3 best rookie performers at Commanders’ training camp

The Washington Commanders have entered the dog days of training camp. The days run together, as the preseason schedule begins. As the games approach, I will be giving you a primer on some rookies to keep your eye on throughout the preseason and into the regular season.

The Commanders’ draft philosophy drastically changed in the 2022 NFL Draft. A year removed from taking high-ceiling, low-floor players in 2021, they aimed for more pro-ready players this year. Every single draft pick was a senior and many. were team captains.

To make a baseball analogy, the Commanders went from swinging for the fences to trying to slap doubles off the wall. Therefore, the Commanders may not have gotten the best “value” in certain cases. However, they got many players who can be consistent contributors right away.

The philosophy by the front office this offseason, has made it pretty difficult to narrow it down to just three. The entire draft class, in some ways, is making an instant impact. Even the undrafted tight ends Armani Rodgers and Curtis Hodges seem like players that can be impactful down the road.

So, if your personal favorite player is left out, that doesn’t mean they have been poor by any means. It was just harder to narrow it down this year more so than others. Here are the three rookies that have stood out the most.

3 rookies standing out in camp for the Commanders

3. S Percy Butler 

Drafted in the fourth round out of Louisiana, Percy Butler was uniquely hailed early on by Ron Rivera as a potential “Day 1” contributor. He was an ace special teamer in college, something Rivera loves about Butler, but Washington’s head coach seems to want even more out of the safety in his first year.

Butler will make his hay early on as a special teamer but early on he is reportedly looking to be capable on defense as well. Running with mostly the second team, Butler has flashed his ability to be a physical presence in the defensive backfield.

In the Commanders’ physical Aug. 9 practice, Percy Butler screamed off the edge as a blitzer, rushing Taylor Heinicke into a throw that went straight to Jeremy Reaves for the interception. The play broke up a stretch of interception-less practices for the defense.

Butler has been physical against the run, in one practice he filled his gap and stopped running back JD McKissic for no gain. Butler has reportedly been flying like a missile to the football. As the preseason games begin, it will be interesting to watch if Butler’s physical mentality can lead to him being a more consistent tackler than he was at Lousiana.

Butler offers upside as a coverage safety, boasting a 4.36 40-yard dash, and showed some zone coverage instincts as a Rajin’ Cajun. The rookie has made his fair share of plays in pass coverage, including nabbing an interception on a pass from Heinicke.

The first-year safety will make an immediate impact as a special teamer, however, his fearless nature combined with his athletic profile could make him be more than that. Early on, he will be best as the team’s big nickel in three safety packages, allowing him to play closer to the line.

As he becomes more comfortable diagnosing passing concepts at an NFL speed, he can even rotate back to play in some two-high looks. Jack Del Rio’s deployment of Butler and second-year safety Darrick Forrest will be interesting to watch unfold.  

2. TE Cole Turner

The Commanders’ second fifth-round draft pick has flashed in a big way early. Unfortunately, he suffered a hamstring injury and he has been relegated to the side field as Washington is being cautious with the rookie tight end. That does not take away though how promising he has looked, however.

With Logan Thomas on the PUP list, and John Bates being sidelined for a few weeks with a leg injury, Cole Turner had a golden opportunity. The day three pick was thrust into getting the bulk of the first-team reps.

It is safe to say he put his best foot forward before suffering the injury, after being rolled up by Percy Butler on a play.

Turner has quickly grown a rapport with Carson Wentz. Throughout his career, Wentz has been very successful throwing to tight ends and larger targets, with the likes of Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffrey, Dallas Goedert, and Michael Pittman Jr being some of his favorite targets in his six years in the NFL.

Standing at 6-foot-6, it is pretty clear why the Commanders spent the fifth-round pick on the Nevada product. His large frame coupled his wide wingspan bodes really well with Wentz’s ability as a passer. While Wentz is talented, he is far from a pinpoint passer.

There is a reason Rivera has stressed getting receivers with “wide catch radiuses.” Wentz, at times, has complete scattershot accuracy. That has held true so far in the practices, yet Wentz has had no problems connecting with Turner.

Turner has been one of Wentz’s favorite targets in the red zone when healthy, hauling in multiple touchdowns over the course of training camp. Matthew Paras, a reporter for the Washington Times, says Turner is also being used as a vertical threat up the seams. He’s hauled in contested catches over the likes of Bobby McCain and Kam Curl. Turner is showing how his skillset directly translates to the NFL against the Commanders’ starting-caliber competition.

It takes one glance to see Turner’s former basketball background. An All-Conference player in high school, Turner boxes out his defender and plucks the ball out of the air. Turner won’t contribute much as a blocker, as the Nevada offense did not ask him to do that much. He will effectively serve as a “big slot” for the Burgundy & Gold.

If Turner’s hamstring injury is indeed minor, he should contribute right away for the Commanders. While Thomas continues to work his way back from injury, Turner should have a higher workload than expected. So far, Turner has shown the spotlight is not too bright.

1. WR Jahan Dotson

Somehow, someway the Commanders pulled it off. They drafted a Terry McLaurin clone. Seriously. Maybe that is slight hyperbole given Dotson hasn’t taken a snap in-game for the Commanders yet, but it certainly feels like that.

The first-round pick has performed so well that this almost feels like a cheap spot at number one. A given.

But seriously though, Dotson’s emergence in the offseason program is strikingly similar to how Terry McLaurin emerged in 2019. McLaurin was a fifth-year senior who was expected to be a special teams ace, as well as an occasional deep threat.

Dotson, a senior as well, was commonly viewed as a tier below other wideouts in the first round. After the Commanders traded down to 16, subsequently losing out on Chris Olave and Jameson Williams after Drake London and Garrett Wilson were picked before pick 11, some fans viewed Dotson as a consolation prize.

A high-floor player, that lacked the ceiling to be elite. Some have said, due to his size, he would be best as a slot-only receiver. So for a first-round pick, it left some fans underwhelmed.

However, since being drafted Dotson has done nothing but perform at a high level and say all the right things. He and McLaurin have a knack for saying exactly what needs to be said at the podium. No fluff. All business and all about the team.

The coaching staff also completely gushes about Dotson in the same way Jay Gruden profusely praised McLaurin then kept him inactive for preseason games to keep him healthy for Week 1.

McLaurin has since grown into one of the game’s elite wide receivers. He ranks in the top five at beating man coverage, according to reception perception, while having over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons on his way to a three-year, $71M contract extension. He has outperformed that “special teams ace” label in droves.

This very well could be plastered on Freezing Cold Takes someday, but Dotson could be on a similar success track as the team’s 2019 third-round pick.

Like Cole Turner, Dotson has quickly grown a noticeable connection with Carson Wentz. Every day at practice, there are reports of Wentz and Dotson connecting on passes in nearly every session. The team has posted multiple highlights depicting how Dotson is winning.

What is exciting about Dotson, is the multitude of ways he wins. There are some instances where he wins with separation after winning on his route. There are some instances where he gains a half-step on a nine route, and his advanced ability to track the ball in flight, has the ball plop into his sticky hands in traffic. He also has the ability to go “above the rim” and win in contested catches.

Dotson still needs to prove it in games but so far in training camp he has shown a multitude of ways he can win in the NFL. He has done this while corner Kendall Fuller has starred in training camp, and William Jackson III seems to be more comfortable in Jack Del Rio’s system.

Against very formidable competition, Dotson has fit right in. On The Athletic Football Show, Nate Tice aptly describes Dotson as “a football player.” In other words, someone who instantly you can tell has an advanced understanding of the game. A player who was built to play football.

Logan Paulsen, a former tight end for the team who now covers the Commanders, says Dotson has been the best WR at training camp on the Al Galdi Podcast. It is meant as no slight to McLaurin either.

Dotson has simply been that impressive in camp. The Commanders could very well have a dynamic wide receiver duo on their hands. In terms of personality, Dotson is a clone of Terry McLaurin. And his skill set is conducive to being successful in the league.

At the bare minimum, Dotson will be a very solid pro for a decade in the NFL. He has shown he can be much more than a high-floor, slot-only prospect, that he was tabbed to be in the pre-draft process.

Honorable mentions: 

CB Christian Holmes – Listed as a second-team corner on the unofficial depth chart, Holmes has rotated with the ones when William Jackson missed some practices. Holmes is an older rookie and could fill in as depth at corner for the Commanders.

RB Brian Robinson – Looking like the physical bowling ball runner the Commanders drafted him to be, Robinson seems ready to contribute right away for the Commanders in his rookie campaign.