The first few days of training camp are very important, as teams use that time to lay the groundwork for the next few grueling weeks ahead. However, nothing is as important as when the pads come on, and that’s exactly the case for the Washington Commanders on Monday.

So, let’s not waste any time and dive into the main training camp battles to watch now that the pads have come on and we can start fully assessing players.

1. The battle for WR2

A quick preface with all of this: yeah, sure, we typically centralize these battles down to a player-versus-player matchup, but the Commanders are in a unique spot where a lot of the position battles feature multiple guys going at it. That’s the exact case for wide receiver 2.

This isn’t about the second passing attack option. We’ve already clarified that tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo will likely be the second guy in the passing attack. But it is important for Washington to flesh out who’s going to line up across from wide receiver Terry McLaurin for the majority of snaps.

Treylon Burks, Van Jefferson, Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey, and even Antonio Williams and Jaylin Lane all have a shot to earn that WR2 role. Will they? That’s a whole different question. The Commanders will probably deploy a rotation for the whole season. Either way, this is a time for somebody to really step up and carve a path toward that second receiver spot.

2. Chris Paul vs. Brandon Coleman at left guard

Unlike receiver, this is a single camp battle between Chris Paul and Brandon Coleman. The Commanders said they want Coleman fixated at guard for training camp and the regular season, and coach Dan Quinn reiterated on Monday that Coleman is in a battle with Paul for the left guard spot.

This will be a compelling matchup because Paul was really good last year. However, his contract situation from both Washington’s side and the lack of outside interest from the rest of the NFL shows that teams still have their suspicions. Coleman is a young, athletic lineman who can really get the job done when he has the footing underneath him. Paul is a veteran who has been in the league since 2022, but Coleman is an overall better prospect in terms of athletic profile and traits, and he has a higher ceiling.

3. The center position

Nick Allegretti is still out with a calf strain, and Quinn said on Saturday that he’ll be out for about a week or so. That leaves Matt Gulbin and Julian Good-Jones as the top two guys, and the Commanders signed Tyler Cooper over the weekend to jump in, as well.

Sure, Allegretti is the leader, but he doesn’t have the spot locked down by any means. Will Gulbin, Good-Jones, and Cooper be able to make some headway toward the No. 1 spot? It’ll be even more interesting once Allegretti comes back and is healthy.

4. The linebacker pecking order

The Commanders know who they have at linebacker. The question is how they’re going to deploy these guys. Leo Chenal is going to be more of a base linebacker. Sonny Styles is probably going to be the No. 1 linebacker and the guy wearing the green dot because he’ll be on the field all the time. And then there’s Frankie Luvu, who is now back at linebacker after having to play at edge last year due to all the injuries.

Jordan Magee is in the mix, too, and don’t doubt Magee. This coaching staff really likes him, and until Styles and Chenal came into the picture, they felt comfortable with him as the guy next to Luvu.

This is arguably the best linebacker room in the NFL, and it’s going to be fun to see how Washington utilizes these guys and who’s on the field in certain situations.

5. Who leads the running back by committee?

The Commanders have already said they’re probably going with a committee approach, but how does that shake out? A lot of people think Bill Merritt is going to be the top guy, especially with the offseason improvements he’s made. But he did have a fumble in practice the other day, and that was his biggest issue as a rookie. That’ll cost you a job real quick. You can be LaDainian Tomlinson out there, but the moment you fumble the ball, coaches are immediately going to start questioning whether you need to be on the field.

Rachaad White has drawn strong reviews this offseason and is a very underrated player. Then there’s Kaytron Allen, the rookie out of Penn State, and Jeremy McNichols, who has played very well for the Commanders in spot duty when called upon. Don’t rule out Robert Henry Jr., either. The UDFA out of UTSA can really hit the home run ball, and if he makes some big plays in camp, Washington is going to be hard-pressed not to put him on the 53-man roster.

6. Safety

Will Harris played pretty well last year but dealt with injuries. Nick Cross was brought in during free agency, but he’s more of a box-type player. Even though the Commanders have said he can play center field, he’s not as effective deep as he is near the line of scrimmage.

Quan Martin is arguably the team’s best center fielder at the position. I don’t buy into the nickel talks with how he’s going to be used. If the Commanders play him at nickel, it just isn’t going to make a lot of sense outside of situational matchup moments. Jeremy Reaves, the longtime captain and ace special teamer, has gotten an elevated role on defense, and Quinn talked on Monday about how that’s been visible in both practice and during last year’s games.

As I’ve said in the past, the Commanders don’t really have a true center fielder on this roster outside of Martin. And we all know Martin’s struggles last year after coming off double shoulder surgery. Will Washington be able to find that guy who can play deep? That’s what training camp is going to tell us.

Honorable mention: Kicker

This needs to be mentioned because it is a training camp battle, but pads aren’t really going to affect the kickers all that much. It’s still worth noting that Drew Stevens and Jake Moody are going to be going at it over the next few weeks. Can one of them finally provide stability at a position that has been anything but stable since 2024?