Jayden Daniels was looking to start practice on a positive note, so he rolled to his right, spotted Jaylin Lane downfield and fired a pass towards the rookie.

It was a nice throw, and under normal circumstances, it would have been a completion. Second-year cornerback Mike Sainristil had other plans, though, and he made a leaping one-handed catch to secure the ball before Lane could get his hands on it.

Plays like that have become a regular occurrence for Sainristil, who has moved back to being a nickel corner with rookie Trey Amos on the field. He was one of the Commanders' best defensive players last season, and with a full year in the system, his coaches are starting to see him take another step, both on and off the field.

"The leader is developing and emerging," head coach Dan Quinn said during his Thursday press conference. "To me, that's the next step for him. The other players believe in him."

Quinn already knew about Sainristil's natural talent. As a perimeter defender, Sainristil held his own against some of the top receivers on the Commanders' schedule while leading the team in pass breakups (14) and interceptions (2). Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said multiple times during the season that Sainristil did not approach the game as a rookie, and despite being the smallest corner on the roster (5-foot-10 and 182 pounds), his work ethic and study habits helped him be successful on the field.

Sainristil has picked up where he left off during his second training camp, and his impressive interception working against Lane is not the only positive play he has made over the past week. Sainristil secured the defense's first interception of camp when Quan Martin tipped a pass intended for Zach Ertz. Sainristil caught the ball in stride and imitated Deion Sanders' classic celebration on his way to the end zone. He has also managed to stop Deebo Samuel short of the goal line on several plays by either forcing a pass breakup or recording a tackle.

Sainristil spent the offseason focusing on all aspects of his skill set. Of course, he wanted to improve areas where he struggled as a rookie, but he also wanted to strengthen his better traits.

"I feel like often we lose sight of focusing on the things that we are good at because we want to put so much emphasis on the things we aren't good at," Sainristil said. "But you still have to sharpen both sides of the sword."

But Quinn has also seen Sainristil step up as a leader in ways that are difficult for players entering their second seasons. Although he is not the loudest player on the defense, his teammates are confident in him because they know he puts in the work to improve. Quinn said Sainristil is figuring out how to lead in his own way, and to him, "that's a big deal."

For Sainristil, that involves gaining a better understanding of what his teammates need from him, and he is willing to accept that challenge.

"They wouldn't have drafted me when they drafted me if they didn't expect something out of me," Sainristil said. "And I want to live up to that expectation, because...I expect that out of myself and because I want to help this organization, help this team be the best it can be."

Sainristil wants to make sure he is at his best for the 2025 season, and judging by the impact he has had in practice, he's on his way to doing that. But he isn't doing that for himself; it's part of his efforts to elevate his teammates in whatever way possible. That might require him to score on an interception or break up a pass in a critical point of the game, or just providing mentorship for younger players.

Sainristil knows if he can approach the game with an unselfish attitude, success will come his way. It's worked out for him so far.

"I always have said, with team success comes individual success. So, just making sure that I can do whatever I can for this team is what matters to me the most."

Here are some other observations from Thursday's practice:

-- The Commanders spent a chunk of practice working in the red zone today, which meant that Ertz received a healthy number of targets from Daniels. The quarterback opened his first series of practice with two targets to Ertz, and both catches resulted in touchdowns. That shouldn't be a surprise, as Ertz was one of Daniels' favorite red zone targets last season. If they can strengthen that bond even further, it will make the offense even more difficult to stop.

-- The secondary as a group has looked more impressive compared to how they fared during last year's training camp. That primarily applies to players like Sainristil, but the Commanders' depth pieces have also taken a step forward. Safety Ben Nikkel did a nice job of sticking with Michael Gallup in the red zone and breaking up a pass that would have been a touchdown.

-- Later in the practice, veteran Noah Igbinoghene had himself a positive play, as he closed the gap on Samuel near the line of scrimmage. Samuel finished the play in the end zone, which drew some cheers from the fans, but had the players actually been allowed to use full contact, he would have been taken down for a loss.

-- Speaking of Samuel, the Commanders' new wide receiver continues to have an exceptional training camp. Although Samuel's versatility is one of his best traits, he has mostly been utilized as a traditional wideout, probably to hide the team's full intentions for him while fans and media members are at practice. Still, Samuel has stood out on a regular basis, and he had another impressive catch near the sideline while working against Car'Lin Vigers that drew some applause from fans.

-- Lane is another wideout who continues to have a strong training camp performance. Daniels said during his press conference that Lane doesn't speak much, but it's clear that he has unique traits. He got open on a busted coverage today, and Sam Hartman hit him for what would have been a touchdown.

-- Finally, we'll address the running backs, because several of them had a good day. The star of the backfield was Jacor Croskey-Merritt, who got work with the starters and had three consecutive carries. One of those attempts saw Croskey-Merritt break loose down the left sideline and into the secondary. Chris Rodriguez was another player who used his power and vision to get into the second level of the defense. Both players are gunning for spots on the roster, and while they still need to perform well during next week's joint practice against the New England Patriots, they took a step towards achieving that goal.