Washington Commanders camp observations: Injury list grows, the plan for Detroit and more

ASHBURN, Va. — Nick Allegretti sounded as if he were finally free. After missing more than three weeks of training camp because of a strained calf muscle, the Commanders’ starting center was back on the practice field, albeit on a pitch count.

“Awesome,” he said with a grin after his 15 or so reps on Tuesday. “I mean, just being in the training room while training camp is going on, never something you want.”

Yet Allegretti’s excitement over returning was short-lived. He was back in the training room the next day after experiencing tightness in a calf during practice. Medical imaging revealed no further damage to his leg, but the team will hold him out of its preseason game in Detroit on Saturday and reevaluate him on Sunday.

Washington has been doing that a lot lately. The Commanders’ training camp has been riddled with soft tissue injuries, and many of them to key players.

Star left tackle Laremy Tunsil suffered a torn triceps and is out indefinitely. So is defensive tackle Johnny Newton, who underwent surgery on Wednesday for a pectoral muscle injury. Cornerback Trey Amos has practiced once all year because of a fractured fibula he suffered in November and an ankle sprain he suffered shortly after returning. Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota is dealing with a sprained MCL, and three of Washington’s six running backs (Rachaad White, Jeremy McNichols and Jerome Ford) are currently out, along with three of its top pass rushers (Daron Payne, Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson).

As of Friday morning, at least 15 Commanders are confirmed to be recovering from or still working their way back from injuries. (Teams are not required to report injuries until Week 1 of the regular season.)

Washington isn’t alone; other teams have lost key starters to devastating injuries and have multiple reserves facing weekslong recoveries.

The majority of Washington’s injuries aren’t believed to be long-term issues. Coach Dan Quinn expressed optimism earlier this week that Mariota will be available for Week 1. Payne’s injury, which was not disclosed, is believed to be minor, according to a team source who was granted anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak on the matter. Quinn also said White is “close” to returning; he was one of a handful of players working on the side field with an athletic trainer during practice Thursday.

But as the list grows, concern follows.

“We know if you’ve had an injury, you’re at risk for another injury, not necessarily the same one, but just the conditioning piece,” Quinn said Thursday. “And so, I think over the years that is probably the biggest thing that is there, and trusting the medical team to go through the whole process to get them back. But it sucks. It’s part of it, just in terms of the nature of how we play, stopping and starting and speeds.”

Quinn tweaked the Commanders’ training camp routine to ramp up the level of competition and intensity following a 5-12 season. The practices themselves are not longer, but the multiple unscripted periods have often extended the workouts, unintentionally.

Washington’s camp last year was noticeably lighter, in part because a number of older veterans had built-in days off to try to keep them fresh for the season. But that did little to fend off a rash of injuries that decimated the roster during the regular season.

The disappointing finish prompted the Commanders to overhaul many aspects of their operations and personnel, but it also shaped Quinn’s approach this year. Even during the offseason program, he tried to give players with the least experience more reps so he could get a better sense of the team’s depth and just how much the backups could handle.

“So, when a person’s out of practice here, it’s almost like, ‘OK, this is the next opportunity for that player,’” Quinn said. “And my mind shifts to, ‘Where are they? Have their standards changed? How they (handle) mental errors, making plays?’ And so, I just tend to shift to say, ‘Where is this roster? Who’s the next backup? … That would be my big takeaway to make sure, like, as the person who is going in, (have) they had enough, seen enough to prove it?’”

At some positions, testing the depth has exposed potential concerns. The offensive line, once viewed as one of the team’s more stable units, now appears to be one of its weaker groups in the wake of Tunsil’s injury and Allegretti’s absence. Replacement left tackle Brandon Coleman and left guard Chris Paul held their own in the first preseason game, but they played only 12 snaps. Center Julian Good-Jones, however, allowed two pressures on only eight pass-blocking snaps.

Quinn admitted that Allegretti’s injury and recent setback have created reason for worry. So, too, has Amos’ extended absence.

“Anytime you’re not getting a lot of reps for a whole training camp, that’s a big deal,” he said of Allegretti.

The bigger deal may be whether the Commanders search for more help before the season opener.

Here’s what else we’ve seen and heard at camp in recent days:

Wes Welker’s new gig

Wes Welker was tabbed to lead the tight ends late in the offseason after former tight ends coach Ben Steele was fired. Players are certainly aware of Welker’s success as a receiver and later a receivers coach, some of which may translate to tight ends. The role is new to him, but his approach has so far won over many.

“He was straight up and honest with us,” tight end John Bates said. “Like, ‘I’m still trying to figure it out too, guys. I’m going to try to figure it out.’ And he’s been super productive in, like, trying to better himself as a coach in that area.”

Bates said Welker brought in former Dolphins tight ends coach Jon Embree for a few days. Embree coached Washington’s tight ends in 2010 and was the 49ers’ assistant head coach/tight ends coach when Welker was their receivers coach from 2019 through 2021.

“(Welker) sat down with him and went over a bunch of run game stuff, a bunch of pass-blocking stuff,” Bates said. “Even had him work with us. And then he’s been doing a lot of stuff with the offensive line room. Whether we’re in special teams meetings or whatever, any time he gets, it seems like he’s going into the offensive line room because he wants the best for us, and you can tell he’s working his butt off to try to learn those things as best as possible to help us out.”

The plan for Detroit

Quinn said “a good amount of starters will get some playing time” on Saturday in Detroit. He declined to say who or how much, but noted that many of the 26 players who sat out the preseason opener against Miami will get more looks this weekend. Whether that includes quarterback Jayden Daniels remains to be seen.

The new kicker

Drew Stevens admitted he was surprised the Commanders gave him the starting kicker job so early in preseason.

“I thought we were gonna play all three preseason games and then do it,” he said. “But I mean, shoot, like, it was my first rodeo. I have no idea. I’m just trying to play good on the field.”

Stevens lauded Jake Moody, whom the Commanders released, for helping him and showing him the way as a rookie.

“He could’ve had every right, because we’re competing for a job, to just lead me in wrong directions and not be a good guy to me, you know what I’m saying?” Stevens said. “… I followed him more than I followed anybody else in the building. He was like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna lift this certain way. We’re gonna go and do stuff down during this time.’ And he did not have to do that at all.”

The rookie also praised his holder, punter Tress Way. The veteran has worked with close to two dozen kickers during his 12-plus seasons in Washington, so Stevens has picked his brain because “you never know when you learn that thing that’s gonna change your game for the better,” he said.

But the age difference is not lost on him. Way, 36, is the oldest player on Washington’s roster, and Stevens, 22, is among the youngest.

“I told Tress during practice that the (age) difference between him and my dad is closer than the difference between me and him,” Stevens said. “It’s crazy that I’m playing with a 36-year-old, but learning from him is pretty cool.”