One of the primary hopes for every NFL fan during training camp is that players stay healthy. It's the first taste of real action for months, and inevitably, injuries strike.
And it didn't take long for the Washington Commanders' first scare to surface on the first day of training camp.
According to John Doran from WUSA9, versatile offensive lineman Nick Allegretti left the session and did not return. Head coach Dan Quinn spoke before practice, so we won't get an update from him until Thursday. And fans will be hoping for nothing but good news when that comes.
Nick Allegretti left practice and Commanders fans must wait for good news
The Commanders are placing a significant amount of faith in Allegretti this season. General manager Adam Peters took the bold decision to release starting center Tyler Biadasz, who quickly signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. Washington tabbed the Illinois product as the man capable of replacing him, but whether he can effectively do so remains to be seen.
Allegretti cannot afford to miss any time. We are still early in the process, with this being the first day of practice and the Commanders' regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles still some way off. But the fact that such a tough player did not return indicates something was amiss.
Quinn has spoken about Allegretti's importance, especially from a communication standpoint. The Commanders outlined their faith by giving him a contract extension early when some in the media were expecting the lineman to be a potential salary-cap cut candidate. Walking away from practice isn't great, but nobody knows for sure what the reasoning is yet.
With any luck, Allegretti will be back on the field quickly. The Commanders have to be cautious with everyone. Even though the Super Bowl winner's first two seasons in Washington didn't go according to plan, he is expected to play an integral role on the offensive line once again in 2026.
If Allegretti is forced to miss time, the Commanders have sixth-round rookie Matt Gulbin ready to fill the void. He was an intriguing Day 3 pick by Washington this spring with the tools to potentially start over time. Placing that on the first-year pro so early in the process could do more harm than good, but that's a worst-case scenario.
For now, we wait and hope it's nothing other than Allegretti getting checked out after feeling some discomfort. Anything more, and the Commanders could have a problem on their hands.
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