6 standouts from Commanders' preseason win over Dolphins

The Washington Commanders opened the preseason with a dominant 20-7 win over the Miami Dolphins on Friday night at Northwest Stadium. The win capped a successful week for Washington, which shared the field with the Dolphins on Wednesday in a joint practice.

With most of the Commanders’ starters participating in the joint practice, head coach Dan Quinn gave most of them the night off for Friday’s preseason opener. No Jayden Daniels. No Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, Chig Okonkwo, Bill Croskey-Merritt, Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Mike Sainristil and several others.

Marcus Mariota got the start under center for Washington, but departed after only a few plays with an apparent leg injury. Sam Hartman and rookie Athan Kaliakmanis went the distance for the Commanders.

Friday’s win came down to Washington’s rookie running backs and a dominant defensive effort.

Here are six standouts from the Commanders’ preseason-opening win.

If you just look at the numbers, not much separates Kaliakmanis and Hartman. However, Washington’s offense looked different with the rookie. His first two passes were completions. One was an impressive strike to Colson Yankoff. Compared to Hartman, the ball just jumped off Kaliakmanis’ hands. We aren’t sure if the Commanders will keep two or three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. If they keep three, Kaliakmanis has already won the job. Hartman struggled early but settled down and looked much better than he did a year ago. But Kaliakmanis had the better overall night.

We’ve been quietly hearing about Henry since the spring. While the focus was on Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, fellow rookie Kaytron Allen and Jeremy McNichols, Henry has been showing off in practice. The undrafted rookie from UTSA can fly. He’s also got some impressive wiggle. On his touchdown run, Henry showed a little bit of everything: vision, patience, and explosiveness. Henry also had an impressive pickup in pass protection. If he can string together two more performances like this, he’ll be hard to keep off the 53.

Henry had more flashy runs, while Allen had the big, sturdy runs you’d expect from him. He carried the ball 23 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. There was already talk that he’d be Washington’s short-yardage back in 2026, and he did nothing to dispel that notion. Allen is a different type of back from everyone else on the roster. That’s a positive. Offensive coordinator David Blough can use him in goal-line situations or late in games when they’re trying to protect a lead.

Two players we’ve heard a lot about since OTAs and the beginning of camp are tight end Colson Yankoff and undrafted rookie wide receiver Jaden Bradley. Yankoff is making the roster again. He put together another good night. So did Bradley. Bradley flashed off a little bit of everything, almost blocked at least two punts, caught two passes and had a couple of impressive blocks. Each of those things gets you noticed. In any other year, he’s making the 53. The receiver position is deep this time around. Bradley will make it hard on the Commanders, but you can bet he’ll be a priority to retain on the practice squad. There is potential for him to continue growing as a receiver, too.

An undrafted free agent in 2025, Barber was on Washington’s practice squad until he was called up late in the season. He had an excellent debut against the Cowboys. He was extremely impressive against the Dolphins, registering five tackles, including one for loss and one sack. He also played a pivotal role in this fourth-down stop that essentially ended Miami’s night early in the game.

Big play by Commanders defense to get a stop on 4th down. Johnny Newton and Ricky Barber make the stop to get off the field. pic.twitter.com/KADcAYCMY2

Barber seemed unlikely to make the roster. But he was better than Johnny Newton, a 2024 second-round pick. He needs to keep stringing together these types of performances. He was impactful against the run and the pass—a great night for Barber.

It’s often the case that 33-year-old players are playing the second half of a preseason game. Not everyone is cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. A journeyman, Hamilton has played for seven different teams as he enters his 11th season. He joined Washington last year due to injuries and made an impression. He plays hard on every snap. On defense or on special teams. Hamilton made multiple plays on Friday and finds himself around the ball. If Washington keeps five corners, Hamilton has a great shot at beating our Fabian Moreau for that final spot. Ahkello Witherspoon’s surprising retirement changed things for Hamilton. Hamilton is a fun player to watch. His love of the game comes through on every snap in which he plays.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: 6 standouts from Commanders' preseason win over Dolphins