At his Saturday press conference, Dan Quinn announced the three captains for the Commanders’ game on Monday night.
Quinn announced the three captains will be receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, punter Tress Way and linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Zaccheaus signed as a free agent in the offseason. He plays with the Falcons (2019-22) and last played for the Eagles in 2023. The former Virginia Cavalier has played in two games this season for the Burgundy and Gold. He has four receptions for 29 yards and returned a punt against the Giants for 24 yards. Quinn Saturday spoke of how Zaccheaus is working hard, “chasing better and better.”
Wagner, a future Hall of Fame linebacker, Quinn said Saturday he really likes Wagner’s “consistency, dependability, if you need something, you look to Bobby. His tackling, his hitting will certainly be a presence this game.” Wagner leads the Commanders with 19 combined tackles, 9 assists and 4 tackles for a loss through two games.
Very well played here by Bobby Wagner pic.twitter.com/o3NBJMALaf
— Mark Tyler(Hogs Haven) (@Tiller56) September 16, 2024
Way is the longest-tenured Washington player, dating back to 2014. “The impact in our building goes way beyond being a great punter, and he has a real presence with our guys,” expressed Quinn. Way has punted three times, averaging 46.3 yards a punt, with 41.3 net yards per punt.
Quinn also spoke positively about rookie defensive tackle Johnny Newton. Recovering from foot surgery after the draft, Newton missed the season opener but saw his first action last week against the Giants, playing 12 defensive snaps.
Quinn preached throughout Newton’s rehab and now returns that he was going to be patient with Newton throughout training camp, choosing to bring him along slowly and have him become more acclimated to the speed of the NFL.
Newton did not record a statistic during his 12 snaps last week, but Quinn said this week in the practices with Newton, “You felt the speed, you felt the movements. And we’re excited to get him more reps.”
Lastly, Emmanuel Forbes did get some practice reps on Saturday. Quinn said they will monitor him, and he could be available on Monday; however, Quinn added Forbes would be more likely to play the following week.