4 important things we learned from Commanders minicamp
By Jerry Trotta
Next stop, training camp. The Washington Commanders‘ three-day minicamp concluded on Thursday with a light practice that mostly comprised of young players and roster bubble players while veterans were given an easy day.
Most teams take that approach at the final minicamp practice. As long as the coaching staff is encouraged by the club’s performance, there’s no sense having a high-intensity practice and risking injury before summer break.
After all, training camp is when the intensity will turn up several notches. Might as well have everyone healthy (or close to it) for the multiweek camp.
Despite that, however, there was no shortage of things we learned from mandatory minicamp. We can’t cover every little detail, but these four lessons, for lack of a better term, summarize the biggest takeaways from the three practices.
4 key things we learned from Commanders minicamp
4. Antonio Gandy-Golden Looks Better at TE
The consensus reporting from minicamp suggests Gandy-Golden has made a seamless transition to the tight end position.
The 2020 fourth-round pick received glowing reviews from Ron Rivera for his blocking technique. Whether that translates to when the pads come on during training camp remains to be seen, but Gandy-Golden has undoubtedly caught the attention of the coaching staff after moving from WR to tight end.
As a pass-catcher, AGG has showcased his wide catch radius, which admittedly has never been in question given his 6-foot-4, 223-pound frame. On top of making a one-handed snag on a pass from Taylor Heinicke, the third-year pro channeled his inner Randy Moss when he went up and over Kam Curl to secure a touchdown.
It’s not saying much, but Gandy-Golden looks much more comfortable at tight end than he ever did as a wideout. If his route-running remains up to snuff and his performance as a blocker continues into training camp and the preseason, he could pull an upset and win a spot on the 53-man roster.
After minicamp, he’s definitely in contention.