ASHBURN, Va. — Johnny Newton pushed Jared Wilson back, ran around the edge Jacob Martin had set on a stunt and closed in on Drake Maye. The Patriots’ athletic quarterback tried to escape, but Newton chased him down, bringing him down by the ankles, and when Maye desperately tried to release a pass, he fumbled. Martin dove on top of it, and the Commanders had created a turnover on their first defensive possession of the preseason.
“What I’ve seen over the last two weeks, I really felt like his hand use as a pass rusher has stepped up,” head coach Dan Quinn said after the game. “He’s got very good initial quickness off the ball. He can beat somebody to the punch … I do like what I’ve seen from him, pass-rush wise, his hands, and so I thought he’s off to a good start.”
It was a scene that wouldn’t have unfolded last year. Newton, a second-round pick in 2024, was coming off surgeries on both feet and was behind the eight ball from the start. Martin, meanwhile, is one of many additions to the defensive front this offseason.
Moments like those were few and far between in the 48-18 loss, though. No, the Commanders didn’t play many of their starters — they sat 30 players total, while the Patriots played many of their regulars — and no, the result doesn’t count for anything. But for Quinn, the team’s inability to meet its standard in any phase of the game was frustrating, and not something he’d sweep under the rug.
“We have a process: We like to, after the game, discuss it all,” Quinn said Sunday. “We call it ‘Tell the Truth Monday.’ And it’s a time not to place blame, but to show the examples of what went right, what didn’t, what needs addressing, how do we work on that, and then lastly, and probably most importantly, what’s the action you’re gonna put behind it?”
The litany of issues began at the very start: TreVeyon Henderson returned the opening kickoff 100 yards. In the second quarter, former Washington running back Antonio Gibson sprung a 62-yard return of his own. Quinn called the coverage issues a “gut punch,” but New England delivered plenty of others, forcing a pair of turnovers and rushing for 153 yards on 4.9 yards per carry. Still, that tells only half the story: Washington’s multitude of self-inflicted wounds included 13 penalties for 98 yards.
But like the Newton sack, there were encouraging moments, not only for the result but for who produced them. Newton will be a big part of the interior defensive line rotation this season, and he had a pair of other tackles in addition to the sack. Cornerback Trey Amos, a second-round rookie who has impressed all offseason and will start opposite Marshon Lattimore, ran stride for stride with Mack Hollins, forcing a Maye incompletion. He also tripped up Rhamondre Stevenson on a wide run play for no gain.
“When I stepped on the field, all the nerves went away,” Amos said. “It actually slowed down for me. After the joint practice, felt the new wide receivers, the game just slowed down. I could do my job, and that’s why I did it.”
Amos again showed well during Sunday’s practice, which featured no pads and went for just over an hour, a light day overall. He had a flurry of red-zone pass breakups late in the session. For the Ole Miss product, it’s about stacking days together.
“I got better technique-wise on playing off or being [in] press,” Amos said. “I feel like each day I try to find something new, just try to make it like second nature.”
On the other side of the ball, his fellow rookie, Josh Conerly Jr., had a solid outing in New England — not just in the game, but in the joint practice two days earlier.
The first-round pick out of Oregon has had some stops and starts making the switch from left tackle to right tackle — Andrew Wylie has gotten lots of first-team reps in practice — but showed some of the athleticism and skill that made him Washington’s first pick in April. Quinn thought that Conerly made a jump facing a new team for the first team.
“Obviously it’s a lot different when you’re not going against your teammate and having to protect him,” Conerly said. “You can kind of just like go. But it means the world to know that the work’s being noticed, and I’m just gonna continue to put it in every day.”
Also catching Quinn’s eye was seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Though seven carries for 24 yards and a catch for 8 yards don’t look like much, it hides an impressive 16-yard catch and run in which he made a defender miss in the open field. That play got called back, a fact Quinn bemoaned after the game. On Croskey-Merritt’s best play that did count, he found a hole and ran through a couple of tackles for a 9-yard gain.
“It was definitely physical,” Croskey-Merritt said. “It’s way different than college. Guys are bigger, faster and stronger. I think I put the work in and matched the intensity.”
It was only Croskey-Merritt’s third game in the past year-plus. He played in just one game for Arizona last year due to eligibility issues, rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown against New Mexico. He then shined in the East-West Shrine Bowl, rushing for 97 yards and two touchdowns. He admitted he was a little sore after the game but was excited to get back to practicing.
He’s in one the position groups Quinn pointed out as among the team’s deepest. Washington has a clear top two running backs in Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler, and Quinn praised Jeremy McNichols as a consistent player, too. Quinn also pointed to improved depth at cornerback and safety.
One area that’s still struggling is wide receiver. With Terry McLaurin holding in and Noah Brown’s reps being carefully managed, there have been plenty of opportunities for others to step up. None have really emerged, though: On Sunday, nearly all of Jayden Daniels’ completions were to Zach Ertz or Deebo Samuel Sr., the latter on the receiving end of a beautiful touch pass just over a defensive back’s outstretched arm on the first play of a red zone drill. That’s been a theme throughout camp.
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When asked about his team’s depth, Quinn mentioned Washington was hosting a workout post-practice Sunday. That could focus on any of several positions. Quinn said tackle Lucas Niang, signed July 30, one day after guard Nate Herbig retired, tore his ACL against the Patriots, so offensive line could be in play. So, too, could wide receiver. Kicker Matt Gay missed a kick against New England and missed a 38-yard try in practice Sunday (though he made his four other attempts), but Quinn said the team wouldn’t look at outside kicking help yet.
Overall, Sunday’s message, from what the players said to Quinn noting there’d be a tryout, centered around improvement, whether it’s the personnel or the execution. As Quinn mentioned, there’s still plenty of time between now and the start of the season, time you want to spend learning and getting better.
“There’s a standard that we want, and when we nail it, I’ll say it,” Quinn said. “You may not be able to control the outcome or the reps, but we can control our play style, and I am certain that will look different.”
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