It wasn’t a great start for Washington’s new-look offensive line in the preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns last week. New right tackle Andrew Wylie was called for two holding penalties on the first two offensive series of the game, one of which led to a safety.
Yet, the line improved on Washington’s third and final drive for the first-team offense. And quarterback Sam Howell appeared more comfortable, leading an 80-yard drive that ended with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson.
On Tuesday, Washington traveled to Owings Mills, Md., for the first of two joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens. By all accounts, Howell had a good day on Tuesday.
What about the Commanders offensive line?
From all accounts, they were much better. Sure, there is a long way to go, but it was a positive first step in facing an excellent Baltimore defense. Head coach Ron Rivera liked what he saw.
“I thought the line play was better,” Rivera said. “There were a couple [of] moments I think we could be a little bit more stout. They do some things, some pretty good stuff, with their pressure packages and their stunts. And so we just gotta be better with it because, again, this is an established team, and that’s when you practice against teams like that, there’s a tone, there’s a tempo that these guys always do things, and there’s a reason why Coach Harbaugh has been here 15 years.”
Rivera is correct. The offensive line was going up against Washington’s outstanding defensive line in practice every day. The defensive line was winning most of those battles. That’s why it was imperative that the Commanders begin facing other teams.
It was a bad start for the O-line in Cleveland, but they adjusted. On the first day of the joint practices with the Ravens, the Commanders clearly had a plan and that will only make them better come Week 1.
As for Howell, Rivera was impressed but did see some things he’d like to see Howell improve upon.
“I thought Sam did some really good things,” Rivera said. “There are a couple of things — I’d like to see him speed his internal clock up a little bit. I thought he could have gotten rid of the ball a couple of times when he didn’t. But for the most part, he made some really good decisions, good throws. I really liked the way that the offensive tempo was.”
Howell has proven he likes being coached. He doesn’t often repeat the same mistakes. It will be interesting to see how the quarterback performs on the second day of joint practices Wednesday.
