Second-half observations from Commanders vs Patriots’ preseason finale

The Washington Commanders wrapped up the preseason with a 20-10 victory over the New England Patriots. Here are some observations from Sunday’s second half of the Commanders’ final preseason game.

1. A play that illustrates how hard it is to evaluate a wide receiver: Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint clearly had his corner defender beaten deep. However, Trace McSorley badly underthrew him, forcing him to slow down. The defender caught up to him, and the pass was incomplete. Had the pass been better thrown, it would have been a 40-yard gain for Rosemy-Jacksaint. Later, Rosemy-Jacksaint made an adjustment to make a nice catch on a pass underthrown by McSorely.
2. I don’t know if Phidarian Mathis is going to make the squad. However, he just batted down his second pass of the second half. Is the last tackle spot a battle between Mathis and John Ridgeway?
3. Running back, Michael Wiley took an inside run, bounced it outside, and then displayed the ability to stay in bounds while diving to the pylon. Excellent footwork by Wiley for the 9-yard touchdown.
4. When I was ready to declare Colson Yankoff the fourth tight end, Cole Turner made a very nice catch with his arms extended. It was clearly Turner’s best catch of the preseason. I have no idea how coaches are evaluating this battle. Last week, I noticed Yankoff really hustling on special teams.
5. Another area where this is so deceptive is that a decent quarterback would have had a touchdown on three opportunities on this fourth-quarter drive alone. Joe Milton has no sense of touch or how to pass, though he has a huge arm. The Patriots had people wide open for touchdowns three times in that drive, and Milton could not deliver. On the other hand, Commanders’ coaches saw how badly those plays were being defended.
6. But 34 players did not dress for the Commanders tonight. Martavis Bryant exhibited his size on Sunday night, making contact on the goalline and catching a touchdown pass from McSorley. It’s been since 2018 since he played in an actual NFL game. I have no idea what coaches are thinking here, other than maybe how thin they think the receiver room might actually be?