Wake Up Washington | Bobby McCain praises strides made in secondary during camp

Aug 18, 2022 at 08:30 AM

Copywriter

As training camp nears its close, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has felt encouraged about what he is seeing -- and hearing.

"The communication is really strong right now," Del Rio said. "It is such a huge part of what we do. Being on the same page and being able to play fast to the responsibilities."

Among the strongest voices in the unit is seasoned safety Bobby McCain, who Del Rio noted has "led the way" for the Commanders' back end thus far. Having a veteran presence is particularly important as the secondary has focused on integrating several newer faces into the unit.

McCain has been dishing out words of wisdom to rookie Percy Butler, who has got right to showing the insight will stick.

"I told him from the first day, you'll be in this league a long time as long as you don't make the same mistakes twice, and he really hasn't made the same mistake twice," McCain said. "You can tell the game is slowing down to him. You can tell he's playing fast…and he's understanding the defense really well."

Now with more experience under his belt following his rookie year, Darrick Forrest has turned up the volume on his voice in the secondary. Heading into Year 2, Forrest is demonstrating he has a more secure sense of his role and how the unit can execute.

"He's out there communicating with me and Kam [Curl]. He understands, he knows where he needs to fit," McCain said. "He's playing really aggressive, and he's going to be really good for us."

McCain was also complimentary of a guy who has been biding his time and working hard every day since he arrived in Washington four years ago: Jeremy Reaves.

"He's one of the smartest guys in the back end. Sometimes it's just about opportunity and when he gets his opportunity, he takes advantage of it, but he's been a good football player."

Reaves, McCain and the rest of Washington's secondary will face a valuable test against the Chiefs this weekend – whatever the score, the goal will be to internalize the lessons learned and build.

"There are no shortcuts to success," Del Rio said.

Here's a morning roundup of what the local and national media have to say about the Washington Commanders on Thursday, August 18, 2022. All reports, rumors and conjecture are a reflection of the media conversation and are not endorsed or confirmed by the Washington Commanders.

The reports and deals expressed in this article have not been confirmed by Washington, nor do they reflect any insider information from anyone in the front office.