Matchups to watch
July 29, 2026
by Alex Zeese
When Camp opens up to the fans, it’s always sensory overload. As a fan, you want to watch everything, but having talked to seasoned reporters in the past, the real pros know that you are better off focusing on one or two position groups each day. I can’t remember who first said it to me, but if you really want to understand football keep your eye off the ball. So, this post is about a few things I’d try and watch, if I were a fan, which head to head matchups I’d be most excited for, weather it’s 11 on 11’s, or some other drills where the offense and the defense are facing off. Here are 3 matchups from which I’m excited to see highlights.
Sonny Styles vs Chig Okonkwo
Let’s start with the two biggest names brought in on either side of the ball this offseason. It will be very intriguing to watch whenever the coaches decide to have their freak athlete rookie linebacker match up on an equally athletic tight end in passing drills. While I think Styles may be a better athlete between the two, Okonkwo is in his 5th NFL season and has the benefit of experience. Washington has not had a reliable coverage linebacker in decades, and the team hopes that Styles can be the end to that flaw. Meanwhile, Okonkwo is a downfield threat at tight end, which is a departure from how Washington used the position in the past. In the end we are talking about a two really big, really quick, really athletic dudes who will be seeing a lot of each other in practice.
Amik Robertson vs Slot WRs Jaylin Lane and Antonio Williams
While the Commanders didn’t make a big splash at defensive back in the offseason they did add one key player, Amik Robertson. He is an established nickel cornerback who will give the team stability in the slot. He’s a six year veteran DB with plenty of experience. Robertson spent time with Vegas and Detroit, who had a bad season in 2025, but his addition will allow the team to hopefully keep Mike Sainristil at outside corner.
On the other side of the ball there will be two natural slot receivers to keep an eye on, last year’s draft pick Jaylin Lane and the rookie Antonio Williams. Both should be excellent in this new offense, as they were both heavily used in the short passing game in college and have the speed to do a lot of damage after the catch. While most of the fanbase will be more excited to see Williams play, I’m hopeful that we see some development from Lane. His upside is higher than people realize. Keep an eye on this, because if they can have success against a NFL veteran in camp that bodes well for Washington long term.
I will be honest for me, watching O-Line and D-Line face off at camp is probably the hardest thing to analyze. This is in part because they can easily get lost in the sea of humanity on a play, but we also have to remember that frequently the defensive line will hold up a bit more, so as not to hurt the quarterback. Regardless, this matchup will be incredibly important. Washington gave pass rusher Odafe Oweh has a 100 million dollar contract in the off season making him the 3rd highest paid player on the roster. That’s a major contract for a player who’s only had one ten sack season. Meanwhile on the other side would be Tunsil. When ESPN did their top ten rankings of every position group in the NFL, Tunsil was the lone Washington player to make any list. It’s always good to have an elite Left Tackle.
I am sure that as camp gets underway and highlights get leaked, we will see and hear plenty when it comes to all of these players. But remember it’s just as good to keep an eye on them when the ball doesn’t get thrown that way, to see who really won the rep.