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Practice Notes: 2016 #SkinsCamp, Day 13

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Redskins.com's Stephen Czarda and Jake Kring-Schreifels break down the key plays and highlights from Day 13 of the Washington Redskins' 2016 training camp in Richmond, Va.


Offense:

--Trent Williams was in pads on Sunday, the final padded practice of training camp, but didn't participate in any team drills. Ty Nsekhe, who fell down Saturday and looked to be injured, was back on the field and played snaps with the first team in place of Williams again. Head coach Jay Gruden said before practice that he's been really impressed with Nsekhe – he's looked very strong in 1-on-1 drills – and that the team has called more "smash-mouth runs to the left" as he's filled in for Williams. Center Trent Williams was also back at center on Sunday after sitting out Saturday's practice.

--With the running game taking some criticism from Gruden this week, Rob Kelley came out with a nice cut up to the second level to start off practice, which got Gruden fired up. They continued to pound the ball throughout the day and seemed to have more success. Although he said yesterday not to read into getting more touches with the second team, Rob Kelley continued to get reps from Colt McCoy along with fellow rookie Keith Marshall. Spencer Long handled duties under center with the second team after filling in for Lichtensteiger Saturday.

--The offense for the most part looked much better than Saturday. Each quarterback during the second extended set of 11-on-11 drills completed at least a couple passes. Cousins found Jordan Reed and Jamison Crowder on some out routes, while Colt McCoy found similar short targets in Ryan Grant, Maurice Harris, and Niles Paul, who in turn showed off some of his speed up the sideline. Sudfeld finished the drill at midfield by throwing a deep touchdown to Kendal Thompson to beat a safety blitz from Geno Matias-Smith.

--While 1-on-1 drills aren't the best measure of a lineman, Morgan Moses, Brandon Scherff and Arie Kouandjio looked especially good, the latter of which earned some excited yells from Gruden to close out the session.

--The offense finished out the day with some red zone work in which all three teams crossed the goal line. With Gruden calling out the down and distances, Cousins worked first finding Vernon Davis over the middle for five yards and finished the drive with a nice corner route to Reed, who lined up a few spaces off the line and used a crossing pick to break free from DeAngelo Hall and haul in the easy lofted pass with a couple feet to spare.

--McCoy used more of the ground game to his advantage, handing off to Chris Thompson, then faking to the running back and keeping it himself to gain about 10 yards. He finished with a crisp throw to the outside to Ryan Grant who gained leverage on Jonathan Allen for the score. Sudfeld also had success, finishing off practice with a touchdown pass to Dez Stewart rolling right through some traffic. Paul Kelly blew the horn a few times longer than usual to commence the last practice. 

(Jake Kring-Schreifels)


Defense:

--Redskins head coach Jay Gruden on Sunday noted that Dashaun Phillips is becoming more comfortable at the nickel cornerback position, and during the day's practice he received all of the first-team reps at the position. Even though Phillips is an unheralded player who entered the NFL the undrafted route, he's in the middle of a tight battle for the starting gig along with Kendall Fuller. During 1-on-1s, Phillips also made a beautiful pass breakup, reaching up with his left hand to swat away a pass that was intended for the larger Maurice Harris.

--What makes fans so excited about Preston Smith is his potential to someday be a top level pass rusher, but the Mississippi State product had a few nice plays in coverage on Sunday. On one play in particular, Trent Williams rolled out to his left side, but with Smith too far away to get in the quarterback's vicinity, he bolted down field to remove passing lanes. Cousins eventually threw the ball away. Smith was applauded for his efforts by defensive backs coach Perry Fewell.

--Even on the last day of practice, Kedric Golston continued to give it his all while showing the young guys to always play until the whistle is blown. On multiple occasions, Golston – who worked with the first-team at nose tackle and defensive end – would sprit down field and try to knock the ball out of Matt Jones' possession. Yes, the play was dead, but the defensive coaching staff has hammered home the importance of creating turnovers.

--Willie Jefferson had one of his best days in 1-on-1s, getting the better end of Ty Neskhe and Arie Kouandjio. Jefferson has been working with the third-team defense ever since Trent Murphy moved back to outside linebacker, but he's working hard to make a good impression on the coaching staff.

--During 1-on-1s, DeAngelo Hall pulled Bashaud Breeland aside to coach him up after the cornerback was beat for a touchdown inside the red zone. Even though Hall has moved on to safety, his 12 years of NFL experience at cornerback is a huge asset for a relatively young group of cornerbacks on the current roster.

--Speaking of young cornerbacks, Lloyd Carrington once again had a standout play for the third-team defense, defending a pass in the end zone that was intended for Logan Paulsen. Including an interception earlier in camp and a wild one-handed pick during minicamp, the rookie minicamp tryout player has a knack for making big plays. 

(Stephen Czarda)


Special Teams:

--Dustin Hopkins made all five of his field goal attempts, converting from 38, 40, 43, 45 and 48 yards. Entering his second year with the Redskins, Hopkins converted on almost all of his kicks during training camp including a 63-yard attempt during the special teams-only practice.

(Stephen Czarda)

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