3 Overreactions From Day 14 of Commanders Training Camp

Overreaction No. 2 — Washington Is Back to Square One at Center

This one has some validity in it, as it does feel like we've gone all the way around the bend just to get back to Julian Good-Jones taking most of the snaps in practice, as he did Thursday. For clarity, Allegretti returned to practice this week only to experience more calf tightness and get pulled. After seeing Good-Jones against Miami's defensive line, we can all agree it is not a good idea for him to take the field against the Philadelphia Eagles and those monsters on the interior they have in Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. This discussion is no longer about whether Allegretti can play the position; it's about whether he has taken enough practice reps to make the calls and build chemistry with the offensive line.

One thing to remember: this isn't the same type of shutdown that Allegretti got at the beginning of camp. This came with clean imaging of his calf and a word from the coach that they plan on reevaluating the situation Sunday. This overreaction carries a bit more truth value: Washington absolutely needs Good-Jones or another option ready to function as a legitimate Plan B because Allegretti hasn't been available consistently enough to assume everything will suddenly stabilize. Washington is not back to square one yet, but the center position remains unresolved until Allegretti can stack practices instead of simply returning for one at a time.

Overreaction No. 3 — Jayden Daniels Shouldn't Play Against Detroit

This is always going to be a "what side of the yard is best" type of discussion. No matter what, some will always want the starting quarterback to play in preseason, and others won't. It is normal and part of how it works for fans and students of the game alike. That said, without Tunsil and Allegretti, and with some big questions at center, the argument could be made that being safe is better than losing your franchise quarterback to injury and being sorry about it later. Quinn not committing to playing Daniels speaks volumes in saying he's not sure either.

On the other hand, Daniels needs actual live game time in David Blough's new offense to make sure he understands the ins and outs, even if he looks like he's mastered it in practice. Quinn left it open, saying a good number of starters would play. Automatically sitting Daniels is an overreaction, but Washington should only play him if Quinn is satisfied with the protection and personnel surrounding him on Saturday.

While Day 14 wasn't filled with much football, it did provide information that helped sharpen some questions Washington still has. The injury volume is certainly concerning, the center position still lacks stability, and Daniels’ preseason workload deserves caution, but none of those situations yet demands the most extreme conclusion.