Commanders training camp preview: A chance to focus on football at long last

As he sat in the front row for Josh Harris’ introductory press conference, Terry McLaurin took particular note when new Commanders limited partner Magic Johnson said that Washington’s ownership group wanted to “take all the headaches away” from players and coaches. 

Johnson said the group wanted to make it easy, so that players and coaches could just focus on football. That, of course, has rarely been the case over the last few years.

“That’s the best part of it all, to be honest,” McLaurin said. “To truly focus on the field, and to hear that from ownership, they echoed that same sentiment that players had been feeling internally for so long, where we just get to focus on our jobs, which is playing on the football field.” 

McLaurin may soon get his wish. Veterans report to training camp Tuesday, and with the first practice set for a day later, this year’s training camp features no shortage of football-centric storylines for the Commanders.

Here’s what to hone in on when camp begins.

Howell’s hold on starter’s job: So far in the spring, Washington’s so-called quarterback competition didn’t look like much of a competition. Second-year passer Sam Howell took all of the first-team reps, and coaches will continue to give the 22-year-old every chance to become the team’s Week 1 starter. 

Howell will have to continue to make strides. Among the areas to monitor: Howell’s turnovers. Can the quarterback cut down on the number of interceptions he throws in practice? The picks didn’t appear to be a problem for coaches in the spring, per se, but if the tendency carries over to games, his leash could end up being short.

Chase Young’s explosiveness: Chase Young’s camp has seemingly done a good job of generating excitement over the pass rusher’s return as a recent highlight reel of Young’s workouts spread over social media. “HOLY CRAP: Washington #Commanders pass rusher Chase Young looks like he’s so back, and in better shape than ever,” one account tweeted. 

Still, the Commanders ultimately declined Young’s fifth-year option earlier this year because of the edge rusher’s serious knee injury in 2021 and lack of production (1½ sacks) over the last two years. If Young is to get back to the dominant play that earned him a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie, it’ll start in training camp. 

Offensive line shuffle: There aren’t many true position battles on Washington’s roster, but the competition expected at left guard should qualify as such. Coaches are eager to see who emerges between veteran Saahdiq Charles and 2022 seventh-rounder Chris Paul. Thus far, the nod has gone to Charles — a 2020 fourth-round pick the team originally penciled in as its future left tackle before moving him inside to guard. Charles has dealt with injuries throughout his career, but this is his best chance yet to see consistent playing time. “I want to win the spot,” he said. 

The competition at left guard, too, is one of the ways that Washington has overhauled its offensive line this offseason. Washington signed center Nick Gates and tackle Andrew Wylie, while firing offensive line coach John Matsko and promoting assistant Travelle Wharton to replace him. The Commanders’ changes along the line last year ended up being a disaster, so they’ll hope for a better outcome this go-around. 

Joint practices: Coach Ron Rivera has wanted the Commanders to participate in joint practices, and this year, he’ll get his wish. Washington travels to Owings Mills, Maryland, to practice against the Baltimore Ravens for two days in August. The sessions, set for Aug. 15 and Aug. 16, will be an opportunity for Washington’s coaching staff to evaluate players and plays before taking on the Ravens in a preseason outing at FedEx Field on Aug. 21. 

The joint practices will be Washington’s first under Rivera and the team’s first overall since hosting the New York Jets in Richmond in 2018. In January, Rivera said he hoped that holding joint practices would help translate to his team starting the season faster. Washington has gone just 3-7 in the month of September in Rivera’s first three seasons.

Breakout candidates: Last year, running back Brian Robinson was emerging as a potential breakout player for Washington before he was shot in an armed robbery attempt that caused him to miss the first four games. Despite the tragedy, Robinson cemented himself as the team’s starting running back when healthy because of his strong camp performance. 

This year, safety Percy Butler and linebacker Khaleke Hudson, both of whom enjoyed a strong spring, are poised to make some noise in camp. Hudson, in particular, saw reps over free-agent signing Cody Barton and drew high praise from coaches. Hudson has shown little through his first three years, but flashed in a Week 18 season finale win last season against the Cowboys. We’ll see if he can carry the momentum through camp.