Washington Commanders Notebook: Offensive Line Problematic in Joint Practice w/ Jets

The Washington Commanders confirmed what many suspected during their joint practice against the New York Jets.

Jul 25, 2024; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) taps the helmet of Commanders guard Nick Allegretti (67) during day two of Commanders training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The Washington Commanders new there would be plenty to gain in conducting a joint practice with the New York Jets this preseason, and the experience did not disappoint.

Unfortunately, the joint practice may have provided the Commanders with more than they bargained for.

Washington certainly came out of the experience with plenty to look at and discuss moving forward, and our notebook today will focus on three of those things.

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Jul 25, 2024; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) taps the helmet of Commanders guard Nick Allegretti (67) during day two of Commanders training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

HOLDING THE LINE

The Commanders' offensive line was missing three key players when it took on the Jets' starting defensive front on Thursday.

Offensive tackle Andrew Wylie was again held out of team portions of the practice while rookie Brandon Coleman missed all but the stretching and some light work he did on the side. Guard Sam Cosmi was back from his two-day absence but didn't participate in the team portions either.

In their place, the mostly second-team offensive line struggled mightily against the New York pass rush and as a result quarterback Jayden Daniels was under pressure for most of the day.

This led to short pass attempts and hurried throws that fell mostly incomplete. On one rep, Jets defensive end Will McDonald IV hit Daniels' arm knocking the ball loose. It's a no-no to touch the quarterback in practice, but is also an example of how dominant the New York pass rush was on Thursday.

ROOKIE QUARTERBACK

Daniels is a rookie. One who knows he has much room to grow before being crowned the franchise savior so many hope he will be.

If he needed proof of this, it came on Thursday.

While the pressure isn't something he can control, he's going to look back at the tape and wish he'd handled certain moments better. For the first time all training camp we saw Daniels consistently throw the ball into double and even triple coverage, putting the ball at risk in ways he hasn't been doing back in Ashburn.

WHAT ABOUT THE DEFENSE?

Our perch at the Jets facility made it a little difficult to fully observe the Washington first-team defense going up against the New York offense, but we got a good look at something that isn't going to make many people happy.

Second-year cornerback Emmanuel Forbes did reportedly have an interception during the 7-on-7s portion of practice but during the full team sessions he more than gave that one back to Jets receiver Garrett Wilson.

Just see the following video posting for evidence of this.

pic.twitter.com/zbZvmuCUVO

— Green Bananas (@Huddle_NFL) August 8, 2024

Overall, however, the defense looked fast and the pass rush does look improved from what we saw last year.

Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen told us after the practice that they're obviously not where they want to be yet. That may be a bit of an understatement. The good news is there's still time to fix the deficiencies we saw on Thursday, and may see again on Saturday.

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