Commanders General Manager Adam Peters said San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk did not have Washington practice footage, despite posting what appeared to be a screenshot of practice tape featuring quarterback Jayden Daniels on social media this month, and Washington addressed the matter internally.
“First and foremost, he didn’t have practice footage,” Peters said in a wide-ranging news conference alongside Coach Dan Quinn on Tuesday, a day before the Commanders open training camp. “A still, yeah. But we handled it internally and we’re unconcerned with that.”
One person with knowledge of the situation added the team addressed the matter with Daniels but did not issue a fine or any other form of discipline.
Aiyuk insinuated in a previous interview that, if traded, the Commanders would be among his preferred landing spots, presumably because of Daniels, his close friend and quarterback at Arizona State.
Peters didn’t address the speculation Tuesday; Aiyuk is under contract with the 49ers for the upcoming season.
Peters did address the near future of Johnny Newton, the Commanders’ second-round defensive tackle who was placed on the non-football injury list Friday. Newton underwent surgery for a Jones fracture in his left foot shortly after recovering from a partial Jones fracture in his right foot.
Peters said the team is pleased with Newton’s progress in his recovery and expects “it to be sooner rather than later that we release the reins.”
“Johnny’s been outstanding in his rehab and we’ve had to hold him back,” Peters said. “ … I think we’re just going to exercise caution — we’re not playing any games anytime soon. … We’re going to keep an eye on him throughout … but let him develop throughout training camp as well. He needs to get the reps just like everybody else.”
The reps that will be eyed the most in camp, however, will be those allotted to Daniels.
It would take a drastic turn for the Commanders not to have Daniels as their starter in Week 1, but the team has maintained publicly there will be a competition at quarterback, as with every other position, in camp.
“It’s not a secret,” Quinn said. “But it is a journey and a process, so as we’re going, when he’s ready we’ll know. And when he’s ready, he’ll also know. But as far as the reps go, with him and Marcus [Mariota] and moving them around, there will be certain days that we’ll feature more of the other. … We’re not trying to hold back the info. When we know, we’ll say it.”
Quinn said the team’s reason for not publicly appointing Daniels the starter was not for motivation or because of any doubt. Rather, the plan is part of a teamwide focus on competition and player development.
“This is an extremely motivated player,” Quinn said of Daniels. “At every position this is the case. We’ve got great confidence and all of that, but like I said earlier, it’s not one size fits all. So as we’re going through this whole process, let’s make sure we are going to be about the competition and how things are going to go. We’re not going to miss one step of their development. That’s what this time of year is for.”
