The Washington Commanders were in pads for their Wednesday practice, marking their last time with full contact before they play the Detroit Lions in their second preseason game on Aug. 22. Here are some of the top highlights from the morning.

-- We have some more injury news on a few of the Commanders' key players. Head coach Dan Quinn said Odafe Oweh strained his calf and is sitting out of practice until he recovers. K'Lavon Chaisson suffered a knee injury during the joint practice with the Miami Dolphins, and the team is being cautious with his recovery. Linebacker Jordan Magee suffered a shoulder injury and will be held out for the rest of the week. None of these injuries are considered long-term issues, but that is not the case with Johnny Newton, who is getting his pectoral muscle examined in New York. Quinn said the injury could sideline Newton for a while, but they are waiting for the diagnosis to determine his status.

-- On a more positive note, Tim Settle Jr. has made progress in his recovery and hit "a big marker" in his return to play process, Quinn said. The expectation is that he will be back soon, although Quinn did not provide a specific date.

-- The Commanders had pass-protection drills today, and there were some clear standouts on both sides of the ball. Sam Cosmi continues to look like the best offensive lineman on the field, winning a rep against Daron Payne by stopping a bull rush in its tracks. Brandon Coleman is gaining confidence as he transitions back to left tackle, and it's allowing his better athletic traits to shine. He has quick feet with good hands, and he showed both of those off in a matchup against Joshua Josephs. On defense Charles Omenihu forced Chris Paul to turn his shoulders, allowing him to slip around the guard and get the win. Javontae Jean-Baptiste showed off his power once again, beating Josh Conerly with a bull rush.

-- Nick Allegretti has looked solid during his two practices since returning from injury. The team is still being cautious with him, but he's worked in individual drills and with the second group during 11-on-11 periods. Jayden Daniels' workload has seemingly doubled since Marcus Mariota strained his MCL, so the two are still able to build their chemistry together. The big question is whether he'll get any preseason work, but it appears that he's making progress toward being completely healthy for Week 1.

-- On the note of players participating in the preseason, there have been several questions about whether Daniels will get any action against the Lions this weekend. The preseason finale hasn't been part of that discussion, but seeing as how the starters will likely get most of the work in the two teams' joint practice next week and starters across the league rarely play in the final preseason game, it's likely that this weekend's matchup would be the only opportunity for Daniels to be in a game scenario. Quinn has not revealed his thought process on this other than to say he and the staff will take the entire week of practice into consideration and make a determination before Saturday. There are arguments to be for both sides of the debate, but Quinn and the Commanders are going to do whatever they believe is the best course of action.

-- In terms of what he did on the field today, Daniels looked just as sharp as he was in the previous training camp practices. He's developing good chemistry with weapons like Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs, but his bond with Chig Okonkwo was more prevalent today. The two connected often in 11-on-11 drills and even scored a touchdown near the end of the morning. It's still too early to learn just how Daniels is going to distribute the ball to his weapons, but it is known that he likes to get his tight ends involved in the game plan. So, assuming their relationship continues to evolve, it's reasonable to assume Okonkwo is going to be an important factor in the team's success.

-- For those looking for updates on Javon Kinlaw, the defensive tackle made one of the better plays during 11-on-11 drills, stuffing Kaytron Allen for a loss. Kinlaw is a physically dominating figure, and he can use that size to cause disruption at the line of scrimmage. There were moments when that flashed last season, but there is a belief that his presence will be felt more in his second season with the team.

-- Another positive play from the defensive line came from D.J. Davidson, who ripped a ball away from Robert Henry Jr. and ran it back for what would have been a score. It's difficult to find a spot for Davidson considering how deep the Commanders are up front, but Davidson and several other players down the depth chart have been playing well for the Commanders over the last two weeks. It will be interesting to see which players they keep for the practice squad, and Davidson has done a good job of making his case.

-- There were a few more impressive defensive plays. Antonio Hamilton Sr. intercepted a pass from Athan Kaliakmanis during team drills, providing the veteran cornerback with another highlight play. Darius Rush had a nice pass breakup on a ball intended for Dyami Brown, and Kain Medrano showed good speed to get a tackle on Jacory Croskey-Merritt.

-- Let's end things with some updates on the running backs. Rachaad White missed practice with an injury, allowing Allen to get more work behind Croskey-Merritt. Allen had a few solid runs, including one that broke into the second level near the end of practice. It was arguably one of the best running performances the offense has had all month, and Allen was at the forefront of that with his vision and good feel for finding running lanes between the tackles. Here's something for people to consider when criticizing the running game: not only is it difficult to establish the run at times in practice, but the Commanders have been without John Bates and Nick Allegretti -- two players who will play a key role in how the ground game will look during the season. Now that the two are getting back on the field, it makes sense that the running game would improve. Expect that to continue as both players get more reps in team drills.