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Commanders film session: Three rookies on the rise following Lions game
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- Commanders film session: Three rookies on the rise following Lions game
The Commanders' overall offensive performance during Saturday's preseason game in Detroit was uninspiring. That unit finished the game against the Lions scoring just six points. While Washington didn't get into the end zone in a 17-13 loss , the rookie film told a different story.
Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis showed he can attack the field, running back Kaytron Allen demonstrated impressive football intelligence and receiver Antonio Williams showed he can win in tight spaces. If you're general manager Adam Peters, you're probably smiling after watching some members of the 2026 draft class flash in their snaps against the Detroit Lions.
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Kaliakmanis may not be Washington's starting quarterback anytime soon, but he's stacking one encouraging performance on top of another. Kaliakmanis is stretching the field vertically, making throws on all three levels on the boundary and field sides. It's a testament to his arm velocity and the confidence he has to attack defenses. Against Detroit, Kaliakmanis faced a lot of man coverage and it led to an explosive day, with 162 passing yards on 11 completions.
Allen didn't have a great day statistically, but his post-snap processing and high-level football instincts complement his vision and elusiveness. It helps overcome his lack of threatening foot speed. Against the Lions, he saved several would-be negative runs, but he also had several runs for positive gains that he created on his own. The key difference between Allen and undrafted rookie Robert Henry Jr. , whom he is currently splitting time with, is his ability to manipulate defenders at the first and second levels to create creases he can exploit.
It was also a productive day for Williams, Washington's third-round pick, who finished his game against the Lions with three catches for 41 yards. To earn playing time and targets during the regular season, Williams needs to prove to quarterback Jayden Daniels that he can be trusted. It comes over time, but Williams continues to earn his stripes the right way.
Let's take a look at a few plays from the Commanders preseason matchup against the Detroit Lions:
Allen demonstrates a strong understanding of gap manipulation, as he faces an eight-man box on this play. The Lions defender fills the backside B-gap against Washington's zone run. Additionally, the Lions are winning at the point of contact with their backside 1-technique defender, who is essentially squeezing the playside gap that Allen is intending to run through. Allen's hesitation, faking the bend to the backside B-gap before pressing playside, forces the Lions' 1-tech defender to react and leave his gap slightly enough for Allen to exploit. Some of the better-quality running backs in the NFL display Allen's traits, making their intentions more difficult for defenders to predict at the line of scrimmage and forcing them to stay as disciplined as possible. In this one play, you see how Allen can make a defense pay if they cannot stay gap-disciplined.
Kaliakmanis shows excellent ball placement on one of his best throws of the preseason, a slot fade to rookie Jaden Bradley. Facing man coverage, the middle of the field is closed and Bradley is able to get a step on the slot corner and stem away from the Lions' single-high safety. Kaliakmanis is able to process the Lions' coverage pre- and post-snap and capitalize with an explosive play. (And shoutout to Bradley, who made one of the best catches of the preseason.)
Kaliakmanis, similar to the completion to Bradley, faces another Cover 1 rep. The rookie quarterback stretches the field again, this time toward the boundary with a 55-yard completion to receiver Nick Nash. Kaliakmanis has good ball placement toward the sideline but also displays impressive velocity to keep the ball in front of Nash, allowing him to run under it.
Kaliakmanis' accuracy wasn't the best on this play, but this is why wide receivers get paid, too. Williams has a great catch in traffic against tight man coverage. Williams initially creates a subtle separation on his crosser with a stair-step technique, which is used against defenders trailing in man coverage. At the catch point, Williams high-points and adjusts to a pass behind him. It's a great display of body control and ball security in this situation, but also a great rep to put on tape for Williams, who, while he has a smaller frame, is very much capable of coming up big for his quarterback in contested situations.
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Kaliakmanis is intriguing, but it isn't simply off of his arm strength. The combination of his arm talent and willingness to use it raises his stock. Washington has consistently given him opportunities to attack vertically, and he has responded, often showing he can make throws outside the numbers and down the field. He's proving that his offensive coordinator, David Blough, wouldn't be limited in their play calling with him under center. Granted, he has not faced many complex coverages; he needs to be exposed to zone coverages and blitzes that will force him to address protection calls pre-snap and make the right read post-snap when fire zones and zone blitzes require him to release the ball quickly.
Time will tell as he continues to get more reps, and there will be plenty available during Friday's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. It's clear that Kaliakmanis has an edge over Sam Hartman and could very well be in line to be Jayden Daniels' backup whenever Marcus Mariota's time ends in Washington.
Both Allen and Williams have shown their value to the offense as role players; it is encouraging to see flashes early on. For Allen, the question still remains about his foot speed: with more exposure on the field during the regular season and most defenders being starters or second-string, can he continue creating his own lanes and gaining positive yards for the offense if the offensive line doesn't win? For Williams, his ability to handle physicality remains to be seen. If he is able to play through contact at an acceptable level when the snaps are real, that will certainly increase his effectiveness in this offense, as he'd not need to be continuously schemed open.
Again, the Commanders' offense may have scored just six points, but these three offensive rookies offered plenty of reasons for optimism. While none of those traits we discussed guarantee immediate production, they are the type of flashes that explain the investment Washington made in all three players.
Let us know what you think about these three rookies, and the rookie class overall, in the comments below.
