by 1. Cohesion of the technical staff
First-year coach Dan Quinn has assembled a staff with limited experience working together. That could make sense in light of Ron Rivera’s strategy or it could degenerate into distrust and internal conflict.
2. The development of Jayden Daniels
3. First Team Quarterback Representatives
To open camp, Quinn is expected to say the quarterback position is still a competition between Daniels, the rookie drafted second overall, and veteran free agent signing Marcus Mariota.
If Daniels takes all the first-team reps — as he did in minicamp — it’s not a real competition. If the reps are shared, it will raise questions about how that prepares Daniels to start Week 1, as he’s supposed to.
4. Adam Peters’ first draft class
The new general manager began the rebuild with nine draft picks in April, and the spotlight is on Daniels and…
5. Johnny Newton’s left foot
The Commanders placed the second-round defensive tackle on non-football injury list last week, and while he could return at any point during camp, it’s a worrisome start. Newton has yet to step foot on the field for his new team.
The captains apparently didn’t factor Newton’s left foot injury into their pre-draft evaluations, raising questions about how the medical staff will handle other injuries — especially since improving player health has been a priority for the new owners.
The camp will be a test for the department led by senior director of player health and performance Tim McGrath, who was hired in March.
7. The consistency of Kliff Kingsbury
Kingsbury hasn’t been an offensive coordinator since helping Johnny Manziel win the Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M in 2012. Can focusing exclusively on offense, instead of juggling the demands of a head coaching job, help him stop the troubling trend of his teams faltering late in the season?
8. Joe Whitt Jr.’s Offensive Mindset
Will the new defensive coordinator call plays as aggressively as he speaks in his press conferences?
Last season, Washington had 21 long, intense practices. This year, there will be fewer (17), with the intensity level to be determined. The Commanders could benefit from quality over quantity, especially if the team is productive during …
Since 2021, when the NFL moved from four to three preseason games, joint workouts have become more popular. The sessions allow coaches to create game-like tests in controlled environments, with less risk of injury than a game because there is no tackling.
This year, Washington will host two joint sessions: one in Florham Park, New Jersey, with the Jets and one in Miami Gardens, Florida, with the Dolphins.
Two veterans, Cornelius Lucas and Trent Scott, are expected to compete with third-round pick Brandon Coleman.
12. What doesn’t happen
Over the past three seasons, Washington quarterbacks have had the worst turnover-worthy play (TWP) rate in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
In college, one of Daniels’ strengths was ball protection; his 1.7% TWP was the best for a Power Five quarterback with at least 600 dropbacks since PFF began tracking the statistic in 2014.
During camp, pay attention to whether Daniels can continue to avoid turnovers — and if they increase, ask why.
The Commanders still haven’t found a replacement for Brandon McManus, who was released in June. The only kicker signed to the roster, Ramiz Ahmed, has been lukewarm this spring and could face competition in camp.
Regardless of the scorer, special teams coordinator Larry Izzo is tasked with figuring out how to exploit the league’s radically different new rules.
15. How Rivera’s survivors fit in (or not)
This is especially true for players whose roles are unclear, such as linebacker Jamin Davis (who tried to play edge rusher during the offseason program), receiver Dyami Brown, safety Darrick Forrest and cornerbacks Emmanuel Forbes and Benjamin St-Juste.
16. Undrafted Free Agents
Under Rivera, the Commanders rarely got significant contributions from undrafted rookies. Early in his tenure with the Atlanta Falcons, Quinn found meaningful roles for safety Robenson Therezie and cornerback Brian Poole, who started nine games in 2016.
Washington could give opportunities to undrafted free agents this year, such as cornerback Chigozie Anusiem and tight end Colson Yankoff.
The Commanders’ new staff places such a premium on ball skills on defense that the team has purchased new JUGS machines. Washington now has four, which coaches say could help a defense that has intercepted just a league-low 17 passes over the past two seasons.
18. Here to have a good time, not for long
Peters’ 2024 bridge player list includes plenty of shorter, “prove-it” contracts for players who believe a strong season could lead to a bigger payday, including…
The versatile defenseman, who could be an important piece on Whitt’s chessboard, said he turned down more money to come to Washington because he wanted to play in that scheme.
The Commanders were terrible at putting pressure on the team last year. They didn’t draft a big-name pass rusher and instead are looking for rebounders in Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.
We’ve covered this topic before. Don’t expect San Francisco’s disgruntled receiver to end up in Washington.
The right guard, a PFF favorite, is entering a contract year.
Washington has arguably one of the worst perimeter units in the league with Forbes, St-Juste, Michael Davis and others. That’s a challenge for new position coach Tommy Donatell.
The look — the quarterback in the shotgun position with a running back behind him — could be a big part of the Commanders’ offense this season. Daniels used it in college, Kingsbury used it with the Arizona Cardinals, and it’s on the rise across the league. The formation forces defenses to account for the quarterback as a runner and can still create a “hard” play fake, as opposed to the “soft” shotgun fake with a running back on the side.
With Harris’ hires, Washington’s embrace of data could become more evident in areas such as fourth-down aggression. The analytics department now has four employees and will likely continue to grow.
26. Local political leaders
As the Commanders’ stadium draw continues, expect training camp visits from local elected officials, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) and D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D). Keep in mind: Legislation that would give the District greater control over the RFK Stadium site must pass before the end of the year for D.C. to be a realistic option, and it has been blocked by Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) for months because of the team’s demands to honor a Native American family that helped design the franchise’s former logo.
27. Other things off the field
It seems likely that the company’s personnel will continue to change after the recent transition of former team president Jason Wright to a senior advisory role.
Minority owner Mark Ein said during a recent appearance on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast that rebranding is not currently a priority.
Washington has deployed a construction crew to team headquarters throughout the offseason as it tries to improve working conditions that players criticized in the NFLPA’s annual report card.
On the report card, the Commanders got an F- for treatment of families. The improvement in that score is the responsibility of the team’s support and advancement department, which is now led by senior director Dylan Thompson, whom the Commanders lured away from Houston, where star players spoke highly of him.
Harris places a lot of emphasis on peripheral departments such as support, health and analytics because he believes that in a competitive league with a salary cap, they can provide advantages.
Last year, fans gathered at Ashburn’s training camp practices to celebrate Daniel Snyder’s departure. One day, there were about 10,000 people. Despite the organizational restructuring and the sense of optimism, the question remains whether the fans will be as many.
