The Good and Not So Good From Commanders’ Fifth Training Camp Practice

Jayden Daniels delivered his strongest practice of camp, Luke McCaffrey and Jacory Croskey-Merritt flashed, and Drew Stevens gained ground in the kicking battle.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels throws during training camp practice in Ashburn, Virginia. | Kourtney Carroll/Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders were back at it again Tuesday for Day 5 of training camp. Tuesday's practice was unpadded as the offense delivered its strongest performance of camp. No mistake about it: Jayden Daniels was in control of practice today, spreading the ball around. Several of the team's best players had great days, while missed kicks, dropped passes, and an offensive line mistake ensured the session had flaws.

The Good

Daniels had his best day operating the David Blough offense, delivering throws on time, avoiding pressure, and looking comfortable in the process. To start things out, Daniels found Chig Okonkwo over the middle during two-minute work. Daniels repeatedly connected with Terry McLaurin, including a touchdown in the back of the end zone. For the offense, it was important to make strides against a unit that has had the upper hand over most of the first week.

Great description from Dan Quinn about Jayden Daniels’ touch in the red zone: “That’s not luck.” pic.twitter.com/APTKSddGmn

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 4, 2026

Luke McCaffrey made two impressive catches Tuesday, the second of which went for points during the closing two-minute period. The battle for WR2 has not yet even begun, so seeing McCaffrey's development is a sign the team will not likely be short on options, either. They need receivers who can establish defined roles instead of those who flash a little and then fade away.

Tuesday was also a day to shine for running back Jacory 'Bill' Croskey-Merritt, who looks like he put on about 10 pounds of muscle since last season. Bill found a crease on an outside run and used his burst to reach the secondary. He also hauled in all three of his targets and added some YAC along the way. His receiving is a gauging point this season after Dan Quinn challenged him to become more of a complete back in OTAs.

Look at those arms on Bill Croskey-Merritt 💪💪

Bill got bigger! pic.twitter.com/eOAKApr2GV

— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) August 4, 2026

Lawrence Cager is one of the players getting more reps as a result of John Bates being injured and is taking advantage. Cager dropped a well-thrown Sam Hartman ball, but also made a leaping catch from Daniels. Colson Yankoff has also benefited from more reps and has certainly made coaches think about keeping four tight ends. The defense was still present and accounted for, with K’Lavon Chaisson successfully diagnosing play action and forcing Mariota to throw the ball away, while Odafe Oweh recorded a sack and Sonny Styles disrupted another running play. Jeffrey M'Ba added a pass breakup with the third team.

The Not So Good

Keeping an eye on that kicker competition.

Jake Moody vs. Drew Stevens pic.twitter.com/y1uQ5NSEep

— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) August 4, 2026

Tuesday was not a strong one for kickers with professional experience, as Jake Moody missed twice while Drew Stevens had another perfect day. While one practice will not decide the entire kicking battle, Tuesday saw Stevens make up a lot of ground while placing the pressure back on Moody.

Jaylin Lane and Cager both had costly drops during team work. They will both have to watch that, as even the smallest thing could mess them up with all the competition. Julian Good-Jones' bad snap could not have come at a worse time with all eyes currently fixated on that position.

While everyone loves to see the offense up and running, it is important to note that even on a strong day, they did not have much of an answer for the pressure created by Chaisson, Oweh, and Kain Medrano at different points in the session. The offense had more success through the air, but the pass protection and other details were valuable film for everyone to learn from.

Daniels’ command, McCaffrey’s downfield production and Croskey-Merritt’s versatility gave Washington its best offensive progress of camp. Moody's misses marked the day's worst development as Washington gets ready to ramp things up on Wednesday.

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