The Washington Commanders training camp kicked off on Wednesday, July 29th in Ashburn, Virginia. After a disappointing season following the team’s first NFC Championship appearance in 33 years, you can imagine just how anxious both players and fans are to hit the ground running in preparation for a new season. And while many familiar faces like general manager Adam Peters, head coach Dan Quinn, and starting quarterback Jayden Daniels will be returning this season, with new offensive and defensive coordinators, there is a lot that remains unknown going into the 2026-2027 season. Here are my top 5 storylines for the Commanders this summer:

1. New Playcallers: Although the Commanders made it to the NFC Championship in 2024, you could argue this was in spite of how awful the defense was that year. However, the biggest difference between the equally disastrous 2024 and 2025 defenses was turnovers. The 2024 team gave up a lot on defense but they made turnovers the offense could capitalize on whereas last season they were 31st in turnover differential. Ahead only, of the New York Jets who did not tally a single interception the entire season. There were concerns for the defense going into the 2025 season with many sports personnel commenting about how old the Commanders roster was and the lack of meaningful depth at key positions including defensive end. The signs were there after a horrific showing against Green Bay in Week 2, but by Week 10 when the Commanders suffered their fourth straight loss by 20 points, the writing was on the wall for Defensive Coordinator Joe Whitt Jr who was eventually stripped of his play calling duties. And for many fans, the poor defensive performances over the last two seasons have been even more mind-boggling given the fact that Dan Quinn made his career being a defensive coordinator having a hand in one of the greatest defenses this league has ever seen, The Legion of Boom. That being said, it’s hard for any defense to play their best when the offense struggles to meaningfully move the ball. Despite statistically average numbers for the Washington offense last year, the games were painful to watch. Turnover at quarterback and wide receiver due to injuries proved to be insurmountable for Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsberry . While few people were surprised to see Joe Whitt Jr. fired in the offseason, I also was not surprised to see Kliff Kingsberry fired because he had his own share of questionable play calling decisions such as abandoning the run game at inopportune times and how often he placed quarterback Jayden Daniels in run plays situations. New Defensive Coordinator Daronte Jones and Offensive Coordinator David Blough will have their hands full trying to reconfigure both sides of the ball. As first time playcallers, not much is known about each coach’s style (despite all the talk of Brian Flores-like or Ben Johnson-like, blah blah blah). There will surely be ups and downs throughout the season, but it will be exciting to see what both are able to accomplish.
   
   
2. Health of Jayden Daniels: The best ability is availability. Jayden Daniels had one of the best rookie seasons the NFL has ever seen and was only 1 game away from being the first rookie quarterback in a Super Bowl. If the Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals was his coming out party, his Week 16 performance against the formidable Philadelphia Eagles defense with a come from behind win with a game sealing TD pass left all of us as speechless as Reed Blankenship imagining what was to come. However, his 2025 season was derailed by a knee injury and season-ending elbow injury. And while many of us will never forget his 2024 campaign, this is a what have you done for me lately league and in year 3 it remains to be seen what type of player Jayden Daniels will continue to develop into. There are some who call his 2024 season a fluke, say he is too thin to survive in this league, or say the league has him figured out. But what’s the name of this blog? The eyes don’t lie. I know what we saw in 2024 and if Jayden Daniels can stay healthy this whole season, the Commanders will be a much better team. The Commanders have said they would like to feature Jayden under center more this season. He certainly has the talent as a passer. What will he able to accomplish this season?
   
   
3. Development of Draft Picks: One of the challenges for the start of the Dan Quinn/Adam Peters era was that Washington had done a horrific job with drafting and retaining players during the previous regime. None of Ron Rivera’s 1st round draft picks in his 4 years as head coach are playing for the team currently. Of all players drafted during the Rivera era, I think only Sam Cosmi, John Bates, and Chris Paul remain on the active roster. The Commanders have not been able to develop a top star at any position group in a long time I would argue since left tackle Trent Williams. The Quinn/Peters era has faired better. They drafted Jayden Daniels. Second round CB Mike Sainristil despite a rough 2025 season has the makings of a solid starter in this league as well as second round CB Trey Amos. Running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt may prove to be a major draft steal a few years down the line. Brandon Coleman has been solid in his role as a rotating player. But questions remain for players like Luke McCaffrey, Ben Sinnott, Johnny Newton, and Jaylin Lane who some argue have not lived up to their draft position as well as players like Jordan McGee, Kain Medrano, and Javonte Jean-Baptiste who just have not been on the field long enough to make any assessments on their development. Can this new coaching staff help these players develop and provide meaningful contributions on the field?
   
   
4. Position Group That Concerns Me the Most: A lot has been said about the lack of depth (and talent) in the WR room this offseason and the desperately needed upgrades to the defensive end position. However, it feels like one group has managed to slip under the radar this offseason and that is the DB room. I am very concerned about how the DB room is going to perform this season. Starting with the cornerback position. In what will probably go down as one of the worst trades in Commanders history, the team acquired cornerback Marshon Lattimore in 2024. After being hampered by a hamstring injury the year before, many expected the vet to have a bounce back 2025 season, but unfortunately he played even worse than when he was injured! It was no surprise when the Commanders released him this offseason. Entering training camp, the Commanders CB room includes Trey Amos (recovering from a lower leg fracture), Mike Sainristil, Amik Robertson, Rasul Douglas, Ahkello Whiterspoon, and Antonio Hamilton Sr. Amos, Sainristil, and Robertson look to be the starters this season but both Sainristil and Robertson though talented are undersized at their positions. Perhaps what worries me even more is the safety position. I really enjoy Will Harris’ game, but he did miss a few games last season due to injury and will be on the other side of 30 this season. Perhaps the biggest disappointment last season was the development of starting safety Quan Martin, who after a brilliant season in 2024 playing with bilateral dislocated shoulders, often looked lost and ill-prepared on game days in 2025. It feels like every year we hear safety Tyler Owens is having a strong camp, but his contributions have been more on special teams during his tenure in Washington. Special teams ace Jeremy Reaves had more playing time with the defense at his natural safety position but often times overplayed his coverage leading to extra yards after the catch. Always rooting for the hometown kid so interested to see what Nick Cross can add to this group. I expect the Commanders defense as a whole to be better because of the offseason additions to the defensive line and hopefully that will help improve the secondary. New defensive coordinator Daronte Jones played DB and his coaching background has included being the defensive backs coach in various places which should also help.
   
   
5. This Season’s Breakout Stars: My offensive breakout star this year is rookie wide receiver Antonio Williams. I don’t watch much college football so often times when players get drafted, I am meeting them for the first time and getting to know their play style. That being said there is just something about the type of player people have said Williams is, who he models his game after, and his demeanor which I think may set him up to do really well in the offense this season. There has not been a solid WR2 for the Commanders in a long time. The emergence of Williams will surely also help WR1 Terry McLaurin who is looking to bounce back from a down year plagued by injury and an offseason contract hold-out. Sticking with the offense, my next breakout star is Treylon Burks. I know the injury history. He hasn’t lived up to the hype of being a 1st round draft pick but again what is the name of this blog? I know what my eyes tell me. He has the potential to be a solid big target receiver which this offense desperately needs. On the defensive side, I am picking one of the defensive ends whether it be K’Lavon Chaisson, Odafe Oweh, or Dorrance Armstrong. I think they are each set up this year to have opportunities to do some damage. I would love to see Johnny Newton also emerge as a breakout star this year but that would require the team giving him more opportunities on the field.
   
   

What are some of your storylines entering training camp?