For once, team avoids drama as camp starts
Players are ‘excited’ to prepare after the offseason distractions
ASHBURN — Jonathan Allen has been part of a handful of training camps with Washington that began with loud questions about what might be next for the once-storied NFL franchise.
The veteran defensive tackle, who starred for Stone Bridge High in Ashburn before becoming a standout for Alabama, insists he lets any criticism go in one ear and out the other.
“The outside noise doesn’t really affect me,” he said. “I would like to assume that it doesn’t affect most of the guys out there because we’re all professionals and we know how to handle our business.”
This camp — the first with the team known as the Commanders — seems like Allen’s kind of vibe.
After an offseason of distractions, from a congressional investigation into workplace misconduct to an assistant’s comments about the U.S. Capitol breach that drew a sizable fine and might have contributed to scuttling a deal for a new stadium, there’s not much in the neighborhood of on-field drama for Washington.
The football side of the team is fairly set with Ron Rivera going into his third season as coach, Carson Wentz entering as the unquestioned No. 1 quarterback and few starting spots up for grabs.
“It’s good because there’s no doubt,” Rivera said Wednesday after the first practice of camp. “When you’ve got most of your core positions set, you’re not having to run guys in and out. You can just go ahead and line those guys up and play.”
Go out and play is what Allen and his teammates would like to do, coming off a second consecutive seven-win season and missing out on the playoffs last year. Owner Dan Snyder might or might not testify (virtually and not publicly) before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform Committee on Thursday, and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio calling the Jan. 6 event “a dust-up at the Capitol” dominated headlines during the spring, but players can
now put their heads down and focus on preparing for the season.
“I’m very excited,” Allen said, repeating himself for emphasis. “Very excited.”
He’s not alone. Wentz got goosebumps walking into the facility Tuesday for his seventh NFL season, as he does every year at this time.
This is his third team’s camp in as many years, after trades from Philadelphia to Indianapolis and then to Washington, though after several offseason workouts he already feels right at home as the Commanders’ starter.
“It’s been a fun adjustment, a new adjustment from the moment we got here in the spring and just kind of stayed the course,” Wentz said. “Today was fun to get back out there and officially kick it off the right way.”
Camp kicked off as expected, with pass rusher Chase Young, tight end Logan Thomas and centers Chase Roullier and Tyler Larsen sidelined by injuries that landed them on the physically-unable-to-perform list. One early hiccup was the absence of running back Antonio Gibson from drills because of a hamstring injury that first cropped up last month.
Gibson worked out on a side field during practice.
“He’s fine, but we’re going to ramp him up,” Rivera said. “We’re not going to throw him out
right away and have something happen. We want to make sure there’s nothing lingering.
“I’d almost call that an abundance of caution.”
There’s an abundance of optimism at many camps around the league, but Allen is cautious about getting too comfortable with the calm around Washington.
Entering his sixth season he can drown out the drama, but
Allen knows the situation around the Commanders could be markedly different in the coming days and weeks.
“One thing about the NFL is every day can change,” he said. “I’ve got a job to do and we get paid to do it.”
One thing contributing to the lack of major questions is the team paying top receiver Terry McLaurin on a three-year extension
that can be worth up to $71 million. McLaurin caught a deep pass from Wentz in the opening practice, and second-year tight end Sammis Reyes saw smiles all around, something he’s accustomed to with this group.
“We get along with each other,” Reyes said. “There’s a great sense of family here that starts at the top — from the top down. I hope it reflects in our game.”