Commanders Training Camp Notebook: QB Carson Wentz, WR Terry McLaurin Finally Connect

Some observations from Day 1 of Washington's training camp.

ASHBURN, Va. -- With everything going on around the Washington Commanders franchise these days it's still a quarterback-driven league, and even a defensive-minded head coach like Ron Rivera needs a competent one to lead his team. 

This fact is what inspired Washington to go after an upgrade to their starting quarterback position, leading to the acquisition of Carson Wentz. 

With early offseason workouts and camps out of the way, and an additional side session in California with receiver Terry McLaurin among others, this next phase will help spell success or failure for the Commanders in 2022. 

Because of this, we start with Wentz in our first training camp notebook of the season. 

ONE STEP BACK, TWO STEPS FORWARD

From a pass attempt and completion perspective, you could say Wentz had some rust on him from the break between minicamp and Wednesday's first training camp practice. 

However, in a period of growing understanding and development, there are positives to take from the quarterback's performance. Mainly in his mental processing.

"Just watching him go through his progression," Rivera mentioned about Wentz's growing comfort within the offense. "It's understanding what we're trying to do and he seems to have a good understanding of it already."

Another good note from the day was the connection between him and star receiver Terry McLaurin. 

On their first day on the practice field, Wentz targeted McLaurin deep on the right sideline and watched as his No. 1 receiver displayed the body control, tracking, and hands that have made him a favorite target for every quarterback that came before him. 

It was a good start to camp, and one they'll look to build on with their first live competition just weeks away.

REPLACING CHASE

The assumption coming into camp with defensive end Chase Young on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list was that James Smith-Williams would be the man getting the first crack at stepping into the role. 

Those assumptions were confirmed on Tuesday as Smith-Williams ran with the first team defense while Casey Toohill and Efe Obada came on with the second team. 

With a week before the pads come on, this version of the defensive line will try to build on the experiences they had last season.

BUFFALO NICKEL

I previously said my favorite entering the week for the Buffalo nickel (aka Landon Collins' replacement) role was second-year safety Darrick Forrest. 

Looks like the coaching staff's favorite is Kamren Curl. 

In base defense, it was Curl who stepped up into the box while Forrest aligned himself in the backfield with fellow safety Bobby McCain. 

However, this first-day alignment isn't necessarily the final product we'll see on the field in Week 1.

"We just want to watch these guys get opportunities," Rivera said of making the decision on safety play and rotations. "We have plenty of time."

Day 1 was successful, and basically always is. 

The goal is the same for the Commanders as it is for all NFL teams. Get the team together, make sure everyone is in shape, and get back to football for the first time in over a month. 

From here, the team will be built in the eyes of the coaching staff. Tough decisions are coming, and as Jonathan Allen put it, every man is fighting for their job.