Notes From Washington's Minicamp Finale: Competition and Highlights Galore

WFT minicamp finale notes: Competition and highlights galore originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Washington Football Team's minicamp finale was on Thursday, but instead of quietly heading into what'll be an extended summer break, WFT players concluded the week with tremendous energy.

Here's a recap of all that went down in the last practice at the franchise's Ashburn, Va. headquarters until training camp returns to the location in early August:

• Ryan Fitzpatrick had an 11-on-11, goal-line session that he'd like to forget early on in the proceedings. Over a span of four plays, Fitzpatrick was intercepted twice; first by linebacker Khaleke Hudson, who emerged from a crowd with the quarterback's toss, and then by Bobby McCain, who corralled a slightly-tipped ball from the veteran. Coordinator Jack Del Rio asks his defense to hold strong when an offense gets close to scoring, which they absolutely did against Fitz. McCain later added a second INT as he continues to get comfortable with his new squad and secondary crew.
• Kyle Allen, who was leading the third-stringers, fared better than Fitzpatrick when it was his turn to run the show. First, Allen was able to escape a shaky pocket left, and then he found an open Dax Milne for six. On the next play, he uncorked a heater to Ricky Seals-Jones, who ran a quick hook route and was able to create just enough space for Allen's strike.
• Cole Holcomb is somewhat of a forgotten man on Del Rio's loaded unit, but he did his best to change that with a graceful PBU while he was covering his matchup in the seam. The mulleted linebacker got his head around at precisely the right moment and almost registered a one-handed interception. Jamin Davis is the fastest linebacker for Washington, but don't overlook Holcomb's speed.
• Antonio Gandy-Golden's reputation out of Liberty was that of a dominant threat in jump-ball situations. That said, he didn't show that side of his game at all in 2020, either in training camp or in his very limited time in the regular season. On Thursday, though, he made the best reception of his brief Burgundy and Gold career. Allen lofted one towards AGG's direction down the left sideline, and Gandy-Golden was able to spot it, open up his hips and pick it out of the air with only his right hand. He then held onto it as he tumbled to the ground. The offensive players, who had largely been silenced by the defense for much of the morning, erupted after the highlight. Gandy-Golden will need to do more of that the rest of the way in order to secure his place on the roster.
• That wasn't the only huge moment to occur in that portion or even on that sideline, for that matter. Dyami Brown, who seriously glides on his routes, sprinted right by Wednesday's star Benjamin-St Juste and got under a pretty shot from Taylor Heinicke. Brown then coasted into the end zone. While he got the better of his fellow third-rounder there, both rookies flashed big-time potential over the past couple of days.
• Dustin Hopkins hit what was basically a walk-off, go-on-vacation-everybody field goal, much to the delight of his teammates. Rivera had his players meet him at midfield and was about to have them do a mock conditioning test, similar to the one they'll do in Richmond to begin training camp, but Hopkins made a bet with his coach: If he drilled a long kick, then the session would end right then and there. Hopkins then went on to drill said kick — it was roughly 45 yards — and Rivera dismissed his group. Take that, Adam Vinatieri.