Washington Commanders LB K'Lavon Chaisson (knee), LB Odafe Oweh (calf) and DT Daron Payne (knee) were limited participants in practice Friday, Sept. 11, but are not listed on the Week 1 injury report. OG Nick Allegretti (calf), DT Javon Kinlaw (back), LB Jordan Magee (chest), QB Marcus Mariota (knee), DE Charles Omenihu (wrist) and TE Ben Sinnott (oblique) fully participated and are not on the injury report.
SOURCE: Commanders PR
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Week 1 injury report for Commanders

#injury #washington #odafe

Washington Commanders tight end Ben Sinnott has made it clear that he likes new coordinator David Blough's offense. Earlier in training camp, Sinnott said the new offense was a "breath of fresh air" for tight ends.
"So many different variations," Sinnott said, via John Keim of ESPN, in discussing the different route variations. "Today we're lining up at number one, we're running five-step ins, we're running corners, we're running options, we're running flat [routes]. We're just doing everything. It's so much fun. It's a breath of fresh air for this offense and how it uses tight ends."
The 2024 second-round pick struggled to find his footing under former offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. In two NFL seasons, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Sinnott has played in 33 career games and has 16 receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Any tight end not named Zach Ertz was an afterthought in Kingsbury's offense. Quarterback Jayden Daniels also liked throwing to the reliable veteran.
This offseason, Washington moved on from Kingsbury. GM Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn also had enough of Kingsbury's offense. They wanted a more traditional NFL attack, with the quarterback playing under center more and a renewed focus on running the ball and play action.
Sinnott has expressed excitement more than once about his potential role in Blough's offense. The Commanders did sign tight end Chig Okonkwo in free agency, but Sinnott will play more of a hybrid role. He can line up as a traditional tight end or in the backfield as a fullback. He can also play H-back.

#tight #play #Commanders

What happens at tight end, now?
A significant question that has arisen is the fact that starting tight end John Bates is out for at least a couple of weeks. What does this mean for the Washington run offense, and is there a tight end ready to be promoted if Bates' injury becomes an ongoing dilemma for the 2026 season?
This "could be" a major obstacle for the 2026 season if Bates does not fully heal before testing his injured/strained hamstring. No, Bates is not an above-average receiving tight end in the NFL. But he is certainly one of the better blocking tight ends in the NFL. For those old enough, think what Don Warren meant to Joe Gibbs and the Redskins offenses during his lengthy 14-year career in Washington (1979-92).
NFL **** yst Brian Baldinger has praised Bates' blocking more than a few times. Baldinger has even referred to Bates as, "the best blocking tight end in the NFL." The 'JBB' is the 'John Bates' Block,' as Baldinger has stated in his NFL film reviews. So, this injury to Bates could be a major headache if he does not heal and remain healthy this season. The Commanders need Bates. But what if they don't get a healthy Bates in 2026?
TE Ben Sinnott, plain and simple, MUST step up. Newly signed TE Chig Okonkwo this offseason is more of a hybrid tight end/receiver. He is not an in-the-trenches tight end like Bates. Zach Ertz was a very good receiving tight end, but not nearly the blocker Bates is. Sinnott is more physical than Ertz, but still far from a Bates, thus far after his two seasons.

#tight #baldinger #ertz

During the early days of training camp, ESPN reporter John Keim caught up with Ben Sinnott to discuss how offensive coordinator David Blough plans to utilize the Commanders tight ends this season. Clearly, Sinnott was excited about the possibilities in Washington's new offense.
"It's not even close," Sinnott said. "So many different variations. Today we're lining up at number one, we're running five-step ins, we're running corners, we're running options, we're running flat [routes]. We're just doing everything. It's so much fun. It's a breath of fresh air for this offense and how it uses tight ends."
Head coach Dan Quinn has also detailed to reporters the role they see for free agent addition Chigoziem Okonkwo.
"Long play-action passing, over routes, pylon routes, things that are down the field, crossing routes that are catch-and-run to use some of his speed," Quinn said. Previously, we examined how much the Washington Commanders might run heavy personnel this season, but today we look at a couple of examples of what it might look like on the field.
Likely the personnel grouping most utilized by the Commanders offense this year, 12 personnel involves one running back, two tight ends, and two wide receivers. The team has emphasized the need for multi-dimensional running backs while adding Okonkwo as a big receiving threat. To gain an understanding of how Blough might use Chig out of 12 personnel, we take a look at an All-22 breakdown of Sam LaPorta with the Lions in 2023. Ben Johnson was Detroit's offensive coordinator and then-Lions quarterback David Blough was on the practice squad that year.

#sinnott #Commanders #ends #offense

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is all about business. While his good friend, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, continues to alienate the rest of the NFL with his social media antics, Daniels gathered several of his teammates in Los Angeles for some work ahead of training camp.
Wide receiver Dyami Brown has posted several videos this offseason showing his progress since re-signing with the Commanders in March after one season with the Jaguars. Brown shared a video earlier this offseason featuring Daniels, wide receiver Terry McLaurin, running back Rachaad White, and others.
Recently, Brown and others returned to Los Angeles to get more work with Daniels. But this time, several other teammates showed up too, including McLaurin, tight ends Ben Sinnott and John Bates, receiver Jaylin Lane, and others.
Here's Daniels getting some work in.
This tells you everything that Daniels is made of. Only a few days ago, some Washington fans, still desperately wanting the Commanders to sign Aiyuk when he's released, were openly saying Daniels was trolling everyone alongside Aiyuk on social media. Aiyuk criticized Daniels in a video last week, taking aim at the relationship between the young quarterback and his mother, who is his agent. Daniels responded only with a Kevin Durant photo giving two thumbs down.

What are the Washington Commanders thinking about their tight end group?
Approaching the 2026 training camp, rookies are scheduled to report July 24, and veterans are to report July 28. A few days ago, we looked at the running back troop; today, we look into the Commanders tight ends.
Zach Ertz: The Commanders have made no official announcement regarding Ertz for 2026. Yet they could certainly have announced, "We expect Zach back, we want Zach back," etc. Ertz suffered a torn ACL late in the season (Week 14), and he turns 36 in November. Ertz has totaled 825 receptions for 8,592 yards and 57 touchdowns while averaging 10.7 yards per reception in his 13-year, 181-game NFL career.
John Bates: Bates was extended last year by the Commanders because they see his ability and effort to block. He caught only 11 passes in 2025 and, frankly, may not catch more than 11 in 2026. But that is not because they don't like Bates. He provides good blocking in both the running game and on special teams.
Ben Sinnott: If Sinnott can remain healthy in 2026, look for him to double his production of 11 receptions in 2025. The rumors are that OC David Blough will look to Sinnott more than Kliff Kingsbury did in 2024 and 2025.