The Washington Commanders will host the Miami Dolphins for a joint practice ahead of their preseason opener at Northwest Stadium on Aug. 14. Here are three players to keep an eye on for Wednesday.
Joshua Josephs
The Commanders completely reworked their pass rush over the offseason, and there was plenty of attention on the big free agent acquisitions like Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson. There weren't many expectations for Josephs at the start of camp, but the fifth-round pick has made more plays with each practice.
Josephs had all the physical tools coming out of the University of Tennessee with his 6-foot-3, 242-pound frame and 34-inch arms. Josephs only had 9.5 sacks for his four-year college career, though, so the expectation was that he would be a long-term project behind Oweh and Chaisson. However, it seems like Josephs' development is unfolding a bit quicker than expected, as his athleticism is creating problems for Washington's offensive linemen.
On the first day of pads, Josephs used a rip move to get past Andrew Wylie during one-on-one pass protection drills. He's also been difficult for quarterbacks to deal with, as he batted down a pass from Marcus Mariota later in the day. He also beat Brandon Coleman with an outside rush on Aug. 10, which would have been a sack on Jayden Daniels in a game.
The Commanders don't necessarily need Josephs to contribute immediately, but it'll be interesting to see if he can continue his production against different opponents. The best-case scenario is that he turns into a luxury that can be used on third downs to give offenses even more issues to deal with.
Brandon Coleman
The Commanders aren't shying away from the reality that losing Laremy Tunsil for the foreseeable future is a blow to the roster in terms of production and leadership, but they're also acknowledging that they need to find a solution. They believe Coleman is that answer, and they have faith in him to fill in as the starting left tackle.
Coleman is not going to win matchups in the same way Tunsil would on the field; that's not a fair expectation. However, Coleman can still hold his own, just in a different way. A good example came the day after Tunsil's injury became public. Coleman matched up against Oweh during one-on-one pass protection drills, which would be a daunting task for most offensive linemen.
Tunsil likely would have stopped Oweh in his tracks near the line of scrimmage. Coleman won the drill, but instead of stalling Oweh's momentum, he mirrored Oweh around the perimeter of the pocket. It wasn't as dominant as Tunsil, but it still counts as a victory for Coleman.
The Commanders are confident in Coleman's skill set, but he still has plenty to prove as he enters his third season. It will be important for Coleman to continue stacking good practice days, not just for his own sake, but also to help stabilize the offensive line in a critical season that is now without a top five player at his position.
After taking a day off, the Washington Commanders were on the field in full pads to prepare for their first preseason game of the month. Check out the best photos from Monday morning.
Treylon Burks
The addition of Stefon Diggs does change the dynamic of the Commanders' receiver room, but there are still a few more spots left for players to earn in the coming weeks. Burks is one of the players vying for a role, and so far, Burks has shown promise as a bigger target for Daniels downfield. His size has been useful on contested targets, and his chemistry with the quarterbacks appears to be improving by the day.
There are still some things Burks must prove in terms of his availability and status on the team. For one, Burks has never played a full season because of his health. To be fair, he has been healthy in this year's camp, aside from missing some time in the first week. But Burks will need to keep proving that he can be available to make an impact on the offense. And in terms of that impact, Burks needs to keep capitalizing on his opportunities. His most productive season came when he was a rookie in 2022, and he has never caught more than one touchdown pass in a season.
The first-round talent is there with Burks, and if he can find his stride, he would be an asset in the passing game. A good performance against the Dolphins would strengthen his case that he should be one of the wideouts who survives roster cuts.
