Nick Allegretti - , commanders Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-01 | Full transcript (primary source).
Nick Allegretti addressed the media during a press conference for the Washington Commanders on September 1, 2026. The event focused on the team's preparations and dynamics as they approach the upcoming season.
Transcript
Allegretti: Just the one, but I like to keep it the same. Just if I have a sleeve on one, might as well have it on both, keep them warm. Just continuing to work on my routine, my prep and I felt good the last two days, felt good that four or five days prior to getting out to practice. So just continuing to stack good days in front of each other, one more big one tomorrow before a couple of days off. So looking forward to it.
Allegretti: Yeah, I understand that's kind of part of the deal. Obviously, when you moved on from Tyler, that was something that the media was gonna grab onto, but just appreciate the staff, given myself, Matt, the trust, that position. Matt's been doing an incredible job. Really good opportunity for him to be thrust in there, getting a ton of reps with Jaden at a young age and been doing a hell of a job. So just trying to help him, which also helps myself in turn when I'm getting the mental reps and then working back in, getting the physical reps. I know that center's probably talked about a lot, but just trying to take care of myself, take care of Matt and that'll take care of me.
Allegretti: I think just in general, in terms of O-line evaluation, it's impossible, and I think it'll always be impossible to evaluate the communication side of offensive line. I think that's probably one of the biggest factors in a successful unit. Obviously, there are successful players all over the NFL in the offensive line, but being a successful unit, I think the communication is huge. So you throw the tape on and that evaluation, whether it's a great game, bad game, et cetera, what you guys are missing is how we're communicating upfront. If it's a silent game, it's like it'll be on the road in the first two weeks of the year, communicating if my head's under, both my guard's communicating to me there. If Sammy's turned back, communicating to him if the front changes, how we're working our combination. So I think the communication aspect of it and both on the field and in the meeting room is just something that you guys will never have the opportunity to see, and I think that's probably the biggest thing that you don't.
Allegretti: I'd say five silent games. Something that obviously, in training camp, you work it occasionally, but as you're installing an offense, you wanna be in your comfortable cadence. So you go verbal almost 100% of the time in training camp. But with these extra couple practices and then the first two weeks being silent on the road, we've been pretty much silent cadence since Saturday, so we'll have eight full practices with all the walkers all silent before that first game. So I think doing pretty good right now with it, but just continuing to work that, work out the piece of field line, getting the tackles on the same thing.
Allegretti: Obviously, I'll knock on wood, but missing time is hard for me. It's not something that I'm used to. So being cautious with it was something that I had to respect and especially we have Kapp in here, new running the sports medicine side of things. So learning his process and trusting that process was frustrating at times because I think I missed more practices this training camp than I have in my entire career combined. So trusting that process that we need to be right for September, not August. So I don't ever plan on missing games. Obviously, that can happen from time to time, but it would have been a faster timeline had it not happened in August.
Allegretti: Yeah, absolutely. So I mean, I got a few games last year at center with CP and Sammy and then obviously the year before guard was got a ton of reps and Sammy on the line but kind of always treated myself whether I was playing center or not was always in the center quarterback meetings. I've always played center mentally from whatever position I was at. So I feel really comfortable Jayden. I was communicated with him like I was a center just cause that's who I am in my core played center, you know, growing up all the way through high school and then got to college and we had a six but two guy that was good center. So I moved over. So happy to be back there. Love it. But yeah, feel super comfortable Jay and the communication we've developed over the past three years, not just left.