Commanders Will Play ‘Small Group of Starters’ in Preseason Finale vs. Bengals

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. — The Washington Commanders held a walkthrough practice on Friday at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to show their appreciation for the military community but also to give their players an easy day of work before heading into their preseason finale against the Cincinnati Bengals.

For many of the Commanders players on the field it was the last time they’ll do anything practice related until regular season preparation begins next week, according to coach Ron Rivera.

“We have a small group of starters that will go out on the field and play a little bit,” Rivera said. “Probably play hopefully a good series and then get them out, and then we’ll work the seconds all the way through probably into the third quarter. And then we’ll finish up with the rest of the young guys and give them an opportunity to play.”

Who are those offensive starters that will play?

Well, we imagine the offensive line will get some action as the unit continues to grow into a cohesive unit.

Rivera confirmed veteran left tackle Charles Leno Jr. is working to get his shoulder back to full strength, but as he did against Baltimore last week, it’s likely he gets one series of work Saturday against Cincinnati.

Perhaps Washington will choose to leave the interior offensive line starters - center Nick Gates and guards Sam Cosmi and Saahdiq Charles - in for a bit longer while backup tackles Cornelius Lucas and Trent Scott spell Leno and veteran right tackle Andrew Wylie after the first series, like they did a week ago as well.

While we expect the starting offensive line to get some action, we don’t expect quarterback Sam Howell to trot out there with his first-team offense.

As he did earlier in training camp, veteran backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett got some reps with the first-team offense in practices so the team could lay a foundation with him in case they needed to turn to him in-season.

“Jacoby will probably play a good quarter and a half,” Rivera said of Brissett. “If he does real well in the first quarter I know [assistant head coach / offensive coordinator] Eric [Bieniemy] will want to get him out and then we’ll go from there.”

If Brissett does well and leaves the game early that would maximize the play time for third-team quarterback Jake Fromm who has been relatively impressive in training camp and quite popular for his effort and energy on the practice field.

With the new emergency quarterback rules Washington will be incentivized more than ever to carry a third quarterback, and if Fromm can put some good tape on record then he’ll give decision makers no choice but to keep him around.

Speaking of which, cutdown day is just around the corner, and regardless of starter, backup, or depth status, this Saturday against the Bengals is the last chance for these Commanders players to make their mark before coach Rivera and his staff execute the uneasy task of saying goodbye to more than 20 players.

Find David Harrison on the Locked On Commanders podcast or text him directly at (202) 760-2188.

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