After a rough opener, the Commanders will look to right the ship in Week 2 at home versus the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. The hope for Washington fans is that the participation of more starters this week will make for a more pleasurable viewing experience. It will be great to see Jayden Daniels take the field for the first time in 2025, but there are plenty of other players to keep your eye on Monday night.

The special teams underperformed in Week 1, but since I can’t list that many players, I’m going to use our new placekicker, Matt Gay, as the canary for the group. While outside of 50 yards has been a problem for the last couple of years, his first kick was just inside that range and badly missed. In addition, he’s had a fair number of issues during camp as well:

I disagree with Lewis Jr. on the idea they will bring in competition for Gay, mostly because the Commanders signed him to a $4.25 million fully guaranteed worth up to $5 million to bring consistency to the position. It would be nice to see it over the remainder of the preseason.

Dominique Hampton was on last week’s list and paid the price for his rough outing with his roster spot. Tyler Owens had some issues in the opener as well, missing tackles and generally looking lost in certain situations.

Unlike Hampton, I don’t think Tyler Owens is in any danger of losing his roster spot, but the Commanders are dangerously thin behind starters Will Harris and Quan Martin. Washington desperately needs the undrafted free agent to develop into a viable defender in his second year. He has all the tools and has been receiving first-team reps throughout camp, but his lack of experience showed in the opener. Here’s hoping he looks more comfortable in his second outing.

Not all the players on my list are looking to bounce back from poor performances. Brooks struggled with concentration drops in his senior season, dropping 7 balls total with a career drop rate over 10 percent. You wouldn’t have known it last week, as Ja’Corey reeled in all 5 of his targets for a team-high fifty-nine yards, adjusting nicely to a couple of poorly thrown balls. He also showed some impressive movement skills, belying his poor athletic testing.

The competition for the last wide receiver spot on the roster is fierce, so the undrafted free agent out of Louisville will be looking to stack more plays on Monday night. A splash play on special teams, which he was known for in college, would help make his case for a roster spot.

Washington’s first round pick was notably absent from this list last week. The reason was I expected him to have a good night, albeit with room for improvement. Conerly only played limited snaps, but did look good in both pass blocking, allowing only one pressure, and in the run game. Importantly, he looked very smooth in his transition from left tackle to the right side. Dan Quinn also liked what he saw, but stressed the need for consistency:

It’s usually what happens with the younger player. Like they go in these jumps and then they hit the plateaus and take the jumps again. For the veteran players, the ceiling is harder. A guy like Jeremy McNichols. Really consistent. Like it’s a little bit more and I liked it because of that consistency. For the younger ones you see these big swings. It’s like awesome one, sometimes a down one, and you’re trying to level it out.

What I felt maybe over the last couple days is like this (hand pointing up). I’ll have to look at it and assess it again. But being available and the work ethic and the way he’s growing. He’s got some really cool veterans around him that can share that too. I know what I felt from watching the practice tape. I sense I’m in that same space again. Like I said I felt strong with him in the first performance.

Monday will most likely be Conerly’s last chance to secure his place as a starter before the regular season. In order to do so, he must string together another good performance and prove he can handle the job’s responsibilities on a weekly basis.

One of the quieter battles this offseason has been for the last spot at defensive end. Clelin Ferrell may be a coaching staff favorite, but he was woefully ineffective last season. Javontae Jean-Baptiste has been sidelined for multiple weeks during camp and will miss his second preseason game. There is an opportunity at the bottom of the roster, and Jalyn Holmes is doing his best to claim it. He played well as a versatile backup last season, accounting for 14 tackles and 2 sacks in his limited snaps and is once again demonstrating his effectiveness this preseason. Holmes played exclusively on the outside in Week 1, recording a run stop on 15 rushing downs and 2 pressures in 19 pass rush snaps. This is normally the part of the article where I offer a highlight or reference a quote from the coaching staff detailing a player’s progress. As a lunch-pail depth piece, there isn’t much material, but I can tell you that at least one Hogs Haven writer thinks Jalyn deserves a spot on the roster and will be looking for him to prove it on Monday. That being said, if you will indulge me, I will include one Holmes highlight from last season:

This week comes with a bonus player to watch on the opposing team’s side. Seth McLaughlin profiled as a three-year starter at center with 34 career starts including 10 in 2024 inside Ohio State’s multiple run scheme offense centered around zone and pin-pull with gap principles mixed in. Seth won the Rimington Trophy in his senior season and has a wide-bodied frame and stout build with good play strength, square power and solid athletic ability.

McLaughlin projected to be a third-round pick, but went undrafted after tearing his Achilles tendon in November. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals after the draft and has made a remarkable recovery. The Bengals activated him off the NFI list on July 30th, and he has been receiving notable work in camp and could take second-team reps at center Monday night.

If the Bengals ultimately decide to expose him to waivers at final cuts, he could be worth consideration to fill an obvious need on Washington’s roster. Keep an eye out for No. 68 at the pivot later in Monday night’s game.