ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Commanders' 2026 training camp begins July 29 at their facility and they'll host a joint practice with Miami on Aug. 12 and then have one with Baltimore at the Ravens' facility in Owings Mills, Maryland on Aug. 26.
It's a pivotal season for Washington -- the Commanders went 12-5 and reached the NFC Championship Game in coach Dan Quinn's first season. But they slumped to 5-12 last year; injuries played a factor -- notably to quarterback Jayden Daniels -- but the Commanders were aggressive making changes to their schemes and personnel on both sides of the ball. The Commanders handed out $159 million in total guaranteed money in free agency.
Here's a closer look at what we are watching at camp:
Will the coordinator changes pay off?
The Commanders have first-year coordinators on offense (David Blough) and defense (Daronte Jones). There's reason for optimism, but it's also a gamble as Quinn enters a pivotal third season. Washington needed a change on defense after ranking bottom six in multiple categories (and last in yards).
They've added more pass rushers. Strong seasons from holdover tackle Daron Payne and linebacker Frankie Luvu would help. Offensively, they wanted to evolve and create bigger plays via play action -- hence the move from Kliff Kingsbury to Blough. If the moves pay off, Washington could have a fun season.
Three players to watch
RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Washington signed veterans Rachaad White and Jerome Ford in free agency, but Croskey-Merritt offers more potential explosiveness as a runner. As a rookie in 2025, he ranked eighth in percentage of runs gaining 10-plus yards for backs with 150 or more carries. His improvement in the pass game will be key.
C Nick Allegretti. The coaches say there's a competition for this position, but Allegretti has, by far, the most experience with 39 starts -- but only four at center. He calls it his natural position, however, and the Commanders do like his smarts and leadership skills. A strong showing in camp will answer a key question for Washington.
CB Mike Sainristil. He had a strong rookie season, playing inside and outside. But he struggled to maintain consistency in his second season. He has shown a penchant for takeaways with six interceptions. The coaches believe his ability to play with good vision makes him a good fit in a defense that will feature more zone.
Key position battles
Left guard: Brandon Coleman opened last season as the starter here, after starting 12 regular-season games the prior year at left tackle -- but was benched after two games in part because he wasn't durable. Chris Paul started the final 15 games and played solid -- he was helped by a stronger offseason that resulted in a better physique. But there's not a big gap between the two. Paul plays with more strength but Coleman is more athletic.
Kicker: Jake Moody enters as the incumbent and is coming off his best season -- he made a combined 18-of-20 kicks last season for Chicago and Washington. He made both kicks from beyond 50 yards in his six games with the Commanders. However, prior to his stint with these two teams, Moody was a combined 46-for-62 in parts of three seasons with San Francisco, which made the 2021 Lou Groza Award winner a third-round pick in 2023. Undrafted free agent Drew Stevens will challenge Moody. Stevens made 80% of his field goals at Iowa but was 12-for-19 from 50-plus yards.
Linebacker: Washington will use a 3-4 base look this season and signed/drafted five players for those roles -- to pair with several holdovers. The Commanders will rotate players in, but there will be a question as to who will start, particularly on the inside. They have Luvu, free agent signee Leo Chenal and Sonny Styles. One won't play as often -- but do they use either Chenal or Styles in a nickel role at times to get all three on the field? And how will the outside rushers rotate? They have Dorance Armstrong, coming off a torn ACL, and free agent signees Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson as well as fifth-round pick Joshua Josephs.
Keep an eye on: Enough firepower on offense?
Washington's offense will be helped by a healthy Jayden Daniels, who played only four full games last season, and an emphasis on more under-center play-action plays. Washington hopes the scheme will create more openings; they also want to run more. But do they have enough weapons? Washington added tight end Chig Okonkwo in free agency and drafted receiver Antonio Williams and still has Terry McLaurin.
Daniels' ability to extend plays also creates explosiveness. Washington ranked 22nd in plays that gained 15 yards or more, though a lot of that stemmed from Daniels, among others, missing so much action. Last season, Washington ranked 25th in number of plays gaining 20-plus yards; it ranked 12th in 2024. As of now, the Commanders will use a No. 2 receiver by committee approach.
Commanders' 53-man roster projection
QB (2): Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota
RB (4): Rachaad White, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jerome Ford, Kaytron Allen
TE (4): Chig Okonkwo, John Bates, Ben Sinnott, Colson Yankoff
WR (6): Terry McLaurin, Antonio Williams, Treylon Burks, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, Dyami Brown
OL (9): Laremy Tunsil, Chris Paul, Nick Allegretti, Sam Cosmi, Josh Conerly Jr., Brandon Coleman, Andrew Wylie, Trent Scott, Matt Gulbin
DL (6): Daron Payne, Javon Kinlaw, Tim Settle, Charles Omenihu, Jer'Zhan Newton, Deatrich Wise Jr.
LB (10): Dorance Armstrong, Odafe Oweh, Frankie Luvu, Sonny Styles, Leo Chenal, K'Lavon Chaisson, Joshua Josephs, Jordan Magee, Nick Bellore, Kain Medrano
CB (4): Trey Amos, Mike Sainristil, Amik Robertson, Rasul Douglas
S (5): Will Harris, Nick Cross, Jeremy Reaves, Quan Martin, Percy Butler
SPECIALISTS (3): Tress Way, Jake Moody, Tyler Ott
