ASHBURN, Va. — Listening to the great Rick “Doc” Walker is never a bad decision.
I went on “Team 980” as a radio guest on Wednesday, with the former player-turned-media impresario hosting. You never quite know where Doc will steer a conversation. This time, he was rather direct: Let’s stop talking about who is unavailable and focus on those Commanders practicing and set to face the Lions in Saturday’s preseason game.
In that spirit, I tried to follow Doc’s orders in the video above.
The operative word is “tried.”
Washington’s list of injured players expanded significantly over the past week, with several headliners making unwanted appearances. Even after Thursday’s practice — and moments after recording thoughts on Jayden Daniels, the RB room and who is in/out on the defensive side — the list grew.
Defensive tackle Daron Payne was among those missing from practice. The reason? Yep, an undisclosed injury, though a “minor” one, according to a source close to the situation.
Head coach Dan Quinn offered no specifics on which players would go, but added that a “good number of starters will get playing time” against the Lions. Teams are not forced to share injury details before the regular season. So, for the most part, they don’t.
Washington kept nearly all projected Week 1 starters out for last week’s preseason opener against Miami. Simply tackling players and getting tackled is a key step in the ramp-up process. Quinn also likes players to go through the pregame ritual of mentally preparing for game day — knowing what time you start getting dressed, taped up, and so on.
Daniels is the headliner when it comes to who plays and who doesn’t. Quinn said the final decision will depend on which teammates are available. Starting center Nick Allegretti won’t be back after experiencing tightness in his previously strained calf.
Best guess: Daniels plays. Whether that’s one series or a full 15-play script from coordinator David Blough, we’ll see. Of those two options, I’d lean toward the staff choosing less over more. Daniels did serve as QB1 during the portion of Thursday’s practice focused on the Lions.
I asked Quinn what’s the cost-benefit analysis of using players for a series or maybe two, knowing the injury risk exists even if small:
“I think that you try to customize it as much you can. From a new system, new team to go against calls, the routine of the game, of getting ready. All that tackling, breaking tackles, whether I'm a defender or a ball carrier, all those carry weight. [It’s] very difficult to weigh the pluses and minuses on this amount of reps or that amount of reps. There's not a zero-sum part of what we do, not at practice, not in the games, anywhere. … You try to just do that as often as you can with good sound decisions.”
Here’s the list of Washington’s injured players
QB Marcus Mariota (sprained MCL)
Washington’s QB2 is out for the preseason and at least two weeks of practice.
RB Rachaad White (hamstring)
Injured in last week’s joint practice. White did join his teammates for stretching on Thursday.
RB Jeremy McNichols (quad)
The versatile veteran has already missed more than a week of practice, and Quinn said McNichols could miss “several weeks.”
Without White and McNichols, Washington only had four RBs available for practice, including newly signed Craig Reynolds.
LT Laremy Tunsil (triceps surgery)
Welp.
C Nick Allegretti (calf strain)
The Commanders’ starting center, who suffered the initial injury on Day 1 of camp, returned to practice Tuesday. On Wednesday, he felt calf tightness, cutting short his participation. Quinn said Thursday that further testing showed no setback, but Allegretti would remain out this week.
DL Tim Settle (calf strain)
Washington’s projected starting nose tackle has not practiced since before last week’s joint practice.
DL Johnny Newton (pectoral surgery)
The 36th player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft will miss a significant portion of the season, if not all of it, following Wednesday’s surgery in New York. Second-year lineman Ricky Barber delivered some quality work against the Dolphins and is now truly the next man up. Veterans Byron Cowart and Maurice Hurst will also have an opportunity to stand out.
DL Deatrich Wise (quad, PUP)
No sense the veteran lineman will be back anytime soon, even though we’re nearing the first anniversary of the injury.
DT Daron Payne (undisclosed)
Payne did not practice Thursday. A source close to the situation described the injury as minor.
OLB Odafe Oweh (calf strain)
Did not see Oweh at practice.
OLB K’Lavon Chaisson (knee)
I did see Chaisson, and he wore a brace on his right knee. He worked with trainers on a side field during practice.
LB Jordan Magee (shoulder)
Quinn previously said Magee would not practice or play this week.
CB Trey Amos (ankle)
The starting cornerback beat Allegretti to the punch by returning to practice after an extended injury absence, only to return to the sideline a day later. In this instance, Amos is dealing with a sprained ankle suffered in practice. The ankle is on the same side as last year’s season-ending fractured fibula that forced him to miss the entire offseason program and the start of training camp. Quinn said the recovery trend is positive, but Amos isn’t ready quite yet.
Washington also placed RB Jerome Ford (hamstring) and WR River Cracraft (undisclosed) on IR.
At least TE John Bates (hamstring) returned to practice this week after suffering his injury during the opening days of camp.
Whew. I’ll end this before the list needs yet another update.
Photo of Raachad White courtesy of All-Pro Reels
