JOINT PRACTICE: A Compilation of Yesterday’s Session

August 26, 2026: Ravens v. Commander Joint Practice

There are days at 1 Winning Drive when you squint and wonder. And then there are days like Wednesday, when the Ravens welcomed Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders to Owings Mills and sent them back down the Parkway with a film session nobody in burgundy will enjoy. Let’s start with the guys who write about this team for a living and their observations of this joint practice session.

Over at The Baltimore Sun, columnist Mike Preston and reporter Sam Cohn compiled eleven takeaways from the session, and the Sun’s Josh Tolentino captured the play that had the home sideline in a frenzy — Trey Hendrickson, Travis Jones and Trenton Simpson converging on Daniels for a group “sack,” part of a drive in which four of five snaps went for no gain or a loss. Folks, that’s not a pass rush. That’s a home invasion.

The visitors’ scribes saw it the same way. The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala, who has covered that team through some lean, lean years, called it the worst she’d seen Washington’s offense in years, describing the offensive line as “inoperable.” Tashan Reed, chronicled the lowlight of the red-zone period: rookie center Matt Gulbin sailed a snap, Daniels scooped it up, and threw it straight to Kyle Hamilton. When your escape hatch is No. 14 lurking in the end zone, it’s going to be a long morning. Reed also noted Washington couldn’t get much going in the 11-on-11 red-zone work, with subpar run blocking and a passing game that never found a groove.

This is the worst I’ve ever seen the Commanders’ offense in years. Inoperable offensive line.

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 26, 2026

The Washington Post’s dispatch read like a horror short. Daniels was getting pressured — again — with Baltimore getting after the quarterback all practice and bearing down on him even on the final play, as Washington’s in-flux offensive line looked out of sorts throughout the session. Context matters, and the Post’s framing acknowledged the unit was patchwork, but pads don’t care about excuses.

On the Baltimore side of the ledger, The Baltimore Banner’s cameras caught what everyone at The Castle has been waiting years to see: Rashod Bateman going 3-for-3 in one-on-ones against Washington’s cornerbacks. With Zay Flowers sidelined, Bateman looked every bit the No. 1 he was drafted to be. Now if he can carry that into September…

Ravens WR Rashod Bateman going 3-for-3 in one-on-ones vs. Commanders cornerbacks pic.twitter.com/nXHqmM3d93

— Baltimore Banner Sports (@AllBannerSports) August 26, 2026

And ESPN’s John Keim relayed the young quarterback’s attempt to keep the temperature down afterward, with Daniels preaching that the team has to keep building and growing, noting “You’re not winning a Super Bowl right now.” True enough. But it might help to block someone to keep the franchise quarterback on the field and out of the trainer’s room.

To be fair to the guests, the day didn’t end in total darkness. Even amid the wreckage, Washington’s defense closed the final two-minute drill with a fourth-down interception of Lamar Jackson by Mike Sainristil, and Daniels answered by floating a touchdown to Antonio Williams away from heavy pressure, sending the Commanders’ sideline into the end zone like they’d won something. That said, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec threw cold water on the Washington highlight, questioning whether Daniels even gets that throw off in a real game, since Hamilton came through unblocked on a blitz and pulled up to avoid contact with the quarterback.

The big picture from the Owings Mills grass: Baltimore’s defensive front looks nasty, Hamilton is playing chess while others play checkers, Bateman is cooking, and the last real tune-up before the games count went about as well as any Ravens fan could ask. Friday night at M&T is next, but Wednesday told you what the beat writers on both sides already know — one of these teams looks ready for September, and it wasn’t the one that got back on the buses.

Jeremy Reaves didn’t mix words following a rough day of practice for the Commanders against the Ravens. More coming later on Locked On Commanders and WUSA9 pic.twitter.com/ovMNilCKy7

— David Harrison (@DHarrison82) August 26, 2026

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