Ranking every Commanders player who needs a strong training camp

4. Curtis Samuel

Does Samuel really need a thorough explanation? Just getting through training camp with a clean bill of health will be regarded as a success for the speedy wideout, who missed half of the team’s OTA/minicamp practices that were open to the media due to what Ron Rivera deemed as an “abundance of caution.”

It’s fair to assume Rivera is managing Samuel’s workload after soft-tissue injuries made him a non-factor in 2021. Of course, Samuel’s mysteriously nagging groin injury cropped up during the offseason program last year. From there, he was a part-time participant at training camp and generally restricted to the side field when he did make an appearance.

With Jahan Dotson all the rage following OTAs and minicamp, Samuel needs to remind everyone how gifted he is at camp.

3. William Jackson III

Jackson III is one of Washington’s prime bounce-back candidates. Unlike Samuel, most of Jackson’s first-year struggles in Ashburn had to do with on-field performance more so than injuries, though the talented corner was out of the lineup for five games.

The main culprit of the Commanders’ early-season struggles in the secondary last season, Jackson was equally a huge part of the group’s second-half turnaround. After the Week 9 bye, he allowed just 105 yards over 217 coverage snaps, per PFF.

Washington needs Jackson to replicate that form, which was eerily similar to how he looked in Cincinnati prior to his big-money move to DC and locking down the team’s receivers at camp will be a good start in that regard.