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Washington Commanders Training Camp Observations for Saturday: The Jayden Daniels-Zach Ertz connection is unbreakable and a rookie shines

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Josh Taylor | Last updated Aug 2, 2025 6:47 PM ET

Today was another padded practice for the Washington Commanders, and I was live on scene in Ashburn to see who has stepped up and the current state of the team.

There were a lot of takeaways I left practice with, and a storyline worth keeping an eye on this week. Joint practices start this week, and the team has its first preseason game on Friday, so it's time to settle in as a team.

The injury bug makes an appearance

The Commanders have been able to stay healthy this offseason, but the team suffered two injuries today, with one being minor discomfort, while the other is worth monitoring as the week progresses.

WR Deebo Samuel left the field on the second-to-last play of practice after he hit his hand in traffic on a slant route in the red zone. He came off the field holding his hand, and the trainers took a good look at it. Reports after practice indicate that he just jammed his finger, and it was nothing worth stressing over.

The second one occurred when projected starting left guard Brandon Coleman limped off the field and never came back to practice. We didn't see exactly what happened on the play, but he was replaced by Andrew Wylie. The team is off until Monday, and Quinn always speaks to the media before practice and gives health updates when available.

Zach Ertz was meant to catch passes from Jayden Daniels

We saw last season just how strong the connection was between QB Jayden Daniels and veteran TE Zach Ertz, and training camp has shown that they don't plan on slowing down anytime soon. Whether it's in the red zone or on a scramble throw in the middle of the field, Ertz is always there for Daniels, and he knows it.

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— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 31, 2025

Ertz had a handful of catches today from Daniels, but my favorite was in the red zone when the defense brought an all-out blitz and Daniels backpedaled and zipped a throw across the middle to Ertz for a touchdown. I'm expecting a very productive season from Ertz again.

Other standouts and unsung heroes

Rookie Kain Medrano had a nice pass breakup on about a 15-yard dig route by a TE (not sure who), but his coverage ability flashed. He also lined up at LB next to Bobby Wagner early on with the starters and stuffed a run behind the line for a loss of a couple of yards. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr said they will figure out if he's a linebacker or a safety when pads come on, and he's getting the reps at both.
Every DB made a play today. Trey Amos had a nice pass breakup on Deebo Samuel, Noah Igbinoghene had a jumping deflection, Jonathan Jones had a pass breakup, and Quan Martin had a crazy diving interception on an overthrown pass to Ben Sinnott. Mike Sainristil and Marshon Lattimore had pass breakups and stops today, too. The secondary is much improved.
Deatrich Wise is my sleeper for the team. Today, he was being vocal on something he saw presnap, and he jumped the play and went down the offensive line to stop RB Brian Robinson Jr. from behind. It would've been a loss of a few yards.
Michael Gallup had a nice over-the-shoulder catch from Mariota down the right sideline that probably went for 35 yards or so.
Von Miller looks fast and twitchy, and Conerly Jr. is holding his own against the all-time great.
Daniels was sharp all day and threw a beautiful slot fade to Luke McCaffrey with a blitz right in his face. I'm expecting more of those this season. That was Daniels' finishing move in college. Nobody could stop it.
Matt Gay made all of his kicks again!!

Overall, I'm impressed with what I see from all three phases of the team. There's not a certain position group I'm worried about right now, and we will see if it remains that way after joint practices and the first preseason game coming up this week.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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