Commanders stock report following preseason opener vs Panthers

Stock up: Daniel Wise

Wise seems to know there’s an opening on the interior of the defensive line following the departures of Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle. We picked Wise as one of our Commanders to watch this preseason and the former Jayhawk didn’t disappoint in Game 1, tallying one sack (the first of the Commanders era) and two tackles for loss while holding his own against the run. Wise’s sock is on the rise.

Stock up: Dax Milne

Like it or not, Milne is making the 53-man roster. A classic slot receiver whose game resembles Cole Beasley and Wes Welker, Milne just knows how to get open and he connected with Sam Howell for two big gains in the third quarter. Milne’s impressed all throughout camp and he doesn’t appear to be slowing down with the regular season on the horizon. Whether that results in him carving out a role on the offense is a different story, but he’s all but solidified a spot on the roster.

Stock up: Sam Howell

With all due respect to Heinicke, Commanders fans wanted to see Wentz and Howell play Saturday. The rookie has drawn rave reviews during camp and he put all of his tools on display against the Panthers. His top highlight came on a broken play in the red zone where he used a nifty ball fake to create an opening and scampered for a touchdown to bring Washington back within seven.

Additionally, Howell looked confident as a passer and wasn’t afraid to show off his arm strength. Simply put, the offense was stuck in neutral until Howell came in and started making plays with his legs and arm. For the game, he finished 9-of-16 for 145 yards and three carries for 19 yards and two scores. Heck of a debut.

Honorable mentions (stock up): Alex Erickson, Steven Parker, Jonathan Williams, Jeremy Reaves, David Bada.