The Washington Commanders just wrapped up their preseason opener with a 20-7 win. Here are five takeaways from the night.

1. The defense improved after the opening drive.

The Commanders made it clear before kickoff that most of their main contributors would not play against the Dolphins, announcing that more than two dozen players would not dress out for the night. The Dolphins did no such thing and kept most of their starters on the field for the first few minutes. The Dolphins' starters moved their way down the field with ease, taking an early lead with a 14-play, 93-yard drive that culminated with a De'Von Achane touchdown.

After that, however, the Commanders' defense settled in and had a much better night. On the following Miami drive, the Commanders forced a turnover on downs with a sack on Quinn Ewers. Then, after forcing a turnover (more on that later), the Commanders forced back-to-back three-and-outs.

While Malik Willis looked sharp in the first quarter, completing four of his five attempts, his backups -- Cam Miller and Ewers -- were far less successful. Ewers completed one pass on nine attempts, while Miller had just XX yards.

It took the Dolphins until the fourth quarter to get much momentum going. They were limited to single digits on seven consecutive drives.

2. Robert Henry Jr. has some juice.

With Jeremy McNichols out, it created an opportunity for the players down the running back depth chart to show off their skill sets. All the running backs had a solid night, but it was Henry, the undrafted free agent out of UTSA, who stole the show.

Henry, who rushed for 2,339 yards in college, showed burst, decisiveness and quickness with the ball in his hands. Although he's not the biggest player at 196 pounds, he wasn't afraid to plow up the middle of the defense for dirty yards.

He also knows how to separate from defensive players when necessary, and he showed off his 4.5 speed on the Commanders' opening touchdown. He followed a reach block by sixth-rounder Matt Gulbin and outran the Dolphins' defense down the sideline for the 22-yard score.

Henry ended up leading the Commanders in a 174-yard rushing performance from the group, but an even bigger win for the running back was that he made his case to be on the roster for Week 1.

3. Quan Martin and Ale Kaho helped flip the field.

The Commanders have stressed the importance of creating more turnovers in practice, and while no one will likely remember an interception in the preseason, it is hopefully a sign of things to come.

Quan Martin, who is in a battle with the rest of the safeties, was the player who secured the ball from Ewers, who either expected his receiver to be in a different spot or simply misfired his pass. Either way, Martin was there to make the play, giving the Commanders the ball at the Dolphins' 35-yard line. It led to the Commanders getting a 29-yard field goal from Jake Moody, who doinked the kick off the right upright to make the score 7-3.

The next came from 2024 undrafted free agent Ale Kaho, who read Miller's eyes on the play and made the easy grab that set the offense up at the Dolphins' 33-yard line. That also led to a field goal -- a 44-yarder by Drew Stevens.

And then there was a third. Malik Spencer intercepted a pass from Miller with less than six minutes in the fourth quarter, essentially ending the Dolphins' chances at a comeback.

It was the kind of complimentary football that was missing from the Commanders' roster in 2025. Hopefully, the current roster can keep that up and create shorter fields for the offense going forward.

4. The offense got moving after a rough start.

Like the defense, the Commanders' offense got off to a rocky start in the first quarter while going against the Dolphins' starters. Marcus Mariota left the game early with an injury, forcing Sam Hartman on the field a bit earlier than expected. His first two drives did not go as planned; the offense was forced to punt after moving 27 yards, and he threw an interception at the Dolphins' 3-yard line to end the first quarter.

After that, however, the offense found some momentum, and Hartman can at least be partially credited for that success. He completed a pass to Van Jefferson that put the Commanders in field goal range, and later, he completed all three of his pass attempts on a seven-play touchdown drive.

Hartman was at his best on the following drive, which also ended in the end zone. He scrambled for a first down on a third-and-4 and connected with Jaylin Lane on passes of eight and 17 yards. The second pass to Lane moved the Commanders to the 4-yard line, and Kaytron Allen ended the drive with the score three plays later.

By the end of the game, the Commanders had 21 first downs with a third-down conversion rate of 47%. It wasn't a perfect night from the unit, but there was promise for David Blough's vision.

5. A win is a win, even in the preseason.

It's wild to think about, but the preseason win over the Dolphins was the Commanders' first at Northwest Stadium since Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders. That's a long time between wins, and their frustrating home record was one of many disappointing things about last season.

But a win is a win, even in the preseason, and the Commanders needed something to feel good about heading into the season.

The preseason might not matter, but it is important. The Commanders had several new parts on the field against the Dolphins, from new players to different schemes. They created some confidence during the joint practice earlier in the week, but Friday's game remained a critical measuring stick in the team's progress.

While it wasn't a perfect night from either side of the ball, it was a solid debut for the Commanders' new direction as they try to bounce back from last season. They did what they were supposed to do, and it's a nice change from last year's preseason opener, when they struggled against the New England Patriots.

There's still work to be done, but it was a nice start.