4 Commanders with rising stock two weeks into training camp

The Washington Commanders have reached the halfway point of training camp. In just a few days, they’ll be playing their first preseason game at home against the Carolina Panthers. Before you know it, Week 1 vs Jacksonville will be here.

But let’s not rush the process.

There’s still plenty of practice time left before the regular season gets underway. While some players have hurt their stock over the first two weeks of camp, others have caught the coaching staff’s attention with their impressive display.

Since we just shed light on some underachieving Commanders, let’s analyze the opposite side of the equation and highlight some overachieving players.

4 Commanders with rising stock at training camp

4. Casey Toohill

With Chase Young expected to miss the start of the regular season and a potential candidate to start the year on IR or the PUP list, there’s an opening on the defensive line. All offseason fans have assumed James Smith-Williams would win the job opposite Montez Sweat, but the former Eagles seventh-round pick is currently nursing a hip injury and missed most of the second week of practice.

With Smith-Williams sidelined, Toohill has gotten extended run with the first-team defense and he’s capitalized, showing flashes as a pass rusher and run defender.

In 35 percent of the snaps last season, Toohill tallied 27 tackles, six quarterback hits and 15 pressures. Not great numbers by any stretch, but he’s entering his third season in Washington, so the coaching staff clearly likes him.

A de facto starter on the defensive line with Smith-Williams on the shelf, Toohill’s stock is suddenly on the rise in training camp.

3. Marken Michel

Michel just won’t go away, folks. Fans are ware Washington’s receiving corps is markedly deeper than what they’re accustomed to, and Michel has manufactured the most buzz of any player whose spot on the final roster isn’t guaranteed.

Perhaps folks will take notice of Michel’s eye-opening offseason after his Saturday performance at FedEx Field in front of thousands of fans. His highlights included two touchdowns during red zone drills and being on the receiving end of a pretty 60-yard deep ball from Carson Wentz just short of the end zone.

Terry McLaurin has certainly taken notice of Michel, praising the 29-year-old’s ability to get open and floated the possibility of him making the team.

Michel has a long way to go and he could ultimately end up getting cut — camp darlings getting cut is an unfortunate yearly narrative in the NFL — but he’d be hard-pressed to do any better staking his claim for a spot on the roster.