Three positions to watch during Washington’s joint practice with Miami
The Washington Commanders will travel to Miami for their second major test of the preseason, starting with a joint practice against the Dolphins and culminating with a Saturday night game with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
While Dan Quinn and the coaching staff still have some decisions to make before putting out an initial 53-man roster, there are some players who have stood out and secured a firmer hold on a spot for themselves. Other position groups, however, still have more to prove.
Here are three positions to watch during the joint practice with the Dolphins.
1. The defensive backs.
Although we have a better idea of which defensive backs on the Commanders’ roster have stood out among the rest, like Benjamin St-Juste, Michael Davis and Noah Igbinoghene, it’s still anyone’s guess as to how the team intends to use them or how they stack up against opposing receiving corps in the NFL.
They saw their first real test against the Jets and had mixed results against Garrett Wilson and the rest of New York’s wideouts. They’ll face an even more difficult one with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle waiting for them in Miami.
In a way, it will be an opportunity for the Commanders’ defensive backs to show how much they’ve grown in the last year since last playing the Dolphins in December. Hill had an outstanding afternoon at Commanders Field, catching five passes for 157 yards and two scores of 78 and 60 yards.
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Hill and Waddle will have their moments, but it would be seen as progress for the Commanders if they were to limit the explosive plays, both in practice and in the preseason game. Keep an eye on Emmanuel Forbes Jr., who did give up a touchdown against the Jets but also had solid moments in other parts of the game.
Another player to watch out for is rookie Mike Sainristil. He received the third-highest cover grade from PFF by a Washington defensive back, allowing just one yard on one target.
2. The offensive line.
Washington’s offensive line will enter the weekend a little banged up but on the mend from what it was against the Jets, when they had to put in Chris Paul — a guard — at tackle with the starting offense to make up for Andrew Wylie, Cornelius Lucas and Brandon Coleman all not dressing.
Still, we should expect to see more of Washington’s depth in practice and the preseason game, particularly at tackle with Coleman’s status unknown. Although the Jets played almost none of their defensive starters in last week’s game, it’s worth pointing out that Washington’s offensive front did protect all four quarterbacks, allowing zero sacks and just three quarterback hits. More importantly, Jadyen Daniels was kept clean during his 11 snaps.
As good as the Jets were last season at rushing quarterbacks, the Dolphins were even better. They were 10th in pass-rush win-rate and third in total sacks. Bradley Chubb and Zach Sieler combined for 21 of the team’s 56 sacks, and the duo also led the team in tackles for loss with 22 combined stops.
