The Washington Commanders traveled to Baltimore’s Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills on Wednesday for a joint practice with the Ravens, a key evaluation point ahead of both teams’ preseason finales — and one that outside observers broadly agreed the hosts won.
Much of Washington’s focus was on an offensive line hit hard by absences. Laremy Tunsil, who tore his triceps, attended practice to support teammates but didn’t play; Nick Allegretti and Sam Cosmi (illness) were also out. The shuffled group struggled badly enough that CBS Sports’ Nicki Jhabvala called it “the worst I’ve ever seen the Commanders’ offense in years,” pointing to multiple bad snaps as sixth-round rookie Matt Gulbin got first-team center reps. Right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. acknowledged the disjointed day: “I feel like we were just out of sync, a little bit, with our combos. There was a little bit of a mixup in the lineup as well, so there were some guys next to each other that haven’t worked next to each other all camp.”
There were still individual bright spots in one-on-ones. Brandon Coleman showed good quickness winning an edge rep, Chris Paul got wins over Broderick Washington Jr., and Matt Gulbin — technical issues aside — slowed a bull rush from John Jenkins.
At receiver, Antonio Williams beat Kyle Hamilton at the line for separation, Jaylin Lane won several matchups including his first against Chandler Rivers, and Stefon Diggs continued building chemistry with Jayden Daniels through one-on-ones and seven-on-sevens. In backfield work against linebackers, Kaytron Allen held onto the ball against Roquan Smith before fumbling later in the drill, while Lawrence Cager and Craig Reynolds each had strong reps.
On the other side of the ball, Lamar Jackson had a solid day even without Zay Flowers, completing passes to Rashod Bateman, Elijah Sarratt and Mark Andrews before connecting with Devontez Walker for a long touchdown after Walker split the linebacker and safety. Baltimore’s offensive line largely kept Jackson clean in the pocket. “We play better against competition because our guys, they see us each and every day and they pretty much get familiar with our schemes… going against another opponent, they don’t know what we can do,” Jackson said. Ravens defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said the joint session sharpens focus: “When you get a chance just to go against somebody else, it sort of gives your mind a little bit of that game mentality… I think we got a lot out of it.”
Washington’s first 11-on-11 session, with Jacory Croskey-Merritt still out, saw Kaytron Allen and Robert Henry Jr. handle most carries and find room inside, with Daniels completing passes to Williams and Chig Okonkwo. The day closed with two-minute drills that swung back toward Washington: Mike Sainristil intercepted Jackson on a fourth-down red-zone snap, and Daniels answered with a touchdown throw to Williams despite pressure — though The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec questioned whether Daniels gets that throw off against a real blitz, noting Hamilton came through unblocked.
The day also included a lighter moment: Jackson and Daniels — both former Heisman Trophy winners working to bounce back from injury-shortened 2025 seasons — chatted on the field, later joined by a third Heisman winner, Derrick Henry. “Basically just asked him how he is doing, asked him how he feels with his new scheme, stuff like that,” Jackson said of the conversation with Daniels.
Both rosters shifted slightly around the practice, with the Ravens signing linebacker Michael Barrett and the Commanders adding veteran tackle D.J. Humphries, who has made 101 career starts. “Just the depth at tackle, made sense to have him come in,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said. “Proven player, and a good player.”
The two teams meet again Friday night in Baltimore for their preseason finale.
