In one of the final plays of this week’s minicamp, there was a glimmer of a strong connection between two of the Washington Commanders’ most important players: Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin.
The offense was deep in the red zone, and just as the wide receiver cut inside on a slant route, he looked back toward the quarterback and saw a perfectly thrown ball — low, where only he could catch it, and just ahead of him. McLaurin snared the ball and fell into the end zone for a touchdown.
There had been other moments of synchronicity in camp, but this one seemed to mean a little more to McLaurin, and the 28-year-old wideout popped up yelling and beaming, seemingly fired up by the anticipation and ball placement. He ran over and slapped Daniels on the helmet.
It was a fitting moment to sum up Thursday’s session, the last day of practice before summer break, when everyone seemed relaxed and optimistic.
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In the fall, the Commanders’ offense will depend on the connection between Daniels and McLaurin, who, at times in the past, has gotten lost in the offense or out of rhythm with the carousel of quarterbacks. If they develop a rapport, Daniels could be the consistent passer McLaurin hasn’t had since college.
Coach Dan Quinn has been around great quarterbacks in his career — Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Dak Prescott — and said that the “best of the best are not only worried about their own performance but coaching others. What they saw, how it is, the smallest of details.”
“Jayden has that coolness about him that people want to be next to him because he’s going to deliver the right information to the people,” Quinn said — and though it was only one rep in a practice against his own team, the goal-line slant seemed to be a data point in support of McLaurin’s belief that this pairing could finally be different.
No (official) starter (yet) (even though it seems pretty clear)
Quinn is not ready to name Daniels Washington’s starting quarterback. But it’s fair to assume he will do so sooner than later. During organized team activities earlier in the offseason, Marcus Mariota took most of the first-team reps, but during minicamp, Daniels did.
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Quinn said the team set up the reps that way because it’s a “true competition” and that he would not make any “great declarations” on the starter. But he also said Daniels earned the starting reps because he’s making “unbelievable progress.”
Defensive standouts
Safeties Jeremy Chinn and Quan Martin and linebacker Frankie Luvu — those three names jumped out to Quinn when asked which players have stood out as versatile defenders this spring. Each member of that trio could be a key cog in the Commanders’ scheme.
“Although I knew [versatility] was a part of [Luvu’s] game, I’d say it was probably even stronger than I thought,” Quinn said.
Ahmed takes a lead
Ramiz Ahmed won the last day of the kicker competition. He made all four of his kicks, from roughly 30 to roughly 50 yards, even with the team crowded around and trying to distract him.
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Lucas Havrisik, on the other hand, followed up his perfect Wednesday by missing two of his four attempts. He hooked a 33-yarder wide left and doinked the left goal post from about 50 yards. One of his intermediate attempts appeared to just sneak inside the left upright.
Now, the question is who will compete with Ahmed come training camp. The options include Havrisik (who spent part of last season with the Los Angeles Rams), Jake Bates of the United Football League and any other free agents.
Clean bill of health
Quinn said he is “thrilled” with the health of the team. Two safeties, Darrick Forrest and Percy Butler, did not participate in practice Thursday but did not appear to be injured. Tight end Zach Ertz and wide receiver Jamison Crowder, who sat out Wednesday, returned to practice Thursday.
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The team held out defensive tackle Johnny Newton (foot) and defensive lineman Efe Obada (lower leg fracture) all spring, but Quinn said he was encouraged by their progress.
Names to watch
Two under-the-radar players who had decent springs: undrafted rookie tight end Colson Yankoff and journeyman running back Jeremy McNichols. Both contribute on special teams, which could help them land on the right side of the roster bubble.
Yankoff, a former top quarterback recruit, played running back and special teams at UCLA. If he shows promise on offense, he could be a versatile blocker in the same vein as rookie tight end Ben Sinnott.
McNichols, 28, is already on his 10th NFL team and hasn’t had an NFL carry since 2021. But he’s been a key part of the team’s two-back sets this spring and has performed well.
