Tag: 2023 NFL preseason

Sam Cosmi doesn’t think too much about the Ravens’ preseason winning streak

Washington fans will love Cosmi for his thoughts on the Ravens’ preseason win streak — and guarantee.

The Baltimore Ravens have won 24 consecutive preseason games, with their last preseason loss coming back on Sept. 3, 2015.

While no one cares about a preseason record, the Ravens and head coach John Harbaugh take pride in the streak.

“It’s important to them for the rest of their life, and therefore it’s important to me,” Harbaugh recently said. “So, it’s meaningful in that sense, but we’re playing a game. We have a lot of goals, a lot of things that we’re trying to accomplish.”

On Monday night, the Ravens come down to FedEx Field for a preseason game with the Washington Commanders. The two teams were together last week for a pair of joint practices, and tempers flared.

Commanders right guard Sam Cosmi isn’t that impressed with the Ravens’ preseason streak.

“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 should go over well with Ravens fans.

Washington has lost multiple preseason games to the Ravens since 2015. Could Monday be the night this streak ends?

Commanders dealing with some ‘nicks’ ahead of preseason game vs. Ravens

Fortunately, the Commanders aren’t dealing with any serious injuries.

After over three weeks of training camp, injuries are piling up across the NFL. Fortunately for the Washington Commanders, none of those injuries are serious. Washington’s only serious occurred during OTAs when promising young tight end Armani Rogers was lost for the season with an Achilles injury.

Since camp started last month, outside of some nagging injuries, the Commanders have remained healthy. Washington heads into its Week 2 preseason game against the Ravens on Monday with several players on the injury list.

Head coach Ron Rivera spoke to the media after Saturday’s practice and gave an update on the status of those players ahead of Monday night.

“They’re just guys that got a couple of nicks, and we’re just trying to be careful,” Rivera said. “Again, the key to it, more so than anything else, is getting to Week 1 of the regular season with our guys.”

Tight end Logan Thomas has been on the shelf for two weeks with a calf injury. Rivera has described the injury as nothing serious but more of a case where the Commanders are playing it safe with a 32-year-old starter.

Rivera’s latest update on Thomas was positive.

“The biggest thing with Logan’s going to be more about conditioning than anything else,” he said. “He’s been doing what he can as far as trying to keep himself conditioned. He’s been working in the weight room with the strength conditioning guys as well. He’s sharp. He’s already up to speed on what we’re doing offensively.”

Defensive tackle and team captain Jonathan Allen is dealing with plantar fasciitis. “He’s just messing with plantar fasciitis, nothing serious right there,” Rivera said of Allen. 

Right tackle Andrew Wylie was kicked in the calf during practice, and Washington is just being cautious with him. Defensive end Chase Young suffered a stinger in last week’s preseason opener and has been going through individual drills but isn’t yet cleared for contact.

Defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis injured his calf on the same play that Young suffered the stinger last week. He has yet to return to practice.

Cornerback Danny Johnson, who injured his shoulder when Ravens tight end Mark Andrews slammed him to the ground last week, was at practice Saturday but did not participate.

So, while the Commanders have a few guys on the shelf at the moment, everyone appears on track to be ready for Week 1.

Sam Howell ‘grateful for the opportunity’ of being named Commanders starting QB

Howell thanked all of his coaches by name, Jacoby Brissett and defended his offensive line.

Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera named Sam Howell the starting quarterback Friday morning before practice. Howell officially took the field as the starting quarterback for the first time and had another solid practice.

After practice, Howell spoke to the media and expressed gratitude for the opportunity.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity that the coaches have given me,” Howell began.

“Shout out to Coach Rivera for just believing in me and always trusting me really since I got here. I just shout out to him and all my coaches, [Assistant Head Coach/OC] [Eric Bieniemy] EB, [QB Coach] Tavita [Pritchard], [Senior Offensive Advisor/former QB coach] [Ken] Zampese, [Assistant QB coach/Offensive Quality Control] Luke [Del Rio], all the guys, [QB] Jacoby [Brissett]. There’s been so many guys here that have helped me in my development and my career that have ultimately led to the position I’m in today. So just a shout out to all those guys.”

Now that’s how you start a press conference.

While Howell continually expressed gratitude to each of the coaches who has worked with him during his short time in the NFL, he was looking ahead to the opportunity.

“Yeah, I mean, obviously, I’m always confident in my abilities just to come out here and perform and do well for this football team,” Howell said. “I think just throughout camp every single day, I’ve gotten better and more comfortable, and I feel like I’m in a really good place right now with the offense.”

The real work begins now for Howell. While there is a lot of optimism surrounding Howell due to his skillset and weapons around him, much of that excitement is tempered due to the offensive line.

Right tackle Andrew Wylie struggled in his first preseason game last week. While Wylie settled down on the third drive, Washington fans fear a leaky offensive line could ruin Howell.

Howell, though, sees things differently. He was asked about his offensive line, praising them and taking fault for the sack he took against the Browns last week.

“I was very pleased with their performance in Baltimore [in this week’s joint practices],” Howell said. “I thought there was some things in the Cleveland game we could have done a better job of, and I could have helped those guys. Like the one sack we had in Cleveland was my fault. I got to do a better job of helping those guys.”

In going back and looking at the sack, the blame does fall on Howell. He should’ve gotten rid of the ball sooner. Regardless, he’s not the type of leader to blame others, even when they are at fault.

Players believe in Howell. Coaches believe in Howell. Now, Howell must be given a long leash to prove he can be Washington’s quarterback of the future.

One thing to watch for in Commanders vs. Ravens preseason game

The two teams get back together on Monday night.

The Washington Commanders host the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night at FedEx Field to wrap up Week 2 of the preseason. Earlier this week, the two teams convened at Baltimore’s complex in Owings Mills to hold joint practice for two days.

Washington rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes — the No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft — was all over videos posted on social media this week. Some showed him losing one-on-one battles against Baltimore wide receivers, while Forbes came out on top in others.

In one of those battles, he lined up against the Ravens’ first-round pick this April — wide receiver Zay Flowers. Flowers won that rep.

With the two teams playing on Monday night, Eric Edholm of NFL.com wants to see more of Forbes matched up with Flowers.

If there’s one preseason battle we’re hoping for this week, it’s two rookies squaring off: Ravens WR Zay Flowers against Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes. Both have been the talk of their respective camps, with Forbes apparently having an eventful Day 1 of joint practices between the teams on Tuesday. First, Flowers beat him deep on one rep. Then Forbes knocked away a deep ball intended for Odell Beckham Jr. Finally, Forbes and Ravens WR Tylan Wallace got into a fight. The Commanders know the spindly Forbes is going to lose some battles this season, but they also have to love his scrappiness, in addition to his rare ball-hawking skills. If there’s a higher power, we’ll get some Flowers-Forbes matchups in Monday’s game to see which 2023 first-rounder can come out on top.

We couldn’t agree more. Flowers has shown this summer he could be special for the Ravens, while Forbes has Washington coaches excited about his potential to give the Commanders more takeaways.

While the two will play on Monday night, we aren’t sure how many times they’ll match up one-on-one as both will likely play a limited number of snaps.

Commanders TE John Bates could see an increased role in 2023

John Bates will be an important part of Washington’s offense this season.

Washington Commanders tight end John Bates didn’t have the best preseason debut in last week’s win over the Cleveland Browns.

As Washington’s starting tight end, quarterback Sam Howell found a wide-open Bates across the middle for a significant gain. Bates dropped it. While the play has no bearing on where Bates stands on Washington’s roster, it wasn’t what Bates or the Commanders wanted in the first preseason game.

Entering his third NFL season, Bates could be in line for a career year. Bates is behind veteran Logan Thomas on the depth chart, but new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will use multiple tight ends. And he loves involving the tight ends in the passing game. With Thomas still nursing a calf injury, Bates will have the opportunity to step up.

In his first two seasons, Bates has played in 33 out of a possible 34 games and made 15 starts. He has 34 career receptions for 357 yards with two touchdowns.

Could Bates eclipse his career numbers in 2023?

Bates had a starring role in Washington’s joint practices with the Ravens this week.

After Wednesday’s practice, Rivera was questioned about which tight ends have stood out. He quickly mentioned Bates.

“I’ll tell you right now, I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen from John Bates,” Rivera said. “I thought he blocked extremely well. And then, as a guy coming out late after chipping or blocking, he presents a really nice target, made a couple of big catches today. That really kind of showed the kind of check down he can be for the quarterbacks.”

Bates is the type of player who will have a long NFL career because he is a traditional tight end. Many of today’s tight ends are glorified wide receivers. Not Bates. So, while Bates isn’t an explosive tight end, he has excellent hands and has found ways to get open in the passing game.

We’ll leave you with this one from Bates.

Ron Rivera not ready to name Sam Howell the starting quarterback yet

It’s only a matter of time before Rivera confirms Howell as the starting QB.

It was all the way back in February when Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera labeled quarterback Sam Howell as “QB1” heading into the offseason.

He repeated that stance on multiple occasions, including after the offseason program, saying Howell would head into training camp as “QB1.” Rivera declined multiple opportunities to pursue veteran starters or trade up for a rookie, insisting Howell deserved every opportunity to compete to be Washington’s starting quarterback.

The Commanders signed Jacoby Brissett to compete with Howell. To mentor Howell. However, the mission was always clear: Washington was all-in on Howell for 2023 — and perhaps beyond.

After a strong performance in the preseason opener, Howell continued that momentum this week in Washington’s joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens.

When the Commanders’ joint practices concluded Wednesday, Rivera was asked if he was ready to name a starting quarterback.

“Well, again, I said I gotta sit down with both [OC] Eric [Bieniemy] and [QB coach] Tavita [Pritchard] and really evaluate it and make sure he’s doing the things that we need him to do,” Rivera said.

“And yesterday, he had a really good day. We’re really pleased with it after having to watch the tape, and we’ll see how it is after we get a chance to watch this tape together. We’re traveling today, so we’ll sit down tomorrow and go through it and talk about Sam and really just evaluate that and evaluate Jacoby as well. I mean, Jacoby did some really good things, too, so we feel really comfortable about the quarterback room right now.”

Rivera didn’t say it officially, but there’s no way Howell isn’t starting Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Rivera further elaborated on Howell’s performances in the practices against Baltimore.

“I think that’s one of the things that we were hoping is that when we got out here, and the stuff was pretty close to real, see how he handled it, and he handled it well, and he made some real good decisions,” Rivera said. “As I said, his ball placement was really good. His decision-making was exceptionally good, and he delivered on time for the most part.”

Was this really ever a true quarterback competition? Howell was going to need to lose the job more than Brissett needed to win it. But it’s important to note that Howell has done nothing to lose the job. In fact, he’s been the best quarterback on the roster, and that’s no slight toward Brissett. Howell has been good.

So while Rivera didn’t name a starting quarterback on Wednesday, it’s only a matter of time.

 

Emmanuel Forbes on the fight with the Ravens: ‘Iron sharpens iron’

Forbes has the right attitude.

The biggest knock against Washington Commanders first-round cornerback Emmanuel Forbes ahead of the 2023 NFL draft was his size. Forbes weighed 166 pounds at the NFL combine earlier this year.

While Forbes is slight, he’s tough. In three years at Mississippi State — playing in the rugged SEC — Forbes only missed one game. It wasn’t due to injury. He had 14 interceptions in three seasons, six of which he returned for touchdowns — an FBS record.

After drafting him, the Commanders praised Forbes’ overall game. They had no concerns. In the preseason opener at Cleveland, on third and goal, Forbes stormed the Browns’ backfield, tackling the running back for a loss and bringing up fourth and goal.

On the first day of Washington’s joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens, Forbes was all over the place. He was locked into battles with Odell Beckham Jr., and first-round pick Zay Flowers. He won some and lost some.

However, it was his battle with Ravens wide receiver Tylan Wallace that made headlines. After Wallace made a short catch, Forbes reached for the ball, which apparently angered Wallace, who threw a punch.

Forbes didn’t back down; he punched him back.

After practice, NBC 4 Washington caught up with Forbes and asked him about the skirmish.

“It’s just competing out there; iron sharpens iron,” Forbes said. We just going to compete. Just stripping at the ball, and tempers flared. Just competing at the end of the day.”

Forbes has the right attitude. He isn’t going to back down. And he isn’t taking things personally.

The best cornerbacks are the ones who get in the heads of the opposition. Is that Forbes already?

NFL analyst Brian Baldinger impressed with Sam Howell’s performance

Baldy came away impressed with Howell’s first performance.

Former NFL offensive lineman and longtime analyst Brian Baldinger does an excellent job on Twitter with his “Baldy’s Breakdowns” segment each week during the NFL season.

Now that the preseason is back, so is “Baldy’s Breakdowns.”

One particular area of interest from Week 1 of the preseason for Baldinger was the performance of Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell against the Cleveland Browns.

Baldinger was impressed.

Here’s his clip on Howell.

Like everyone else, Baldinger recognized the protection was an issue for Howell. He liked Howell’s ability to escape pressure and pick up the first down. Baldinger also loved the throw to tight end John Bates that was dropped.

But the play that stood out most was one we highlighted on Monday morning. It was Howell’s fourth-down completion to tight end Cole Turner.

Howell wasn’t perfect in the preseason opener. Baldinger pointed out the sack he took on the first drive. But, overall, Howell continues to show everyone why the Commanders are so high on him as the quarterback of the future.

5 players on the roster bubble who helped themselves vs. Browns

Which players helped themselves the most in the preseason opener?

As every team enters training camp, they have a good idea of who will make the roster. While it varies from team to team, most teams know of at least 50 roster positions for the 53-man roster ahead of camp.

The Washington Commanders entered training camp with one of their strongest rosters in years. Washington’s biggest question is if Sam Howell is a legitimate NFL starting quarterback. If he is, the Commanders are a playoff team, and the rest of the roster will benefit from Howell being the guy.

When the Commanders started camp, some positions were still up for grabs, such as the last cornerback, the final two receivers, and which players will round out the reserve offensive line.

Washington defeated the Browns in the preseason opener last Friday. It was a good night for several young players on the roster. Which players helped themselves for one of those final roster spots?

We look at five bubble players who helped themselves in the preseason opener.

53-man roster prediction after the Commanders 1st preseason game

Here is our 53-man roster prediction after the first preseason game. What has changed?

Week 1 of the preseason is in the books. The Washington Commanders defeated the Cleveland Browns 17-15 in the opener and face the Baltimore Ravens next Monday night.

While the score wasn’t important in the preseason opener, several individual performances were. Young quarterback Sam Howell played three series, leading the Commanders on an 80-yard drive on his final series that ended with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson. It was a strong performance from the starting quarterback.

What other players were impressive Friday? Which players helped solidify their roster position?

After each preseason game, we’ll do our best to project Washington’s initial 53-man roster. Here’s our first crack at it after Week 1 of the preseason.