Redskins.com's Andrew Walker and Stephen Czarda break down the key plays and highlights from Day 14 of the Washington Redskins' 2015 training camp in Richmond, Va.
OFFENSE:
-- Sunday's practice was the final open-to-the-public session for the Redskins this year at training camp in Richmond. The team will have a closed session Monday morning before returning back to their Loudoun County, Va., headquarters for good for the rest of the season.
-- The Redskins on Sunday saw the return of Trent Williams (knee) to the practice field, who sat out Saturday's practice. Not practicing once again for Washington on the offensive side of the ball were wide receivers DeSean Jackson (shoulder) and Jamison Crowder (hamstring) and tight end Jordan Reed (hamstring).
-- Just minutes after officially announcing the signing of tight end Ernst Brun, the rookie out of Iowa State was already on the practice field in his white No. 40 practice jersey with the Redskins. It didn't take long into Sunday's practice for Brun to flash his talent, as he made a nice one-handed catch along the sideline, staying in bounds, during positional drills – right in front of general manager Scot McCloughan, no less.
-- The Redskins are obviously making the end zone fade a focus early in the preseason, as the quarterbacks and wide receivers were practicing the play over and over again Sunday at the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center. Redskins head coach Jay Gruden was overheard telling quarterback Colt McCoy to "Make 'em run and get this sucker, Colt!" During Thursday's preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns, quarterback Robert Griffin III and Pierre Garçon couldn't connect on two end zone fades, so the duo spent extra time after Sunday's practice perfecting their timing on the play.
Check out images of veteran safety Dashon Goldson during his first few months with the Washington Redskins.
-- Griffin III will be credited with two interceptions during the team's 7-on-7 drill, but they can certainly be designated under the "hard luck" category, as both were tipped into the air by receivers and picked off by safety Dashon Goldson. The first interception was tipped off running back Trey Williams' hands, while it was difficult to determine exactly which Redskins receiver tipped the second one. Other than those two picks, Griffin III in all completed 4-of-6 passes for about 40 yards and two touchdowns in the session, including a touchdown on a fade to Andre Roberts and a five-yard touchdown pass to rookie running back Matt Jones.
-- In 11-on-11 action, the first-team offense opened up with a nice end-around play by Roberts. Roberts, who serves as the team's kick and punt returner, certainly has plenty of practice trying to maneuver his way around the corner to find an opening, and he did just that for a big gain on the play.
-- In the same session, Griffin III found Garçon for a big play of about 20 or 25 yards on a deep crossing pattern. The fourth-year quarterback was given plenty of time by his offensive line to scan the field and find the veteran receiver, and Griffin III's pass was right on the money.
-- Wide receiver Rashad Ross made a nice play to stay focused and come down with a catch after it was tipped at the line of scrimmage by a blitzing Keenan Robinson. Ross, who was originally the intended receiver on the play, made a nice adjustment to go get the tipped pass and get a few yards out of a potentially busted play.
-- Sunday was quarterback Kirk Cousins' turn to man the second-team offense, after switching with McCoy, who led the unit on Saturday. Cousins, who had a solid performance in the preseason opener against the Browns, showed off his arm strength Sunday on one throw in particular to rookie wide receiver Evan Spencer on an out route. Cousins threw all the way across the field for the completion and first-down conversion on 2nd and 3.
DEFENSE:
The Washington Redskins conducted their fourteenth day of training camp walkthrough practice Sunday, August 14, 2015, at Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center in Richmond, Va.
-- In just his second full practice with the Redskins, linebacker Junior Galette showed flashes of the explosive player that recorded 22 sacks with the New Orleans Saints over the last two seasons. There were several instances in which Galette's burst quickly thrust him into the backfield where he would have recorded a few sacks or, at the very least, a few quarterback pressures. His speed was also evident during 1-on-1s with the offensive line, as he did well against Trent Williams' powerful moves.
-- Speaking of 1-on-1s, Corey Crawford, an undrafted rookie out of Clemson, got the best of the offensive linemen numerous times, including fourth-round pick Arie Kouandjio. Crawford's hand movement allowed him to get free of his opponents during the particular drill.
-- The defense wanted to test tight end Je'Ron Hamm early, as safeties Duke Ihenacho and Dashon Goldson both wrapped him up tight after a reception. Later, though, Hamm did a nice job in run blocking against Galette. This is something Hamm, a converted college wide receiver, has been working hard on over the last year.
-- Perhaps a forgotten man in the front-seven at times, Jason Hatcher made several plays in the backfield today and also had a key play during a two-minute drill. During the first 11-on-11 action, Hatcher got through the offensive line for what would have been a possible tackle for loss on Alfred Morris. Later, the veteran did a nice job reading an end-around for Andre Roberts. And during the two-minute drill, Hatcher swatted down a pass by Robert Griffin III that looked to be intended for Hamm.
--The defensive backs did a good job stopping the offense's momentum at times during the two-minute drill. Chris Culliver, for example, did a nice job to get a hand on a fade route in the end zone on a pass that was going in Ryan Grant's direction. David Amerson, meanwhile, nearly got his hands on an interception in the end zone. Amerson appeared to re-aggravate a shoulder issue early in practice during 1-on-1s with the receivers, but returned to the practice field a short time later.
-- Quinton Dunbar continues learning the cornerback position on the fly, and on Sunday, head coach Jay Gruden served reminder that you can only be so aggressive against the receivers. On a play in which he was matched up with Andre Roberts, Dunbar got a little too touchy with the receiver. While the ball didn't go their way, Gruden told Dunbar to "watch the grabbing."
SPECIAL TEAMS:
-- Roberts was back returning kicks and punts during special teams drills on Sunday. The incumbent starter at both spots for the Redskins, Roberts did not participate in these drills on Saturday.
-- There was no end-of-practice field goal competition for the Redskins and kickers Kai Forbath and Ty Long, so stay tuned to see how this goes the rest of the preseason.
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