Tag: 2023 NFL preseason

WATCH: Commanders G Sam Cosmi does ‘The Griddy’ after a touchdown

Remember, Cosmi didn’t think too much of the Ravens’ preseason winning streak.

The Baltimore Ravens entered Monday night’s preseason game against the Washington Commanders having won 24 consecutive preseason games.

Washington guard Sam Cosmi was asked about Baltimore’s preseason winning streak over the weekend, and, well, he wasn’t too impressed.

“I think it’s a stupid record,” Cosmi said when JP Finlay asked him if he had thought about Baltimore’s streak. “I mean, who gives a s–t about preseason games? I mean, if we beat it, great…..we’re going to beat it, so there we go.”

That probably didn’t go over too well with Ravens’ fans because, you know, football fans of all teams can be a sensitive bunch sometimes.

On Monday, when the Commanders scored their first touchdown, as quarterback Sam Howell found Antonio Gibson for the score, Cosmi found a way to celebrate.

This is hilarious on so many levels. Cosmi, who is known to enjoy mixing it up, chose to avoid the mini-melee in the back of the end zone — and celebrate. Cosmi wasn’t just celebrating, but celebrating a preseason touchdown.

You gotta love it.

 

Dyami Brown cleared to return after being checked for concussion

More good injury news for the Commanders.

The Washington Commanders saw star wide receiver Terry McLaurin leave Monday’s preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens with a toe injury. Fortunately, McLaurin doesn’t appear to be seriously injured as X-rays were negative.

However, in the third quarter, Washington saw another of its wide receivers take a shot. Dyami Brown, entering his third NFL season and a college teammate of quarterback Sam Howell, was hit after he went to the ground on an incomplete pass.

The initial replay didn’t look good, and the Commanders pulled Brown from the game, where they announced he was being evaluated for a possible concussion.

After he departed the game, Brown looked fine, speaking and laughing with his teammates on the sideline

Fortunately, Washington received more good injury news as Brown was cleared to return to the game.

Brown, of course, didn’t need to re-enter the game as his roster spot is secure, but the Commanders dodged another bullet at the wide receiver position.

Terry McLaurin departs Commanders’ preseason game with a toe injury

Fortunately, X-rays were negative.

The only thing the Washington Commanders wanted from their three preseason games was for no one to get seriously injured. Late in the first half of Monday night’s preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, Washington saw star wide receiver Terry McLaurin limp off the field with either a foot or ankle injury.

Considering it was late in the second quarter of the second preseason game, some were upset that McLaurin was even in the game.

Fortunately, McLaurin will be just fine as X-rays were negative on McLaurin’s right toe.

That’s outstanding news for Washington. The Commanders play their final preseason game on Saturday, which McLaurin wouldn’t have played in anyway. Washington opens the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 10, giving him just under three weeks to be ready for the season opener.

 

Commanders lead Ravens 17-14 at halftime of 2nd preseason game

Sam Howell with touchdowns on back-to-back drives to end the first half.

The Baltimore Ravens entered Monday night’s preseason game against the Washington Commanders, winners of 24 consecutive preseason games.

At halftime, the Commanders lead the Ravens, 17-14, on the strength of two Sam Howell touchdown passes. Yes, you read that correctly. Howell and Washington’s offense played the entire first half. Howell completed 19 of 25 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

The Commanders played most of their starting offense for the entire half, including star wide receiver Terry McLaurin who left on the final drive of the first half with what looked like an ankle injury.

Howell ended Washington’s first drive inside the five-yard line, leading to a Joey Slye field goal. On the Commanders’ final two drives before halftime, Howell found running back Antonio Gibson and wide receiver Dyami Brown for touchdowns to give Washington the lead.

Left tackle Charles Leno Jr. and tight end Logan Thomas were the Washington starters who did not suit up. As for Washington’s defense, the only starters on the field were linebackers Cody Barton and Jamin Davis and rookie first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes.

 

WATCH: Sam Howell finds Antonio Gibson for Commanders first touchdown

Sam Howell with some impressive work in the first half.

The Washington Commanders planned to have their offensive starters play around one quarter in Monday’s preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. However, with a young quarterback and a new offensive coordinator, head coach Ron Rivera chose to go a little longer with his starters.

Outside of one negative play, in which Howell took a 13-yard loss on a sack on Washington’s first drive, it was an excellent outing for the second-year signal caller.

Speaking of that sack, on the very next play facing a third-and-15, Howell goes through his progressions before finding tight end Cole Turner for a 17-yard gain and a first down.

Check it out:

Excellent throw from Howell.

The Commanders would eventually finish the drive with a short field goal from Joey Slye.

Later in the half, Howell led another impressive drive and, on third down, finds running back Antonio Gibson for a touchdown to give the Commanders the lead.

Commanders WR Dyami Brown says don’t underestimate QB Sam Howell

Brown and Howell set records together at UNC.

Dyami Brown arrived at North Carolina in 2018. As a true freshman, Brown played in 10 games, catching 17 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown.

Not a bad debut for a true freshman.

One year later, another true freshman would arrive in Chapel Hill and help Brown set records for the Tar Heels. True freshman quarterback Sam Howell arrived in 2019 and immediately became UNC’s starting quarterback.

In 2019, Brown caught 51 passes for 1,034 yards, averaging 20.3 yards per reception, with 12 touchdown receptions. How did he follow that up in 2020? Brown caught 55 passes for 1,099, averaging 20 yards per catch, with eight touchdowns.

Howell would enter the 2021 NFL draft, while Howell returned for one more season in Chapel Hill.

Things didn’t go great for either player in 2021. Howell lost all of his weapons, including his top two receivers and top two running backs, to the draft, while Brown struggled as a rookie with the Washington Commanders.

Howell would rebound and finish his final college season on a strong note, but he would fall to the first pick in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft — to the Commanders.

That meant Howell and Brown, who set records together in college, would reunite in Washington.

Last week, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera named Howell the starting quarterback. Howell has worked with the starting offense all offseason and training camp, building a rapport with his offensive weapons. He’s also picked up where he left off with Brown, whose strong offseason has continued into training camp.

The pair have worked out together away from the facility throughout the offseason, and Brown recently discussed Howell after a training camp practice.

“We just want to go out there and show what we can do,” Brown said, per Zach Selby of commanders.com. “We still have a lot of guys that can go out there and do some things and can prove themselves, even myself. But I think we just want to take this game, and we always wanna come out with a win, but at the end of the day, we just wanna show what we can do.”

Brown believes the sky is the limit for his friend and former college quarterback and current NFL quarterback.

“I don’t underestimate the man at all,” Brown said. “I’ve seen him do a lot, and I think he can do more than whatever he’s been doing. I just have all faith in him.”

Howell still must prove things on the field in 2023, but more people continue to jump aboard the Howell train heading into the regular season.

Why Commanders vs. Ravens is so important for rookie defensive ends

Monday presents a massive opportunity for rookie defensive ends Andre Jones Jr. and K.J. Henry.

Monday’s preseason game for two defensive players could be huge.

The Commanders will host Baltimore Ravens in the preseason contest. For the Commanders, they have two rookie defensive ends for whom this game could be very large.

Though drafted in the fifth round at 137 overall, K.J. Henry, a defensive end out of Clemson, was expected to push and make the team. Unexpected was seventh-round choice (and 233 overall) defensive end Andre Jones out of Louisiana.

Jones has, honestly, looked better in camp thus far. With only three preseason games, Monday’s against the Ravens could play a large role in the future of both players.

The Commanders can only keep so many defensive ends on a 53-man roster. NFL teams must trim their rosters from 90 to 53 players before the NFL league-wide deadline of August 29 at 4 pm.

Everyone knows the Commanders plan to start Montez Sweat and Chase Young at the defensive end spots. Next, come the primary backups. At the beginning of camp, there was no doubt those two were James Smith-Williams and Casey Toohill.

How many defensive ends are the Commanders going to keep on their 53-man roster? If there are five defensive ends, this would indicate room for only one more.

Thus far, Efe Obada has been working primarily on the inside, and the Commanders have listed Obada on the depth chart at defensive tackle, but he does possess position flex; thus, he could play both tackle and end.

Is the final defensive end spot up for grabs between Henry and Jones? Both rookie ends are going to be watched closely Monday as the defensive coaches are looking for evidence regarding whom they should keep on the roster.

If the Commanders keep ten defensive linemen, the ability to play both end and tackle will be huge for guys like Smith-Williams and Obada. Those smaller and, thus, not asked to play inside at tackle, need to display both the ability to set the edge against the run and rush the passer.

Something coaches are not going to ignore is that Sweat, Young, Smith-Williams, Toohill and Obada are all entering the final season of their contracts.

If the Commanders determine to only keep four linebackers they could stash one or perhaps two linebackers on the practice squad. They could also keep an extra defensive end on the roster because they are quick enough to play well on the special teams. If they do keep an extra defensive end, could it mean they keep both Henry and Jones on the roster, utilizing both on coverage teams?

Speaking of defensive ends, this game against the Ravens could thus loom very large for the other defensive ends, underdogs looking for a roster spot, such as Joshua Pryor and Will Bradley-King.

How to watch Ravens vs. Commanders: Time, TV and streaming info for preseason Week 2

Here’s everything you need to know in order to catch tonight’s preseason game between the Commanders and Ravens.

After a contentious two days of joint practices last week in Owings Mills, the Baltimore Ravens travel to FedEx Field to face the Washington Commanders in Week 2 of the preseason.

The Ravens enter Monday night winners of 24 consecutive preseason games. Commanders guard Sam Cosmi is not too impressed. Meanwhile, Washington won its preseason opener, 17-15, over the Cleveland Browns last week.

During last week’s joint practices, multiple fights broke out. One saw Washington rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes and Baltimore wide receiver Tylan Wallace exchanging punches. It quickly ended. Next, we saw Ravens tight end Mark Andrews cheap shot Commanders cornerback Danny Johnson and injuring him in the process.

So, yes, while this is another preseason game, don’t think these two teams Beltway “rivals,” don’t want to beat one another.

Below is everything you need to know in order to catch the game on TV or streaming.

Baltimore Ravens at Washington Commanders – Aug. 21, 8 p.m. ET

TV channel: ESPN

Streaming: FuboTV (try it free)

Radio: BIG 100 [Washington, D.C], ESPN Radio, SiriusXM NFL Radio

Location: FedEx Field

Forecast: Partly cloudy, 85 degrees, N 1 mph wind

Referee: Ron Torbert

Odds: Ravens -1, O/U 38, per BetMGM

5 Commanders to watch in preseason Week 2 vs. Ravens

Here are five Commanders who need a strong performance on Monday night.

The Washington Commanders wrap up Week 2 of the preseason with a Monday night clash against the Baltimore Ravens. The game will be the first home game for the Commanders under new owner Josh Harris.

While the game represents just another preseason game on the calendar, it means a little more for the Ravens, who enter Monday night winners of 24 straight preseason games. Baltimore hasn’t lost a preseason game since 2015. Washington right guard Sam Cosmi let his feelings be known on the Ravens’ preseason winning streak.

The game may not mean anything in the standings for Washington, but for several players for the Commanders — and every NFL team — these games do matter. Players are fighting for their NFL futures, and strong performances in the preseason are the difference between landing on a roster or practice squad or having their NFL dreams end.

We pick five Commanders you should pay special attention to on Monday night.

Joey Slye wins kicking job as Commanders make roster moves

Slye will be Washington’s kicker again in 2023.

The Washington Commanders were off from practice Sunday as they prepare for Monday’s night preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens from FedEx Field.

While the players received a much-needed day off, the front office was busy making tweaks to the roster. With the new NFL rule that all roster cuts can be made at once, the new deadline for teams is Aug. 29 to trim rosters from 90 players to 53.

On Sunday, the Commanders cut two players — and signed two, keeping them at 90 players.

The outgoing players are kicker Michael Badgley and wide receiver Jalen Sample. Washington signed defensive tackle Isaiah Mack and punter Michael Palardy to replace them.

Badgley was signed just before training camp to compete with Joey Slye. The Commanders like Slye. He has a strong leg, has made some big field goals and is excellent on kickoffs. He made 25 of 30 field goals in 2022 but missed four PATs.

While Badgley pushed Slye, it was clear that the incumbent was the clear winner this summer. Slye will enter his third season with Washington.

Sample was a 6-foot-4 undrafted free agent from Minnesota State-Mankato who was stuck down the depth chart at one of the strongest positions on Washington’s roster.

Mack is a 6-foot-1, 299-pound defensive tackle from UT Chattanooga. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2019 with the Tennessee Titans. He has also spent time on the rosters of the Patriots, Broncos, Steelers, Ravens, Seahawks and Jets. The Jets released Mack on Aug. 8 after he was signed in January. He has appeared in 23 games with 11 tackles.

Palardy, 31, has been in the NFL since 2014. He has spent time on the rosters of the Raiders, Rams, Panthers, Ravens, Colts, Browns, Falcons, Panthers [again], Dolphins and Patriots. His longest stint was with Carolina from 2016-20, when he was current Washington head coach Ron Rivera’s punter. He has punted in 80 career games and averaged 44.9 yards per punt.

Palardy is the second punter Washington since this preseason due to a minor back injury to Tress Way. Like he did in last week’s preseason opener, Way will hold in the game, but will not punt, opening the door for Palardy.