ASHBURN, VA (WTKR)- Fans of the Commanders from Washington to Hampton Roads are hoping that a new ownership group in the front office will lead to success on the field. We'll get our first look at that on-field product this week as the team kicks off its 2023 training camp in Ashburn.
Saturday, July 29:
We thought the first two days of training camp that allowed spectators were well-attended. Saturday's crowd made those two opening sessions look empty.
Approximately 10,000 fans packed into the spectator area of Commanders Park for Back Together Day. This was a celebrations at training camps all across the NFL. Washington's festivities featured the marching band, the dance team and Major Tuddy entertaining the crowd. The energetic and lively crowd, which braved temperatures that felt like the triple digits, definitely caught the attention of head coach Ron Rivera.
"To see them come out in force today, that was excellent. That was outstanding," the head coach said. "Our players really appreciate it. I know our ownership appreciates the renewed interest and stuff and I'm really appreciative of it.”
Players made their gratitude known, some staying well after the end of practice to sign autographs for the burgundy and gold faithful. The crowd was the biggest since the first few years the team held training camp in Richmond, the site of preseason training from 2013-2019.
One of the plays that got the fans most excited, first round pick Emmanuel Forbes' first interception of camp. The rookie is getting accustomed to the NFL game and has progressed well since the offseason program.
The next opportunity for fans to catch the Commanders in action will be Tuesday, with practice kicking off at 9:00 AM.
Friday, July 28:
HEAT was the main theme of Friday's practice. Despite hitting the field at 9:00 AM, temperatures hit the 90's pretty early with no cloud cover or breeze to help out players, fans or, selfishly, media members.
A special guest was in attendance to take in the session. Former NBA MVP and Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant watched practice. He's a longtime Washington fan, growing up just outside the city in Prince George's County, Maryland.
Once again fans showed up in strong numbers, braving the heat to check out their team hit the field.
Running back Brian Robinson is entering his second season, but the first in which we'll actually get to see what he has to offer. Robinson was shot twice during a carjacking attempt on August 28, 2022, and even though he played last year, told us Friday that never felt like himself throughout the entire season.
"I had all type of things going on in my knee, everything going on in my hip," the running back said. "There wasn’t one time I felt like Brian Robinson."
Robinson says he expects to come out of camp with momentum that will propel him to a strong season. He hopes to showcase more explosive plays during the 2023 campaign.
You can watch our feature on Robinson in the video menu above.
Saturday's practice is expected to be packed with fans. It's Welcome Back NFL day across the league, where a number of teams will celebrate the return of America's most popular sport. The dance team and marching band will be in attendance and the team is expecting close to 10,000 spectators. Practice once again kicks off at 9:00 AM.
Thursday, July 27:
There was no shortage of energy during camp on Thursday morning. The crowd turnout was exponentially higher than it was in 2022, with thousands of fans pouring into the team's headquarters.
It was another hot day, but a cloud cover for most of the practice session made the morning more bearable. Spectators kept the energy up throughout the entire practice. You can hear from some of those fans in the attached video.
As for the players, they noticed the extra boost of energy as well.
"When you feel the atmosphere, when you feel like you can come out here and you know what you're playing for and you have people to play for, that just helps a ton," offensive tackle Sam Cosmi said.
"I'm glad we got these stands out here," added wide receiver Curtis Samuel. "It's great to see the fans out here supporting us. It just makes us want to go harder."
Once again, Josh Harris and some of his partners were in attendance. Harris spent some time signing autographs and getting photos with fans, who broke out into a "Thank you, Josh" chant. Players we spoke with seemed very happy with Wednesday's players meeting with Harris.
Chase Young has also been a topic of conversation during camp. He wouldn't come out and say he was 100 percent, but did say he feels like himself again and his explosiveness has returned. Young tore his ACL and ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee in November of 2021 and has been working his way back. The defensive end played in the final three games of last season and shed the knee brace he had been wearing leading up to training camp.
Friday's practice is once again open to fans and kicks off at 9:00 AM.
Wednesday, July 26:
The first practice of 2023's camp kicked off at 9:00 AM sharp Wednesday morning. No fans were in the seats, but the venue has a totally different look and feel with the construction of the bleachers that now run along the practice field. We will see fans in those seats Thursday morning.
There was a noticeable presence during the opening practice. New owner Josh Harris observed the first session from the field. He could be seen chatting with some coaches and taking in the work his new team was putting in on a hot late-July morning. The players certainly noticed the new top dog.
"When you see the owner out here, you always expect big things," wide receiver Dyami Brown said after practice. "You want to show the owner what you're made of and I think that's what the team has done."
"Anytime you have a new beginning, there's excitement," added tight end Logan Thomas. "We're all super excited and we just worry about the football side of it. We let them handle the rest, but it's going to be exciting to see full stadiums come September."
Many of the Commanders also said they're looking forward to seeing fans in the bleachers on Thursday. It will provide some noise and a boost to practice, especially with the buzz surrounding the new ownership.
"It's going to make it a fun atmosphere, make it a fun time for the fans, make it a fun time for us to have people out here," cornerback Kendall Fuller pointed out. "It's definitely going to be an exciting next couple of weeks."
A lot of eyes were on Sam Howell during the first session. He enters training camp as the first string quarterback, but will compete with Jacoby Brissett for the top spot on the depth chart throughout the preseason. Howell saw action in the season finale last year, his lone start, in which Washington upset Dallas. Now he's hoping to use an offseason full of preparation to his advantage.
"I think there's a lot of work left to be done," Howell said. "I'm not complacent at all. I know still everything is ahead of me and I still got to go out there and earn it and prove it each and every day so I'm going to continue to do that."
No doubt there was a different energy around the complex than at previous camps. Several players said they noticed the new vibe and are big fans of it. They hope it can translate to success on the field and Ron Rivera was pleased with the first day of work.
"I thought the energy was what we needed," the head coach noted. "It's one of those things that you're trying to see if their retention is where it needs to be as well and there were some really good things going on out there. So, not a lot of mistakes. That's a good thing."
Camp continues Thursday at 9:00 AM with fans invited to attend. Gates open at 8:00 AM with bleacher seating first come-first serve.
Tuesday, July 25:
Report day, when players arrive and check in. Ron Rivera spoke to the media ahead of camp's kickoff and said all healthy players have reported and passed their conditioning tests.
It marks a pivotal fourth season for Rivera as Washington's head coach. The Commanders are 22-27-1 with him at the helm and he'll be looking to lead the squad to its first winning record in his tenure with the organization. Part of that process will be finding consistent production at the quarterback position and Rivera hopes the team has found its guy in Sam Howell.
“I think more than anything else it will start with the quarterback position," the head coach said during his pre-camp press conference on Tuesday. "That’s about as big a question as it gets. Has Sam grown and developed enough to help us take the next step? Is Jacoby (Brissett) ready to go and compete and if he gets that chance, will he take us up to the next level? It’s a big broad question but it does start with that position which is the biggest thing.”
Of course, it's the first training camp of a new era in Ashburn, as the Commanders take the field for the first time since Josh Harris and his fellow investors officially took over as owners of the franchise. Rivera says the impact of the change at the top is already being felt in the locker room.
“I think it's pretty exciting," Rivera said. "You can already feel the impact. A lot of it has to do with just really the reaction from the fanbase more so than anything else. I think our guys have also felt it."
The team will hit the field for its first practice of camp on Wednesday morning at 9:00 AM in a practice that is closed to spectators. Fans will get their first chance to take in practice Thursday at 9:00 AM.
