{"id":13437,"date":"2025-07-22T13:05:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T13:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/13437\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T13:05:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T13:05:07","slug":"washington-commanders-2025-training-camp-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/13437\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington Commanders 2025 training camp preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

John KeimJul 22, 2025, 08:00 PM<\/p>\n

Close<\/a>John Keim covers the Washington Commanders for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2013 after a stint with the Washington Post. He started covering the team in 1994 for the Journal Newspapers and later for the Washington Examiner. He has authored\/co-authored four books. You can also listen to him on ‘The John Keim Report’, which airs on ESPN Richmond radio.<\/p>\n

ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders<\/a>‘ 2025 training camp runs from Wednesday to Aug. 21 at their OrthoVirginia practice facility in Ashburn, Virginia.<\/p>\n

The Commanders, trying to build off their best season in 33 years, sought more help for second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels<\/a>. They traded for receiver Deebo Samuel<\/a> and five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil<\/a>. Defensively, they bolstered the line with four free agent signings — hoping what they lack in elite talent they make up for with improved depth. They also hope they’ve fortified their coverage with second-round corner Trey Amos<\/a> and healthy (they hope) veteran corner Marshon Lattimore<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here’s a closer look at what we are watching at camp — and a 53-man roster projection:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Will the defense improve?<\/p>\n

Washington’s offense ranked fifth in points and seventh in yards and drove last season’s 12-5 finish, which culminated in a trip to the NFC Championship Game. Meanwhile, Washington’s defense ranked 18th in points and 13th in yards. However, the Commanders could not stop the run (30th) and were bad in the fourth quarter — ranking 29th or worse in multiple areas including points, third downs, total QBR and sacks. The Commanders added key players including rookie corner Trey Amos<\/a> and defensive linemen Javon Kinlaw<\/a>, Eddie Goldman<\/a> and Deatrich Wise Jr<\/a>. If the defense doesn’t improve it will be hard to build on 2024’s success.<\/p>\n

Three players to watch<\/p>\n

\"\"QB Jayden Daniels<\/a>. Because he’s their most important and most dynamic player. Everyone will want to know what he does for an encore after a historic rookie season. Where does his game grow? But, also, how does he grow in other ways — does he take on more leadership responsibilities or increase ways in which he leads?<\/p>\n

\"\"WR Deebo Samuel Sr<\/a>. While his weight always seems to be a focal point, this will be more about how he fits in their offense and what impact he can make for his new team. Samuel was a key offseason acquisition for a team that wanted more explosiveness. He can provide playmaking on underneath routes.<\/p>\n

\"\"CB Marshon Lattimore<\/a>. At best, he showed mixed results while playing five games (including three in the postseason) for Washington after it acquired him in a deadline trade with New Orleans. A hamstring injury caused him to miss six games with the Commanders. He said he was healthy, so let’s see how that impacts his game.<\/p>\n

Key position battles<\/p>\n

Right tackle. Josh Conerly Jr<\/a>. will ultimately win this battle with Andrew Wylie<\/a>. The question will then be: When will they elevate him to the starting lineup? Washington did not hand Daniels the starting QB job and waited to announce he’d be the guy until after the second preseason game. If he has to earn it, so does Conerly (and any other rookie). But Conerly’s quick feet and ability to play in space should eventually enhance the offense. His play strength will be questioned, but it won’t prevent him from eventually becoming the starter.<\/p>\n

Right guard. This is a temporary battle as Sam Cosmi<\/a> will be the starter once he returns from his torn ACL suffered during the NFC Divisional win over Detroit. But until he comes back, Washington needs a starter. In the spring, Nick Allegretti<\/a>, last season’s starting left guard, worked a lot at right guard, but Wylie could factor there once Conerly wins the job at right tackle. Backup Nate Herbig<\/a> has started 30 games at guard and would be another possibility if others falter.<\/p>\n

Keep an eye on: Terry McLaurin<\/a>‘s contract situation<\/p>\n

McLaurin has one more year remaining on his deal and wants an extension; the team wants to give him one. With none signed, will McLaurin hold out (or show up but not practice?). This one has been tricky. McLaurin turns 30 in September, an age when most receivers slow down. At age 30, but having played 10 years, Mike Evans<\/a> received a two-year deal worth $42 million from Tampa in 2024. That’s a non-starter. This past offseason, DK Metcalf<\/a>, who is two years younger than McLaurin but was in the same draft class, received a deal from Pittsburgh worth $32.9 million annually. Any deal likely would be in that ballpark.<\/p>\n

53-man roster projection<\/p>\n

QB (2): Jayden Daniels<\/a>, Marcus Mariota<\/a><\/p>\n

RB (4): Brian Robinson<\/a>, Austin Ekeler<\/a>, Jacory Croskey-Merritt<\/a>, Jeremy McNichols<\/a><\/p>\n

WR (6): Terry McLaurin<\/a>, Deebo Samuel<\/a>, Luke McCaffrey<\/a>, Noah Brown<\/a>, Jaylin Lane<\/a>, Michael Gallup<\/a><\/p>\n

TE (3): Zach Ertz<\/a>, John Bates<\/a>, Ben Sinnott<\/a><\/p>\n

OL (9): Laremy Tunsil Jr.<\/a>, Brandon Coleman<\/a>, Tyler Biadasz<\/a>, Sam Cosmi<\/a>, Josh Conerly Jr<\/a>., Nick Allegretti<\/a>, Andrew Wylie<\/a>, Trent Scott<\/a>, Nate Herbig<\/a><\/p>\n

DL (10): Dorance Armstrong<\/a>, Daron Payne<\/a>, Jer’Zhan Newton<\/a>, Clelin Ferrell<\/a>, Javon Kinlaw<\/a>, Deatrich Wise Jr<\/a>., Von Miller<\/a>, Eddie Goldman<\/a>, Jacob Martin<\/a>, Javontae Jean-Baptiste<\/a><\/p>\n

LB (6): Bobby Wagner<\/a>, Frankie Luvu<\/a>, Jordan Magee<\/a>, Kain Medrano<\/a>, Nick Bellore<\/a>, Dominique Hampton<\/a><\/p>\n

CB (5): Trey Amos<\/a>, Mike Sainristil<\/a>, Marshon Lattimore<\/a>, Noah Igbinoghene<\/a>, Jonathan Jones<\/a><\/p>\n

S (5): Quan Martin<\/a>, Will Harris<\/a>, Percy Butler<\/a>, Jeremy Reaves<\/a>, Tyler Owens<\/a><\/p>\n

ST (3): P Tress Way<\/a>, K Matt Gay<\/a>, LS Tyler Ott<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"John KeimJul 22, 2025, 08:00 PM CloseJohn Keim covers the Washington Commanders for ESPN. He joined ESPN in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13438,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":["post-13437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13437\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}