Commanders return to practice with center position still unsettled

ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders added an extra practice session to their training camp schedule on Monday, a day originally slated for a walk-through, as the team works through several position battles ahead of final roster cuts. Coach Dan Quinn addressed the media before the session, expressing cautious confidence in the team's center position while acknowledging there is still work to do.

Asked if he feels the Commanders have enough talent on the roster at center, Quinn said, "We do, but we still have work to do there." He added, "We're still in the process of evaluating what's the best way for us to go. That'd be one of the spots that I'm still digging in on and still looking."

The center position became a question mark for Washington when the team released veteran Tyler Biadasz in February, choosing to move forward with natural guard Nick Allegretti, who started at center in the final two games last season. The top centers available in free agency signed elsewhere, leaving the team to develop from within.

Allegretti has been sidelined most of training camp with a calf injury, participating in just two practices, most recently leaving early with a trainer last Tuesday. Quinn said Monday that Allegretti is "not there yet" in terms of his recovery, almost certainly ruling him out for Wednesday's joint practice with the Ravens in Baltimore.

Extra practice adds reps before Baltimore joint practice

The unexpected addition of the Day 15 practice gave Washington three consecutive days of work before Wednesday's joint practice with Baltimore. Monday's session ran about an hour and featured limited 11-on-11 work, so the main value came from Quinn's comments about the coming week.

Quinn said the extra practice was not a "knee-jerk" reaction to Saturday's preseason loss at Detroit, despite his displeasure with parts of the game. "I didn't love all that I saw from an identity standpoint, but it wasn't like a knee-jerk reaction to that," Quinn said. He noted the team was shifting players to different positions, making extra reps especially valuable this close to final cuts.

During the session, Robert Henry Jr. and Kaytron Allen handled most of the running back opportunities, with Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White unavailable for full work. Rachaad White returned to practice but only in a limited capacity, while Croskey-Merritt worked on the side.

Quinn called Wednesday's joint practice with Baltimore a "big deal," saying the focus will move toward the starters and players expected to sit out the preseason finale. Jayden Daniels is expected to get significant reps in the Baltimore joint practice rather than in Friday's preseason game, giving the quarterback a controlled environment against a quality Ravens team without exposing him deep into the finale.

Center competition heats up

With Allegretti sidelined, Julian Good-Jones has served as the starting center. Good-Jones, 29, has been with the franchise since 2023, mainly as a practice squad player, and has played just one career NFL game. He started Saturday's loss at Detroit, and on the first offensive snap, Jayden Daniels was forced to throw the ball away due to pressure.

Rookie Matt Gulbin, a sixth-round pick out of Michigan State, has rotated in at center and will get more work there this week. Quinn said the joint practice with Baltimore and Friday's preseason game give the staff two opportunities to evaluate the two players.

"With both of them, I feel comfortable system-wise," Quinn said, adding that he is looking for improvement in pass protection, specifically picking up blitzes and stunts.

Quinn said the added practice came because the team needed more work, not as a "knee-jerk reaction" to Saturday's game. He acknowledged there are several players targeting next week rather than Wednesday's Baltimore practice, including Tim Settle, who returned to practice Monday.

By 6:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, the Commanders must get their roster down to 53 players, making each remaining practice crucial for fringe players hoping to change the staff's mind before final cuts.