ASHBURN, Va. -- If the Washington Commanders have the season they want -- and one that many outside the team aren't predicting -- their two days in Baltimore this week could be the reason.
It's just a joint practice, but it'll also provide a lot of what the Commanders have needed in the past: more work in the summer that puts them in position to get off to a fast start. And with a young quarterback and new starters at four offensive line positions, practicing against another team will give a better idea of how -- and where -- the team is progressing.
"Important work," right tackle Andrew Wylie said.
The Commanders will practice Tuesday and Wednesday with Baltimore at the Ravens' facility in Owings Mills, Maryland. It's Washington's first joint practice since 2018, when the team started 6-3 before multiple quarterback injuries -- Alex Smith was hurt in Week 10 -- devastated and altered their season.
The preseason games matter, of course, but the joint sessions provide more opportunities to work on specific aspects -- third down, red zone, two-minute situations.
"It's like playing three games," said center Nick Gates.
For the Commanders, the practice session matters for a variety of reasons -- all of which can impact their season. And, in Year 4 of Ron Rivera but Year 1 of new owner Josh Harris, that impact could determine job security.
Washington tried to schedule a joint session last summer, but it fell through. It couldn't do one in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic and its lingering effects.
But the time was right for this one, for good reasons:
Quarterback Sam Howell's growth
Howell's first preseason outing was solid. In a 17-15 win over the Cleveland Browns on Friday, he completed 9-of-12 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. The Commanders like his potential. He's inexperienced, having thrown just 19 passes as a rookie last season, so the more work he can get entering the season the better it is for his growth.
There were times Friday when his footwork was still off. One run was stuffed Friday in part because of Howell's footwork prior to the handoff. With Howell possibly only playing in just one more preseason game, these two practices provide more chances to clean up any lingering issues.
"You have to be good about every little detail," Rivera said of when practicing with another team. "It should be all the time, but now it's against a group you don't know, so there's a lot you have to focus on."
Howell has come a long way in one year, even from the beginning of spring workouts. He has turned himself from a fifth-round pick in 2022 into a potential starter.
"I've seen the growth," offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. "You can see when he's confident, he's coming off the mound releasing that ball. It's a thing of beauty. It's been fun watching this growth process and I think the sky can be the limit for this kid."
The joint practices will help fuel that growth.
Faster starts
Washington has started slow in Rivera's first three seasons. The team was 1-5 in 2020 en route to a 7-9 finish and NFC East title. A year later, a 2-6 start led to a 7-10 finish. Washington did recover and win four in a row, but then a rash of COVID-19 cases and injuries doomed the finish. Had the Commanders put themselves in a better spot with a stronger start, they still could have contended for the playoffs.
Finally, in 2022 they started 1-4. Again, they rallied with six wins in their next seven games, but another bad finish left them at 8-8-1 and a half-game shy of the postseason.
Part of the problem in the past: With teams playing their starters less in the preseason, it can take several games during the season to truly find out about certain starters -- or units. Washington has made key changes early in each season under Rivera. It benched quarterback Dwayne Haskins after four games in 2020, started playing safety Landon Collins more as a hybrid safety/linebacker early in 2021 and it discovered early last year that cornerback William Jackson III was not adapting to their new coverage scheme. He was eventually benched, then traded.
"It does give us more insight," Rivera said. "I like the fact we're doing it against an established team. There are a lot of things we can learn as a group. I do like the idea of having the intensity ramped up and to be competitive for a couple days."
The Panthers conducted joint practices in three seasons under Rivera. They made the playoffs after two of them.
Rivera said the NFL has told teams that conducting joint practice sessions helps cut down on injuries. That, too, can help a fast start.
"We felt coming out of the gate we had a lot more intensity," Rivera said of his Carolina days. "We wanted to keep it that way."
"They’re a physical team, so it's a good chance for us to go be more physical," running back Brian Robinson Jr. said. "It's a good way for us to get going."
New offensive line
Washington has new starters at four spots along the line, with only left tackle Charles Leno Jr. starting at the same position he did a year ago. The Commanders signed free agents Gates (center) and Wylie (right tackle). They moved Sam Cosmi from right tackle to right guard, and left guard remains a battle between Saahdiq Charles and Chris Paul, neither of whom was a full-time starter in 2022.
"They're learning a whole new system and they're going to have mistakes," Rivera said earlier in camp. "We're going to have growing pains."
They need as much time together on the field before the season as possible. Their growing pains were evident in Friday's preseason opener; in some cases it was individual technique and other times it was needing to get used to one another. Wylie, for example, said Friday he had times where his feet weren't in the right place, that when he’d set a certain way, his footwork left him vulnerable to the other side. This week provides him more chance to tidy up his game.
In real estate, location matters. With an offensive line, it's about something else.
"Reps, reps, reps," Gates said. "And you need to be like padded reps, too. You need full-speed vibe, which is what you're going to get, which is nice. That's why these joint practices are big."