own. While the season has yet to start, Sinnott's growth will be fun watch.
Many believed rookie Jaylin Lane would be the punt returner on Day 1. After all, GM Adam Peters called Lane the 2025 NFL draft's top punt returner. He's in the mix, but, as we know, nothing is given under Dan Quinn's staff. Lane is having a good camp, but coaches also want to see others catch punts. Joining Lane to return punts on Tuesday were wide receiver K.J. Osborn and running backs Kaz Allen and Demetric Felton. Of the four, Lane is the only one guaranteed to make the 53, so make of that what you will. Allen has always had intriguing skills, but he remained on the practice squad. The preseason is critical for the roster hopefuls to make an impact on special teams, which includes returning punts.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: 6 takeaways from Day 6 of Commanders training camp
Continue reading...
Head coach Dan Quinn met with the media ahead of practice and revealed that veteran guard Nate Herbig was retiring. Signed this offseason, the 27-year-old Herbig has played in 61 games through six seasons, with 30 starts. Herbig was competing with Chris Paul, Julian Good-Jones and others for a backup interior spot.
In our first 53-man roster projection before training camp began, we had Herbig making the team. Nick Allegretti will be Washington's top interior reserve and will start at right guard if Sam Cosmi misses time to begin the season.
Back to what happened on the field. Here are six takeaways from Day 6 of training camp.
Mike Sainristil could be an All-Pro
Sainristil had a phenomenal rookie season, playing inside and outside cornerback. However, he was overshadowed by both Philadelphia cornerbacks, even if he was just as good. The Eagles had the NFL's No. 1 defense, which helped their rookie duo. This summer, Sainristil is everywhere. He is always around the ball and he's making plays on the ball. He chirps at his teammates, good-naturedly, of course, and understands where he's supposed to be at all times. Sainristil is playing with extreme confidence. Sainristil had another good day on Tuesday.
Deebo Samuel having a great camp as WR1
Everyone knows Terry McLaurin is WR1. However, with him out, Deebo Samuel has been Jayden Daniels' favorite receiver target. The duo has been building a rapport since the spring and has looked to be on the same page early in training camp. Much has been made of what Samuel does well. Yes, he's phenomenal after the catch, when he gets the ball in his hands near the line of scrimmage. However, Samuel has been running downfield routes, diving for loose balls and more. He's motivated. McLaurin's absence could benefit Daniels and Samuel.
Kain Medrano had himself a day
Washington's sixth-round pick has had a quiet start to camp, but that doesn't mean a bad start. During Tuesday's practice, Medrano made impact plays on back-to-back snaps. Medrano is likely on the 53-man roster because he will stand out on special teams. But it's encouraging when he's making plays on defense. The Commanders believe he could be a future starter once he cleans up some things. He's raw, but he's exceptionally talented.
Wide receiver update
We know Samuel is having a good camp, but that's not unexpected. With McLaurin out and Noah Brown taking it slow to begin camp, it's an excellent opportunity for others. Some have flashed, such as veteran Chris Moore and rookie Jaylin Lane. Has anyone stepped up and earned a spot yet? Not yet, but that's what the preseason is for. I've seen some complain about Luke McCaffrey. McCaffrey had a good spring, and he's been fine at camp. Has he been dominant? No. But that doesn't mean he hasn't performed well. The Commanders need more consistent moments from this group, not named Deebo Samuel.
Not enough people are talking about Ben Sinnott
Ben Sinnott is having a terrific camp. While he played in every game as a rookie, he was buried behind Zach Ertz and John Bates. While those two are back in 2025, the hope is that Sinnott will take some snaps away from Ertz. Not because the coaches don't love Ertz, they do, but it's the natural progression you want to see from a second-round pick. Ideally, at some point, Sinnott will split snaps with Ertz. Bates' role will not be impacted. Having Ertz around as a mentor has been excellent for Sinnott. The second-year tight end also seems to be earning the trust of quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Fans are impatient. Some were ready to throw in the towel on Sinnott, through no fault of his own. While the season has yet to start, Sinnott's growth will be fun watch.
Punt returner battle
Many believed rookie Jaylin Lane would be the punt returner on Day 1. After all, GM Adam Peters called Lane the 2025 NFL draft's top punt returner. He's in the mix, but, as we know, nothing is given under Dan Quinn's staff. Lane is having a good camp, but coaches also want to see others catch punts. Joining Lane to return punts on Tuesday were wide receiver K.J. Osborn and running backs Kaz Allen and Demetric Felton. Of the four, Lane is the only one guaranteed to make the 53, so make of that what you will. Allen has always had intriguing skills, but he remained on the practice squad. The preseason is critical for the roster hopefuls to make an impact on special teams, which includes returning punts.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: 6 takeaways from Day 6 of Commanders training camp
Continue reading...