The Washington Commanders held a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday, with the session producing plenty of encouraging moments for Washington on both sides of the ball, highlighted by a sharp performance from Jayden Daniels, a strong showing from the receiving corps, and consistent pressure from the defense.
According to reports throughout practice from Josh Taylor, Zach Selby, Nicki Jhabvala and John Keim, Daniels looked comfortable and accurate for much of the day. Keim described Daniels as looking “sharp” and “comfortable,” while Jhabvala noted that he has been sharp throughout camp outside of perhaps the opening day.
Daniels connected with several different receivers during 11-on-11 work, including one of the highlights of practice, a perfectly placed touchdown to Stefon Diggs in the back of the end zone. Diggs was able to get both feet down for the score during red zone work.
Daniels also connected with Terry McLaurin for a big gain along the left sideline, hit Treylon Burks on multiple occasions, including a deep touchdown, and delivered a layered throw to Van Jefferson near the left sideline that Jefferson hauled in while getting his feet down. Tight end Chig Okonkwo was also on the receiving end of a big completion over the middle.
Washington’s receivers appeared to have an especially strong day against Miami’s defensive backs. Selby reported that the Commanders’ receivers “clearly won” the WR/DB one-on-one portion of practice, with Diggs making several impressive catches, Antonio Williams creating separation with a move at the line of scrimmage and Burks finishing the period with a touchdown.
Williams continued his strong practice during team drills, making a touchdown catch during red zone work. He was also involved in one of the more creative plays of the session when Marcus Mariota completed a pass to Williams, who lateraled the ball to running back Bill Croskey-Merritt for a big gain.
Mariota had a productive day working with Washington’s second and third units. In addition to the Williams connection, he threw an acrobatic touchdown to Jaden Bradley in the back of the end zone and later connected with Bradley and Nick Nash for back-to-back touchdowns during red zone drills. Lawrence Cager was also credited with making several big catches.
The offense wasn’t flawless. Washington’s offensive line surrendered pressure at several points, though Taylor noted that Daniels was able to compensate by getting the ball out quickly and continuing to move the offense. A late 45-second drill included a false start before Miami’s Josh Uche beat Brandon Coleman and forced Daniels into a bad throw toward the end zone on the starters’ final play.
One notable battle came between rookie offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. and Dolphins edge rusher, and Montgomery County native, Chop Robinson. Both had successful reps during the session, with Conerly bouncing back at one point by putting Robinson on the ground.
Washington’s defense provided plenty of highlights of its own and appeared to become more disruptive as practice progressed. Mike Sainristil delivered one of the biggest plays of the day when he jumped a flat route thrown by Malik Willis, intercepted the pass and took it back for a touchdown, with his teammates joining him on the return.
The defensive front also generated consistent pressure. Odafe Oweh was credited by Taylor with approximately four would-be sacks during the session, while Daron Payne recorded a sack of Willis. K’Lavon Chaisson repeatedly found his way into the backfield and later recorded a sack of Willis during the final 11-on-11 period.
Joshua Josephs was another standout. Selby noted that Josephs quickly diagnosed a play-action pass and was in Quinn Ewers’ face as the Miami quarterback turned around on a rollout. Charles Omenihu also beat Miami’s right tackle for what would have been a sack, while Chop Robinson generated pressure against Mariota.
The Commanders also made several plays against the run. Amik Robertson blew up a run on the opening play of one 11-on-11 period and later stopped De’Von Achane near the line. Leo Chenal made another notable run stop, while Kain Medrano stuffed an Ollie Gordon run.
Miami had its moments with some success in the kickoff return game. Malik Washington also made a play against Frankie Luvu on a curl route before quickly getting upfield.
Washington’s defense, however, finished practice on a strong note. The Commanders generated heavy pressure on Willis during the final period, while defensive back Alontae Taylor Amin broke up a pass intended for Malik Washington. Selby described the energy from Washington’s defense as “palpable,” while Taylor noted that the practice ended on a high note for the unit.
The competition between kickers Jake Moody and Drew Stevens also continued Wednesday, and neither blinked. Both went a perfect 6-for-6, with the competition extending to 60 yards. Keim reported that Stevens’ final 60-yard attempt cleared with roughly 10 yards to spare, while Moody also connected from 53 and 58 yards.
The practice became somewhat chippy at points as the two teams competed, but the overall takeaway from those covering the session was a positive one for Washington. Selby called it an “overall great performance” by the Commanders on both sides of the ball.
Between Daniels’ accuracy, the success of Washington’s receivers, Sainristil’s pick-six and the defense’s consistent ability to create pressure, the Commanders came away from their first joint practice with Miami with several encouraging developments as they continue preparing for the preseason.
