Redskins Training Camp Day 3: Updates, reports, observations

The Washington Redskins wrapped up their third day of training camp. Here are the important things to know about the session.

Coming into Day 3 of the Redskins training camp, there was still a lot of buzz about the players getting onto the field. Most of the 90-man roster saw extensive action for a third straight day, and questions that were floating around about the team are now getting answered.

The first news of the morning was not good, as it was reported that Daron Payne would miss 2-3 weeks with an ankle injury suffered in Friday’s practice. While this was bad news for Payne, as he’ll see less time on the field and reps, the silver lining is that he will be ready well before the start of the season and should still have a chance to lock down the starting nose tackle job. Still, the team will likely be cautious with Payne, so his situation bears monitoring. In the meantime, expect rookie Tim Settle to see some extra reps, as he has looked good through the first few days of camp.

In addition to Payne, Ryan Anderson is expected to miss a few days as he deals with back spasms. This will make it very difficult for the second-round pick from 2017 to earn more snaps moving forward.

Elsewhere, one of the players that generated the most buzz was Fabian Moreau. The second-year player and former third-round pick got to start in the slot today, with Orlando Scandrick seeing a maintenance day that will be a frequent occurrence for veterans this offseason. NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay was complimentary of Moreau’s performance in the slot and said this on Twitter.

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It’s certainly good news to see Moreau thrive, as it’s possible he could take the slot job from Scandrick if he performs well. That would push Scandrick into a backup role that would better suit what he provides the Redskins secondary, veteran experience. Or, if Moreau takes the job it could push Scandrick off the roster. Either way, this is an interesting development to watch.

Sticking with the defensive backs, there were two rookies that made some noted contributions, per ESPN’s John Keim. Troy Apke and Danny Johnson. Here’s what Keim saw on a handful of plays throughout the day.

"Safety Troy Apke, a fourth-round pick, broke up a couple passes playing deep middle, working with the No. 2 defense. Apke’s primary role will be special teams this season. On the two plays, he did a good job staying in the middle. It’s hard to fully gauge safeties, particularly in the run game, until the games begin. Also, corner Danny Johnson worked with the No. 2 defense in the slot. He’s done a solid job thus far. He got some work vs. WR’s Josh Doctson and Jamison Crowder on Saturday. Johnson, an undrafted free agent, will get extra looks with Josh Holsey still sidelined."

The news on Apke is particularly encouraging, as he was considered very raw coming into the season. If his coverage skills are at least decent, he will have a good chance to improve as he continues to work with Torrian Gray. As for Johnson, he was our highest-rated undrafted free agent, so seeing him succeed and challenge for a backup nickel role isn’t a huge surprise.

The other storylines from the earlier days of camp are holding true as well. Alex Smith and Josh Doctson are developing a connection, and it sounds like Doctson will be a red zone threat. Washington’s defense is looking solid and their guys are making plays. As camp continues along, we’ll have more updates on what’s happening, so keep it here at Riggo’s Rag for all the latest updates!