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It’s hard to talk about the Washington Commanders' preseason without considering the contract situation with Terry McLaurin. But they still have to focus on the roster battles that are going on without his presence. And here are two Commanders roster hopefuls who improved their stock after the loss to the Patriots.
At the top of the list was rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. He was one of the few bright spots in a game that started badly and continued south in a hurry, according to ESPN.
“All three phases, I thought it was sloppy tonight,” Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said. “They stacked, and that showed sloppiness to me. And then in practice was just the opposite. So that did not make me happy.”
Also, rookie offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. made a good first game-time impression with his new team.
RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt looks the part for Commanders
Croskey-Merritt totaled eight touches for 32 yards, but he showed skills that should give the Commanders reasons to be excited, according to commanders.com.
The sleek runner showed a one-cut ability and proved he could get yards after contact. He found running lanes and shed arm tackles. He had a 16-yard reception taken away because of a penalty, but had other good moments. Croskey-Merrett showed quickness and ball security.
“I like the skills that we're seeing from Bill,” Quinn said. “I'm encouraged by what I've seen so far. I know he was amped and ready to go for tonight.”
He left the game with a shoulder issue, but the key word is ‘issue,” not so much injury. And the good news is that a shoulder issue turned out not to be serious, according to a post on X by JP Finlay.
“Bill Merrit said his shoulder got checked out but everything was fine. Came down hard on it.”
RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt making good waves
Croskey-Merritt entered the game already having earned high praise from Quinn and others, according to Sports Illustrated.
“Yeah, at that position, like I said, it's a hard one to evaluate in non-pads because you don't know if, did the person make the tackle, did he break the tackle?” Quinn said. “And so, it's the offensive line, defensive line, and running backs are sometimes the hardest. But what you can evaluate is the explosion on the cut, the assignment, was the read correct?
“And having [Running Backs Coach/Run Game Coordinator] Anthony [Lynn] here is a really big deal from a running back standpoint. He's got so much experience, can give the insight to the players to absolutely get them right. But I think it's the violence of the cuts that he can get his shoulders square and get downhill fast. So, I'm very excited to see, once we get into some opportunities, does he get tackled? Does he not? Does he run through some? But he's off to a really good start.”
Quinn and company will have to work on the roster fast and furious in the coming weeks, according to commanderswire.com.
“I think it is important, thinking of it in two ways,” Quinn said. “Like a 53 (man roster) and a 70 (man roster) to say in your mind who might be there.
“Sometimes I will snapshot it with my phone and see where I was in the spring and where am I now? What may have changed?”
NFL teams are permitted a 53-man opening game roster and then 16 additional players on a practice squad. A final 17th man can be included if he is part of the International NFL pathway program.
Commanders OT Josh Conerly off to good start
Quinn said Conerly has displayed workable traits against the Patriots, according to Sports Illustrated.
“The quickness off the ball,” Quinn said. “Liked seeing him and LT (Laremy Tunsil) doing some things together. Didn't get as much of a sense tonight, although protection to his side felt strong. So, I'll get a better sense, but it just felt clean for him. We knew going into it we were going to play X amount at practice and try to get 20 or so in the game, and we accomplished that. So it felt clean.”
Conerly did not allow a sack in his 21 snaps against the Patriots. He also showed off good run-blocking skills. Included in the mix was good quickness displayed on a screen pass, eventually working his way to the safety level.
It looks like Conerly is fast-tracked to a starting position. But Quinn said there will be growing pains, just like other first-year guys in such a tough league.
“It's usually what happens with the younger player,” Quinn said. “Like they go in these jumps and then they hit the plateaus and take the jumps again. For the veteran players, the ceiling is harder. A guy like Jeremy McNichols. Really consistent. Like it's a little bit more, and I liked it because of that consistency. For the younger ones, you see these big swings. It's like awesome one, sometimes a down one, and you're trying to level it out.
“What I felt, maybe over the last couple days, is like this (hand pointing up). I'll have to look at it and assess it again. But being available and the work ethic, and the way he's growing. He's got some really cool veterans around him that can share that, too.”
