7 Commanders to watch in preseason opener vs. Dolphins

The Washington Commanders open the 2026 preseason on Friday, as they host the Miami Dolphins at Northwest Stadium. The two teams faced off in a joint practice at the Commanders’ team headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia, on Wednesday. By all accounts, Washington dominated the scrimmage.

Did head coach Dan Quinn see enough from his starters in the scrimmage? Or will the Commanders play their healthy starters for at least a series or two? Last preseason, Quinn took a safer approach, but he’s operated differently during this training camp.

Regardless of Quinn’s strategy, each of these preseason games is more important for some than others. Preseason performances can make or break some players. For others, it’s just about getting game reps.

Here are seven players to watch in the Commanders’ preseason opener against the Dolphins.

Will we see Daniels? He was phenomenal in the joint practice this week. While he may not need to play, the reps are important, especially given that this is a new offense and Daniels is primarily working under center for the first time since his time at Arizona State. Every rep matters. Ideally, Daniels plays one series, leads the Commanders to a score, and then sits for the remainder of the game. Backup Marcus Mariota will get some action, but Sam Hartman and rookie Athan Kaliakmanis will likely get the lion’s share of reps as they battle for the No. 3 job.

Starting center Nick Allegretti is out. Julian Good-Jones will likely start. He has two career NFL snaps. Gulbin, a sixth-round rookie, is the likely backup. Both need the reps. The center position, even with a healthy Allegretti, has been a major question mark after the offseason release of Tyler Biadasz. Don’t be surprised if the Commanders watch the waiver wire for a veteran center to back up Allegretti. But this is a huge opportunity for Gulbin. If the Commanders keep two centers, they’re going to want their rookie draft pick to win the job.

The rookie third-round pick should play a lot. It’s not because he’s fighting for a spot, but the Commanders have big plans for him. He’s had a solid training camp and keeps getting better. Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs are Washington’s top two receivers. After that, it’s a battle for that WR3 spot. Luke McCaffrey and Treylon Burks appear to be the leaders, but watch out for Williams.

Yankoff is making the team. He’s made the team the last two years. He’s excellent on special teams, despite being relatively new to the tight end position. With John Bates missing time due to injury, Yankoff has taken advantage, making multiple plays in almost every practice. He’s super athletic. Under new offensive coordinator David Blough, multiple tight ends will be featured. Yankoff is earning himself an increased role on offense in 2026. It will be interesting to watch him during live games with more targets.

Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson have had outstanding camps. They were also terrific against the Dolphins in the joint practice. Josephs, the rookie fifth-round pick from Tennessee, has flashed his immense physical tools all summer. He’s been hard to handle in pass rush situations. He’s been terrific all summer. The Commanders should start Josephs and see what he can do for most of the game. When Washington drafted him, Josephs looked like a project who would primarily play special teams as a rookie. Now, he looks like someone who can play a significant role as a rookie.

It’s not often you see a former second-round pick, heading into the final year of his rookie contract, needing a strong performance to earn a roster spot. That’s where the Commanders are with Quan Martin. As of now, Nick Cross starts at one safety spot. Veteran Jeremy Reaves looks like the starter at free safety, with Will Harris getting plenty of time. Martin is on the outside looking in and could be on the roster bubble. He either needs to show the Commanders that last year was just an outlier for him, and not who he is as a player. He hasn’t really stood out in camp. Performing well in the games could go a long way for him.

Stevens leads the kicking competition over Jake Moody. It was pretty even a week ago, but Moody had a tough week. On one day, both kickers missed several kicks, but that was an outlier for Stevens, an undrafted rookie from Iowa. Stevens leads and probably comfortably, but Washington wants to see him make kicks in games. Every kick is big for Stevens. He must show the Commanders he can not only make kicks over 50 yards but also the mid-range kicks that kickers sometimes struggle with. A big day for Stevens could seal this competition.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: 7 Commanders to watch in preseason opener vs. Dolphins