4 Things We’ll Learn From the Commanders’ First Padded Practice at Training Camp

The Washington Commanders have completed their first three training camp practices without pads, with most of the work centered around installing the new offensive and defensive systems. Those first three days allowed the staff to evaluate assignments, communication, timing, and positioning, but several physical aspects of the roster remained difficult to judge. Tomorrow the pads will come out as the Commanders have their first padded practice.

Putting the pads on will provide a more realistic evaluation of the offensive line, pass rush, running game, physical coverage in open spaces, and players competing in and around the line of scrimmage. The competitions have just begun, but padded practices will provide the first legitimate evidence of what this team might bring into Week 1. That said, here are four questions Washington should begin answering Monday.

How the Offensive Line Holds Up

Without the ability to fully hit defenders, anchor against power, or finish up on blocks, evaluating an offensive line is nearly impossible until the pads come out. Washington will be entering its first padded session without projected starting center Nick Allegretti, whose calf strain has created some opportunities for others on the roster, including Julian Good-Jones and rookie Matt Gulbin, among others the team has been experimenting with in practice. Monday will give the team a chance to gauge whether its current options pass the sniff test presented by Washington’s defensive interior.

The featured trench matchups to keep an eye on should be easily identified between Laremy Tunsil and Josh Conerly Jr against Odafe Oweh, K'Lavon Chaisson, Charles Omenihu, and Washington's other edge rushers. The Commanders have a lot riding on Conerly's ability to anchor against power and hold that edge from collapsing. They already know how he can move on the next level and as a mobile blocker, but they need to see how much raw power he added this offseason.

The line has a lot to prove before anyone is going to fully trust Jayden Daniels behind what they have seen in the past. With the new system will come a new blocking structure. While we do not know the complete layout of that yet, it will likely be associated with the zone blocking scheme in some form, based on new OC David Blough's lineage. Monday will also give the chance to see if the early camp dominance and pressure from the defense came mainly from the limitations you put on a group without contact in a contact-driven sport.

How Jayden Daniels Handles a More Realistic Pocket

The first three practices were structured to allow Washington's quarterback Jayden Daniels to work on his command of Blough's offense, including the pre-snap operation, communication and overall timing. The quarterbacks will remain protected from contact in these upcoming sessions, but the pocket will be live around them. Up to this point, Commanders quarterbacks have occasionally been forced off their original spot and deeper into their progressions.

The most important part of Daniels' performance in this section of practices should involve gauging protection communication, processing speed, pocket movement, and delivering the ball on time. The point of this portion of camp is not tied simply to a high completion total, especially not against a Washington defense that has been consistently challenging receivers and compressed throwing windows. This is the time instead to watch whether or not Daniels keeps the offense organized and avoids allowing the pressure to create negative plays or turnovers. We should be able to get a better look at how Daniels' growing command of the offense holds up when the action around him starts to look a bit more like the speed of the regular season.

How Dangerous Washington’s Pass Rush Can Be

Washington's pass rush has been creating problems thus far for the offense in unpadded practice, with Oweh standing out for his speed, length, and ability to get to the backfield. Those opening practices favored movement and quickness. Once pads are introduced, expect the power, hand-usage, and complete pass-rush plans to be in full effect. The team wishes they had edge rushers Dorance Armstrong and Deatrich Wise Jr. on the field to better gauge the entire room, but Oweh, Chaisson, and Omenihu should be more than enough to keep the o-line busy.

The most important question for this group to answer is whether Washington can create enough pressure with four rushers rather than having to send additional blitzers that take away from coverage plans. Seeing how new DC Daronte Jones uses his edge players alongside Daron Payne, Jer’Zhan Newton, and Javon Kinlaw, along with the rest of the interior rotation through different alignments and pressure looks should be telling. While having an overwhelming pass rush would certainly be something to build on for the defense, it could also make things extremely difficult for the offensive staff to evaluate its passing concepts and protection plans during team periods. Could Monday begin confirming that Washington's rebuilt front can become the strength of the defense rather than just an early-camp problem for its own offense?

Odafe Oweh is hard to miss pic.twitter.com/RATM2iT48f
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) July 29, 2026

Whether the Cornerbacks Can Maintain Their Early Advantage

Through the first three unpadded practices, Washington's secondary has been one of the strongest groups in camp, producing interceptions and repeatedly challenging receivers at the catch point. Rasul Douglas, Ahkello Witherspoon, Will Harris and Qwuantrezz Knight are four examples of players who have made it a point to stay in and around the ball and disrupt. Douglas has been especially good thus far. Pads should help both the defensive backs, who can then use more contact in coverage, and the receivers, who then are more able to fight through that contact and complete their routes.

Douglas and Witherspoon are two players whose length and physicality should become more useful once pads come out and they are allowed to be more aggressive in their coverage. While Mike Sainristil and Amik Robertson might not be the biggest guys, their competitive playing styles allow them to handle larger inside roles and contribute against the run, despite their smaller frames. Mostly hidden during nonpadded work, run support, defeating receiver blocks, and maintaining outside leverage are important parts of the evaluation process for defensive backs as well. Will the secondary's strong start continue once the offense can be more physical?

While one padded practice will never be enough to settle Washington's position battles, it should provide the clearest picture yet of the team's physical strengths and weaknesses. Quinn will have to find that happy medium between creating enough contact to evaluate the roster and protecting a group already missing John Bates and Nick Allegretti, with several others still working back from injuries. Of course, those absences also create golden opportunities for players like Ben Sinnott, Julian Good-Jones, and Matt Gulbin. The ideal result here would be clearer information the staff can use without having another significant player join the injury list.

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