ASHBURN, Va. — Jayden Daniels didn’t appear to have anything, but then again, making something out of what appears to be nothing is what special quarterbacks can do.
And, in this case, what wide receivers can do.
Daniels rifled a ball to the back of the end zone, and Stefon Diggs reeled in an inch-perfect pass, pirouetted, and somehow got both feet down in bounds. The official raised his hands to signal touchdown. Dolphins defenders vehemently disagreed, but Diggs’ toe touches didn’t lie. The difference between near-perfect coverage and perfect coverage can be the burgeoning connection between a four-time Pro Bowler who continues to show he’s still got it and a star young quarterback with laser accuracy.
“It’s awesome, just his feel for space,” Daniels said after practice. “He’s a dawg. He goes out and makes plays. He brings energy, he’s a leader, so I’m super happy to have Stefon in that room, not just for the offense but for the whole team in general.”
Diggs tormented the Dolphins’ young defensive backs throughout Wednesday’s joint practice, starting with winning his one-on-one drills. On one rep, Diggs dusted a defensive back, reeled in the touchdown, and launched the ball high up in the air in celebration. On another rep, he easily beat a defensive back on an in-breaking route. It’s a drill designed to favor the offense — no pass rush, no other defenders, and an entire half of the field to defend — but Diggs showed off his outstanding combination of speed, suddenness, footwork and route running.
His prowess against zone popped at the end of practice. In an 11-on-11 drill, Diggs made a pair of catches, finding soft spots and making himself available for Daniels. The two have been in communication often since Diggs’ arrival last week, whether between plays or outside practice.
“He’s seen a lot of ball in his life, seen a lot of different coverages, been in a lot of different offenses, knows some terminology,” Daniels said. “All the concepts are kind of the same. It’s just different terminology, so overall, once you get him caught up to speed about the terminology, he can go out there and play fast and play ball.”
Diggs didn’t speak to the media Wednesday, but he has made a major impact in the week since he signed with Washington. The late signing, he said, was so he could “do whatever made the most sense.”
The Commanders certainly needed the help.
Myriad issues popped up during last year’s 5-12 campaign, but the lack of proven downfield receiving options opposite Terry McLaurin was a major one — and it became even more pronounced as McLaurin appeared in just 10 games. After Deebo Samuel and McLaurin, the Commanders’ top wide receiver was rookie Jaylin Lane with just 16 catches.
Diggs, meanwhile, was enjoying a renaissance season in New England, reeling in 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns while playing only 55% of the Patriots‘ offensive snaps. His 2.42 yards per route run was fifth in the NFL and his best mark since 2022.
Diggs said he stayed in shape, often with multiple workouts per day, during the offseason and also wanted to be in the right headspace before he signed.
“It was just the when and how, those kind of things,” he said last week. “But the where wasn’t at the top of my mind. It was more so I wanted to be prepared. I wanted to be in a good head space, and I wanted to be physically in the right spot, so I could come in and be ready to do whatever they need me to do.”
The Commanders’ offense, which started training camp slowly, was a natural fit for the Washington-area native.
Diggs may not play as often as he used to and might not be at the peak of his powers, but he can still take over a game. Last year, he had 10 catches for 146 yards in a “revenge game” win over the Bills, his former team, and had five games of 100+ yards receiving. The Commanders haven’t had a wide receiver not named Terry McLaurin post a 100-yard game in nearly three years.
“It’s two premiums on the field now,” safety Jeremy Reaves said. “… It just adds a different element to go against and game plan against, disguise against. It’s tough, man. He helps us a lot.”
Commanders-Dolphins joint practice notes
- Daniels looked very good, with his accuracy especially standing out. Daniels thanked one of his personal quarterback coaches, Taylor Kelly, for helping him hone his mechanics and “fine-tune” his delivery. Daniels made several impressive throws, including a big one downfield to Treylon Burks near the end of practice. Daniels’ passing especially outside the numbers has been excellent, and offensive coordinator David Blough said, “He’s as accurate as he has ever been.”
- Burks, Luke McCaffrey, Antonio Williams and Dyami Brown appear to be the top candidates for playing time behind McLaurin and Diggs. And given that Diggs is no longer a full-time player, there’s a significant amount of playing time open.
- The Dolphins’ offensive line really struggled, making things difficult on Malik Willis and company. Miami wasn’t able to find much of anything on the ground, and Willis took would-be sacks in bunches. Washington’s new-look defensive line dominated, with Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson and Charles Omenihu were among the most disruptive pass rushers. Mike Sainristil, who struggled in one-on-one drills, had a pick-six off Willis in team drills.
- One of the biggest bright spots for Miami, in both training camp as a whole and on Wednesday in particular, is Caleb Douglas. The rookie out of Texas Tech made a pair of nice catches over the middle, once going down low for a really accurate intermediate pass from Willis and once showing good concentration and strong hands with a defender just a half-step away. The third-round pick was listed as a starter on Miami’s unofficial depth chart.
- The Dolphins are really young. They made 13 draft picks and have tons of players entering their second year. They have just two non-specialists 30 or older, and one of them, standout defensive lineman Zach Sieler, didn’t play. It’s clearly the early stages of a rebuild in Miami, and the Commanders had the upper hand much of the day.
- Having said that, there were clear rep wins, either in one-on-one drills or in team settings, from Chop Robinson, Kenneth Grant and Josh Uche, among others. Robinson could be in line for a big year.
- Left tackle Brandon Coleman, stepping in for injured star Laremy Tunsil, generally looked decent — nothing too noticeable one way or the other.
- Neither team ran the ball well, and the Commanders’ interior offensive line depth is being stretched thin. However, in trying to sort out Washington’s backfield, it looks like Jacory Croskey-Merritt (aka “Bill”) got the most reps with the first team. He had strong pass protection against All-Pro linebacker Jordyn Brooks on the aforementioned deep ball to Burks.
- Jeff Hafley says he intends to play Willis in the preseason opener against Washington on Friday. Pre-practice, he praised Willis’ leadership: “The thing that I’m most proud is in the last two weeks, and really in the last week, the leadership. … I think it’s important that Malik gets comfortable playing the position — it’s like his rookie year. … I saw more leadership this week, not just with the wide receivers, but with the whole offense, and I think that’s a really big step, and I’m really proud of him for that.”
