Washington Commanders OTAs Week 3 Practice Recap: Missing players, steady competitions, and a growing concern
The Washington Commanders kicked off their third and final week of OTAs on Tuesday, which had no shortage of storylines worth watching as we head into minicamp.
The offseason is in full swing in Ashburn, and the Washington Commanders are looking to head into the 2026 season with something to prove.
The team still has a lot of questions to answer as we get closer to mandatory minicamp and training camp, and the final week of OTAs is answering some, while creating more.
Here’s everything I cover in the latest notebook from the Commanders’ practice on Tuesday:
Jayden Daniels without top-2 WRs
TEs continue to impress
Bill Croskey-Merritt watch
Defense looks improved, but still has questions
Starting to lose his spot?
Terry McLaurin and Antonio Williams both missed practice
The offense had its top two WRs out for the day as both Terry McLaurin and Antonio Williams worked out on the side field on Tuesday, and we have no answer as to why they did so. They didn’t participate in the 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills with the team, and the rest of the WR room struggled.
QB Jayden Daniels was forced to check down a lot of throws with the WR room not rising to the occasion on Tuesday, which just adds to the worry about the WR room as a whole. If Terry McLaurin misses more time like last year, then the offense could struggle again. On the positive note, the TE room continues to show how impactful they can be in 2026.
Chig Okonkwo and the TE room continue to stand out
There’s no shortage of hype behind TE Chig Okonkwo, who will see plenty of targets with Jayden Daniels throwing him the ball. Okonkwo has shown his route-running ability and receiving threat early in OTAs, and he could help relieve some of the angst towards the WR room.
I also believe Ben Sinnott is poised to have his best season with a more natural fit in David Blough’s scheme. Sinnott made one of the best plays on Tuesday when Jayden found him across the middle of the field, which the team shared on social media.
Where’s Bill?…..
One of the biggest and weirdest storylines so far is that RB Bill Croskey-Merritt has missed all three open practices so far since OTAs started, and we have no idea why. The Commanders don’t have to disclose anything injury-related, but my guess, on pure speculation, is that Bill is dealing with some kind of minor injury that’s not worth pushing at OTAs.
Mandatory minicamp kicks off on June 16th, which is when we will really see if he practices or not. In the meantime, Rachaad White has looked like the RB1, which is what I predict will happen. He’s the most complete RB on the team, and continues to show his high-end receiving ability in practice.
Bill missing time certainly hasn’t helped, but it’s still very early. Rachaad White and Kaytron Allen will both shine as pads come on during training camp, and hopefully, Bill is back sooner rather than later.
Daronte Jones’ defense looks drastically improved
Once again, pads aren’t on yet, but the defense does look better early on. Daronte Jones has been very vocal on the field, and he’s bringing the energy to the players. There are still plenty of spots to figure out, but Jones will bring multiple looks and play multiple players in different spots.
One of the biggest positions to watch is the CB room, which still doesn’t have Trey Amos yet. Amik Robertson and Mike Sainristil have both been playing outside, while players like Quan Martin and Tyler Owens have played in the slot and have used three-safety sets.
When Trey Amos comes back, we should really see what Daronte Jones thinks of the CB room. The competition between Amik Robertson and Mike Sainristil decides who plays inside and who plays outside.
A starter losing his spot due to a scheme change?
One storyline I’m really focused on is the LG spot. I believe Brandon Coleman will steal Chris Paul’s spot in 2026. The Commanders only signed Chris Paul to a one-year deal worth $3 million after the national media said Paul had a huge market in free agency.
Paul was dominant in pass protection, but he struggled in the run game, which will really hold him back. Paul could start in an offense that played a lot of shotgun, but he’s going to be expected to move in space a lot more in David Blough’s offense, and he’s going to struggle compared to Coleman.
Blough will run a lot of outside zone, but also runs like Trap, Power, and Counters, where the guards will have to pull. Coleman has experience and the athleticism to be better equipped in Blough’s run game, and he can also pass protect on plays where Jayden Daniels rolls out on play action and boots.
Mandatory minicamp is June 16th-June 18th, and the media team will be there all three days! I’ll have plenty of coverage on Substack and on the YouTube Channel recapping every practice, so make sure to subscribe to both!