The Washington Commanders travelled to Baltimore to face the Ravens in a key evaluation point before the regular season. Let's break down some of the key updates.
\-- Much of the focus was on the Commanders' offensive line because of who wasn't on the field. In addition to Laremy Tunsil, who tore his triceps but did attend practice to support his teammates, and Nick Allegretti, Sam Cosmi was dealing with an illness that kept him out of practice. The offense tried out multiple combinations up front, and while there were some positive moments that we can dive into later, the group was not pleased with its overall performance. Brandon Coleman and Josh Conerly spoke on the issue after practice, saying there was plenty to work through between now and the start of the regular season in less than three weeks. The belief is that Allegretti and Cosmi will be healthy soon, but the remaining depth pieces feel that they must improve their level of play to provide support if they are called upon.
\-- With that said, there were some positive moments in pass protection, particularly during one-on-one drills. Brandon Coleman showed good quickness on the edge, winning a rep by forcing a defender to run the length of the pocket. Chris Paul also had a solid showing, getting wins over Broderick Washington Jr. Matt Gulbin has some technical issues to work out, but he did slow up a bull rush from John Jenkins.
\-- Meanwhile, Washington's receivers were running their own one-on-one drills against the Ravens defensive backs. It wasn't the same dominant showing they had against the Miami Dolphins, but there were some highlight moments from some of Washington's top pass-catchers. Antonio Williams had a nice rep against Kyle Hamilton, beating the safety at the line of scrimmage and creating some separation. Jaylin Lane won a handful of matchups, including his first against Chandler Rivers. Stefon Diggs is building a stronger chemistry with Jayden Daniels, as the two connected often during one-on-ones and seven-on-seven drills.