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With a Week 11 game between the New York Giants and Washington Commanders on tap, we go behind enemy lines for a chat with Commanders Wire.
The New York Giants (2-8) and Washington Commanders (4-6) will square off on Sunday afternoon in a Week 11 matchup at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.
The Giants opened the week as 10-point road underdogs but that spread has softened a tiny bit since then. As of this writing, New York is +9.5.
With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Commanders Wire managing editor Bryan Manning.
Andre Jones has a new number.
When NFL teams trim their rosters from 90 to 53 players, many new numbers are freed up. After all, that’s 37 players gone. Of course, many of those players are re-signed to the practice squad.
When Washington made its roster cuts this week, veteran wide receiver Byron Pringle quickly got him a new number. Pringle wore No. 16 in the preseason and will now wear the No. 3 jersey this season.
Another player with a new number is rookie defensive end Andre Jones Jr. Washington’s seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft was one of the more talked about players during training camp. Jones entered camp on the roster bubble, and it didn’t take long to show he had skills worth developing.
This summer, Jones stood out in practice and in the preseason games. He even earned some time with the starters during one practice. And he did it while wearing the No. 48 jersey.
Jones is now wearing the No. 50 jersey. That number seems more appropriate for the 6-foot-5, 258-pound edge rusher. How many NFL players have you seen wearing the No. 48 jersey coming off the edge?
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.
Jones is taking advantage of working under Washington legend Ryan Kerrigan.
The Washington Commanders headed into the 2023 NFL draft knowing they needed help at defensive end. Not necessarily for 2023, but 2024 and beyond.
Washington’s top five defensive ends [Montez Sweat, Chase Young, James Smith-Williams, Efe Obada and Casey Toohill] are all entering the final year of their contracts. Some will return, some will not.
That led the Commanders to select a pair of defensive ends in the draft: K.J. Henry [5th round, Clemson] and Andre Jones Jr. [7th round, Louisiana].
Taking both edge rushers in the same draft had many believing they were battling for one roster spot in 2023. And naturally, the edge would go to Henry because he was the higher selection.
Not necessarily. And that has nothing to do with Henry. Henry has had a good camp. But Jones is quietly having an outstanding training camp.
Jones has stood out all summer. He was disruptive in the preseason opener vs. Cleveland. And in Wednesday’s joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens, Jones got some runs with the starters opposite Sweat with Young sidelined.
After practice, head coach Ron Rivera couldn’t contain his excitement for Jones.
“Wow, he’s a dynamic young man,” Rivera said. “He’s got some explosion off the edge. He’s got a lot to learn in terms of technique and the scheme itself, but his talent and his abilities did flash, did show. So he’s a guy that we gotta pay a little extra attention to this week.”
Rivera sometimes likes to downplay bubble players, likely in an effort to either sneak them onto the practice squad if they don’t make the 53-man roster.
Rivera had more to say regarding Jones.
“Yes he has,” when asked if Jones had exceeded expectations. “We thought this would be one of those learning things, and he seems to be assimilating very nicely, but as I said, he’s still got some more things to learn.”
After Wednesday’s practice, Jones caught up with ESPN’s John Keim and said he is soaking in as much knowledge as possible from assistant defensive line coach — and Washington legend — Ryan Kerrigan.
Andre Jones said of Ryan Kerrigan: "Every day we'll be in meetings, he'll say, 'you can do this you can do that. I like this, like this, stay doing this. Even with drills, he'll pull me to the side. He's a legend so I've got to lock in on that and take advantage."
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 16, 2023
Jones undoubtedly began the summer firmly on the bubble, likely a candidate for the practice squad. But for the Commanders to give him some run with the starters, they see something special in the seventh-round rookie.
The next two preseason games could determine Jones’ fate on cutdown day. However, it sounds like the Commanders may have already made up their mind.
