It wasn't a great Wednesday for the Washington Commanders.
By one account, it was the worst their offense has looked in years. Washington is weathering an assortment of injuries along its offensive line and worked with a group largely comprised of backups in Wednesday's joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens, leading to a dreadful day for the unit.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels admitted afterward that it wasn't a great showing for the Commanders, who have with a little over two weeks between now and their first regular season game on Sept. 13 against the Eagles.
That's the point of such practices, though: to test the strengths and weaknesses of a team as they prepare for the journey ahead.
"Back and forth battle," Daniels told reporters of Wednesday's session. "Not the best day that I thought we could've had, just from all around, myself and everybody else, but these are the opportunities you get to learn from."
Washington's starting offense hasn't seen much action during the preseason, and when it has been on the field, the results have been unremarkable. Joint practices didn't help the increasingly negative outlook for the unit, either, leaving Commanders fans understandably concerned about their team's outlook one year after an incredibly disappointing season followed the previous year's run to the NFC title game.
Daniels remains the linchpin of the group and enters an important third pro season. After dealing with multiple injuries throughout the 2025 campaign -- which limited the quarterback to seven games and tanked the Commanders' once sky-high potential -- Daniels needs to prove he can complete a full season. He also needs the support and protection of his offensive line to get the job done, which wasn't evident Wednesday.
"I'm never one to go out there and complain about X, Y and Z. That's not me, because at the end of the day, I control what I can control," Daniels said when asked about the offensive line's struggles. "Everybody in this organization, on this team, has a job to do. Who am I to go out there and try to do other people's job? My job is to come out here and get better as a football player, lead this team so ultimately, November and December, when those months come around, we can win football games."
Entering training camp, the biggest question marks in Washington centered on how the Commanders might deepen their receiving corps beyond star Terry McLaurin, and whether their remade defense could improve upon its last-place finish in 2025. After injuries to left tackle Laremy Tunsil and center Nick Allegretti, the greatest concern now exists in the trenches.
There isn't yet a timetable for Allegretti's return yet, and Tunsil will miss most, if not all of the regular season after suffering a torn triceps earlier this month. It's becoming increasingly likely Washington's starting five could include a player (or two) who isn't currently on the roster.
That's a problem for general manager Adam Peters to solve. Daniels, meanwhile, can only work on improving his own performance and building a rapport with the teammates who are currently taking the field with him.
"Own this. Watch the tape. Take the coaching," Daniels said when asked how the Commanders might learn from their tough day. "Be coachable to be able to move forward from this. The good thing about it is it's August whatever, I don't know what day it is, but it's August whatever. Our first game is September 13th. That's the one that really matters."
