Ron Rivera, Jack Del Rio, and players talk about OTAs

Del Rio is up first this morning. He thinks the players are doing a tremendous job of putting in the work and effort.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Jack Del Rio on Chase Young: “I spoke with him last night. He’ll be joining us shortly. He’s working out, taking care of business. All of our guys — it’s voluntary, we’ve had tremendous participation, we’re pleased with that."

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 2, 2021

Del Rio said Jamin Davis is "made of the right stuff." He compared the first-round pick Chase Young in his approach, saying he is all business.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Jamin Davis has been getting a lot of time in the middle. That's where Del Rio wants to put him first, and they'll work from there. Rivera has said that he feels Davis can play all three spots in the linebacker corps.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Del Rio thinks the secondary is going to be a competitive group. They've already got their hands on a few interceptions so far. They're working hard, and that's what it's all about, Del Rio said, and they'll get plenty of opportunities to show what they can do.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Kam Curl “fits where ever we put him,” Del Rio. He said he’ll play multiple spots. “Roles will be determined. There’s time for that kind of stuff.”

— Matthew Paras (@Matthew_Paras) June 2, 2021

Del Rio wants to see Young, Sweat, Payne and Washington's entire defensive line take another step this season. They have a lot in the toolbox with that defensive line, and they're always looking to sharpen those tools.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Rivera is at the podium now. He's been very pleased with what he's seen. He loves their attentiveness, and today they started fast and finished fast.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Ron Rivera was at the Wiz game the other night when a fan ran onto the court. Rivera said of the security guard that it was "a heck of a tackle... dropped his hips, bent his knees and drove through the tackle." Joked that they considered reaching out to him.

— John Keim (@john_keim) June 2, 2021

Curtis Samuel dealing with a slight groin issue. Taylor Heinicke took an elbow above the eye last week during a drill, leaving a gash hence the no helmet.
Saahdiq Charles being monitored off last season's kneecap injury but Rivera says nothing alarming.

— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) June 2, 2021

Rivera said the team's attentiveness has been a huge plus. There are players giving their all on every rep. Mentioned Ryan Fitzpatrick helping out the wide receivers to build a better connection on their routes.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Rivera on the hiring of Dr. Barbara Roberts: there's a lot of things these players are going through, and they need someone to help them work through it. It's very important and very vital to the organization.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Ron Rivera praised Naomi Osaka for her actions. Thanked the Snyder family for hiring Dr. Roberts yesterday. #WashingtonFootball

— Chris Russell AKA The Rooster (@Russellmania621) June 2, 2021

"Naomi Osaka made a stand and I have a tremendous ammount of respect for that."

- Ron Rivera, while discussing @WashingtonNFL’s hire of Dr. Barbara Roberts as Director of Wellness and Clinical Services

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) June 2, 2021

Jonathan Allen out today because he exercised his right to skip the voluntary OTA session. Has been in touch with the coaches.

— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) June 2, 2021

Rivera said the expectations for Antonio Gibson is to take another big step. He was a scoring machine for Washington last season, and they want him to push that further.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Ron Rivera: "Going forward, there’s nothing set in stone. A lot of these positions will be competitive. Every position has an opportunity to have a different player start for the most part. There are a couple that are pretty solid though. I'm not going to lie to you about that."

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 2, 2021

Rivera said the team has a tremendous amount of confidence in its players. The offensive line is going to be a competitive group, and nothing is set in stone. They're going to play the best guys.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Rivera said the younger defensive linemen have done a great job competing ad taken advantage of their opportunities.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Steven Montez took non quarterback drills today. Rivera said since he’s had his vaccine and has had COVID, they’re wanting to see him at other positions in case the virus shelves a bunch of guys. “The pandemic isn’t over,” he said.

— Matthew Paras (@Matthew_Paras) June 2, 2021

Rivera thinks there is a good group of potential punt returners and there are a lot of options. They'll exhaust every opportunity to see who the best person is for the job.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Punt returner talk. Rivera says they have a few options. The first one he mentions? DeAndre Carter. Then Steven Sims and Milne. Problem: Not sure any of those guys make the roster considering the WR depth.

— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) June 2, 2021

Taylor Heinicke is up at the podium. He has a bandage on his forehead because he caught an elbow that required stitches. Rivera said he looks like a boxer and called him Clubber Lang before leaving the Zoom meeting.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Heinicke says he got seven stitches and even chipped his tooth. A running back accidentally elbowed him during an install play. https://t.co/5mcLlKGlF0

— Matthew Paras (@Matthew_Paras) June 2, 2021

Heinicke said he wanted to be bigger and stronger this offseason. He gained about 15 pounds and has been eating healthy.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Heinicke said he's gained 15 pounds this offseason. "Good weight" he said. Ate healthy; hit the gym hard... Was an obvious desire of his to do so; knows that he has been hurt a few times.

— John Keim (@john_keim) June 2, 2021

With all his extra weight, Heinicke said he still moves fine. He was lifting weights, but he was also going through agility drills to make sure the weight doesn't slow him down.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Heinicke said he's working on staying in the pocket. Says the added weight has not impacted how he feels he's moving around.

— John Keim (@john_keim) June 2, 2021

Heinicke said Ryan Fitzpatrick has been very successful in his career, so he, Kyle Allen and Steven Montez are always picking his brain and trying to learn as much as they can from the vet.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Heinicke said he has gained a semi-celebrity status after his playoff game. He's been stopped a couple of times at ODU and called it a cool experience.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Heinicke said he feels more comfortable now that he's going through the offseason as opposed to joining the team at the end of the year. It's starting to feel second nature, he said.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

In the offseason Heinicke trained with @SeedmanJoel, whose workouts focus on functional movement. He said he didn't need surgery on his shoulder and building up the strength around him helped him gain needed weight without affecting his throwing motion.

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 2, 2021

Heinicke said "I wake up every day and I'm stoked to go to work and play football."

— John Keim (@john_keim) June 2, 2021

Here's the video of Brandon Scherff's fantastic answer about Sam Cosmi's size/strength/speed pic.twitter.com/t9Ai1ycv8q

— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) June 2, 2021

Brandon Scherff on his early impressions of Sam Cosmi, who Scherff said is extremely strong and fast: "I was like, 'Holy shit, where did you come from?'"

— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) June 2, 2021

Brandon Scherff talking about how Sam Cosmi is fitting in. Apparently, Cosmi joined him in the weight room - “Holy S%*#! Where did you come from?” Said he’s also fast, the team wears trackers. Expect a foot race. @WashingtonNFL

— Julie Donaldson (@juliedonaldson_) June 2, 2021

Brandon Scherff says he's "hopeful" he can sign a long-term deal with Washington but he's leaving that to his agent. Says he's not focused on such matters.

— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) June 2, 2021

Brandon Scherff on Morgan Moses: "We’ve been together for six years and played almost every single game together, so I appreciate everything he did for me and I owe a lot to him. I just hope everything works out for him. He’s a heck of a player and a heck of a friend to me."

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 2, 2021

Tress Way was obviously affected by Nick Sundberg's departure and mentioned how well Nick treated him when Tress first arrived in 2014 as something he remembers. On Camaron Cheeseman, meanwhile, Tress said "I look forward to seeing a new butt out there"

— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) June 2, 2021

One of Tress Way's goals before joining the NFL was to have a career that spanned so long that he'd eventually be looked at as the old dude on the team. Feels like now, as Washington's most-tenured player, that he's accomplished that

— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) June 2, 2021

"There's a whole bunch of ballers everywhere you look."

Daron Payne with a great summation of the defense

— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) June 2, 2021

Daron Payne's car collection is absurd, as any of his Instagram followers know. Right now, he's got five or six, including a 1967 Impala that's his favorite. Sounds way cooler than my 2012 Equinox

— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) June 2, 2021

Curtis Samuel is addressing the media. It's been exciting for him to be with a new team and new players. He's enjoying every day, and he wants to come in and add value to the team.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Samuel wants to take his game to the next level, and he feels like working with Ryan Fitzpatrick will allow him to do that.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Samuel said it's been fun being back with Terry McLaurin. They were roommates at Ohio State for three years and even said he taught Terry how to dance.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

This is a story about the time @CurtisSamuel4__ and @TheTerry_25 went fishing. pic.twitter.com/sy6cvRbDSI

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 2, 2021

Samuel said the energy is really high among the players. That alone makes him want to buy into the culture.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Samuel's mindset is doing everything he can to help the team when he has the ball in his hands. If you make more plays, that'll only encourage the coaches to get you the ball more.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Curtis Samuel says his job is to "make things happen and to be explosive..."

— John Keim (@john_keim) June 2, 2021

Antonio Gibson is addressing the media now. He said he's been enjoying the process and "getting his feet wet." He's starting to pick on some aspects more quickly.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Rivera said he expects Gibson to take a big jump the season. He knows the coaches believe in him and he thinks this year will be a good one for him.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Antonio Gibson had a turf toe injury last season and is still working to get it 100 percent. His primary focus in the offseason, while training at EXOS in Texas, was getting healthy enough to practice in OTAs.

He's been out here full speed so far ... pic.twitter.com/Xu2Ie3qSuY

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 2, 2021

RB Antonio Gibson said the toe injury that forced him to miss two games late last year has lingered thru the start of the offseason. He said he's been rehabbing, and he's able to make cuts he needs to, but it's something he'll have to monitor moving forward.

— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) June 2, 2021

.@AntonioGibson14 was asked about his new baby girl and his face lit up. "She's adorable," he said. "The most perfect thing in the world if you ask me. But I'm biased." pic.twitter.com/8DGGaEV8l4

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 2, 2021

Gibson is now a new father and he's really enjoying it, even though the sleep schedule has been a bit of an adjustment.

— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) June 2, 2021

Antonio Gibson on being a new father: “She’s the most adorable thing in the world... but I might be a little biased”

— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) June 2, 2021