4 important things we learned from Commanders minicamp
By Jerry Trotta
2. No Need to Worry about Curtis Samuel
Commanders fans held their collective breath after Samuel was sidelined for the final practice of OTAs. After the speedy wideout returned for Tuesday’s practice, he was inactive on both Wednesday and Thursday, meaning he missed three of the Commanders’ six sessions spanning OTAs and minicamp.
While not ideal, Ron Rivera told reporters he’s simply managing Samuel’s workload after the receiver’s performance at OTAs and Tuesday’s minicamp. The important thing is Samuel’s limitations, per Rivera, are in no way related to the groin injury that upended his 2021 season.
It’s definitely a little concerning Washington is bending over backwards to ensure Samuel stays upright, but the club is right to exercise caution with the $34.5 million wideout after he saw the field for just 84 snaps last season.
On a positive note, Rivera later shared his ambitions to be careful with some of the Commanders’ veterans with training camp on the horizon. No sense risking injury before summer break, but we’d feel markedly better about Samuel’s 2022 outlook if he was a regular participant at training camp later next month.