Commanders Training Camp Stock Report: Two Tight Ends Fighting for Final Spot
ASHBURN, Va. -- The stars have been shining in training camp for the Washington Commanders through the first eight practices.
With Thursday's practice being an unpadded and abbreviated walkthrough session, we're going to pause our direct daily observations to issue some in-progress assessments of lesser-known players that have stood out.
STOCK UP
Let's look at three guys making a strong impact on their roster chances this training camp.
DAX MILNE, WR
No. 15 has been exciting to watch this training camp, and it somehow only got better when the pads came on.
Milne looks to a lot of people like he's packed on some extra weight, and that should help him be more physical and even get him some wins against tight coverage at the breakpoint.
While bigger, his footwork looks quick as ever and he's put more than one defensive back in a blender in the first eight days.
Add that to his potential as a return specialist, and you have to love what you're seeing early on.
I've been publicly weary about the idea of St-Juste being the full-time nickel corner in defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio's group, but those concerns are quickly fading.
Even in individual drills, the second-year cornerback looks more fluid and flexible, he looks confident in zone and in the right place when the team needs him and has won several impressive battles against some of Washington's better receivers.
Defensive backs coach Chris Harris continues to coach up his young protege, and St-Juste is clearly paying attention, and putting the knowledge to good use.
CURTIS HODGES AND SAMMIS REYES, TE
Reyes is the story everyone loves, but he's proving to be more than that.
After missing the earlier offseason practice sessions it was hard to gauge just what we should have expected from him at training camp, but so far he's done better than I think most could have.
Meanwhile, undrafted free agent Curtis Hodges has been holding his own as well after missing some time in the OTA and minicamp portions of the offseason.
While he's built a little smaller, Hodges has looked solid as a blocker so far and even had a nice transition from his initial block to a second-level defender helping spring a strong run in a team drill on Wednesday.
I don't know who has the edge right now inside the room, but both of these young tight ends have made this group even more intriguing to watch than before.
We'll be back with another progress update looking at three new positions as camp continues for the Commanders.
