3 bold predictions for Commanders 2022 training camp
By Jerry Trotta
After a month-long summer break, Washington Commanders 2022 training camp got underway on Wednesday. It’s the franchise’s first camp with the new moniker and players and coaches are hoping to have fans feeling confident by the end of it after they produced back-to-back losing seasons in 2020 and ’21.
Ron Rivera is entering a huge Year 3 as head coach, so expect the intensity to be dialed up from the first snap. Position battles will take centerstage, bubble players will be fighting for their jobs and surprise standouts will have fans swooning.
Who knows? Maybe the Commanders will shock the world and sign a veteran linebacker to bolster their rotation before Week 1. That wouldn’t exactly qualify as a bold prediction given the team’s need for another linebacker, so let’s highlight some other predictions that’ll unfold over the duration of camp, shall we?
3 bold predictions for Commanders training camp
3. Phidarian Mathis becomes a fan favorite
Fan-favorite players or “darlings” emerge every season at training camp. In most circumstances, those players are fighting for roster spots. In this instance, however, Washington’s fan-favorite will come in the form of a rookie in Mathis who’s currently slotted behind two world-beaters in Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.
Commanders got a glimpse of the kind of person Mathis is when he surprised his mother with a new house before camp. Expect the second-round pick out of Alabama to continue becoming more lovable with his infectious personality and wholesome heart during press conferences throughout camp.
Additionally, however, we foresee Mathis becoming a fan favorite for his play on the gridiron. The rookie DL has the versatility to play multiple schemes and his willingness to play the two-gap technique (filling between to offensive linemen to allow another defender to blow up a play) will make him an instant favorite.
Mathis might not produce highlights on a regular basis at camp, but he’ll lay the groundwork for what is sure to be a productive rookie campaign.