We’re beyond the point of training camp where the Washington Commanders want to compete against another team. On Friday, tensions were high in Ashburn after another padded practice ended with some chippiness on both sides of the ball.
One issue is the defense’s domination over the offense through the first two weeks of camp. While the offense has had plenty of good moments, the defense has held the advantage for most of camp, particularly since the pads went on last week.
The good news was the Commanders were off Saturday before returning to practice Sunday.
Head coach Ron Rivera said Sunday went much better for the offense. Rivera praised the offensive line and said Washington was able to work on some situational stuff Sunday.
“This was much better than the other day,” Rivera said. “Really pleased with the work that we got in today. I thought their approach and the way they handled it was really good. Again, kudos to the offensive line because they really ground through it a lot and did a heck of a job.”
While the intensity of Sunday’s practice didn’t match Friday’s, it was important for the offense to bounce back after a day of rest. It’s especially important for an offensive line that has as much pressure on it as any unit on the team.
“There’s a lot of positives that we’re gonna get from this,” Rivera said. “There’s some really good tape on all the periods, and we got an opportunity to really go through some situational football as well.”
Washington opens the preseason Friday against the Cleveland Browns. Then, next week, the Commanders and Ravens have joint practices, which should give Rivera a good idea of where the offense stands.