6 burning questions the Commanders must try and find some kind of answers to against the Jets

The Washington Commanders and New York Jets went head-to-head in a joint practice session on Thursday and let's just say things did not go well for Dan Quinn's squad.

Injuries and abhorrent weather really made life tough for Jayden Daniels and the offense, while the defense (primarily the secondary), struggled against an Aaron Rodgers-less led attack. Combine all that with poor kicking performances and it's easy to see why there was a lot left on the field.

Quinn said earlier in the week that Daniels and other starters will play on Saturday, but those who practiced a lot on Thursday won't play as much when things kick off at 12 p.m. ET. So, with that being said, let's take a look at six burning questions the Commanders need to try and find some kind of answer to against the Jets.

1. How will Jayden Daniels and the offense perform after a rough joint practice?

Daniels did not have a good day but there were a ton of factors working against him that he couldn't control: The Commanders offensive line was missing two, potentially three starters, the weather was awful, and the Jets defense is one of the NFL's best.

Quite the hill to climb for a rookie QB's first test against another NFL defense, eh?

Regardless, Daniels is expected to lift those around him as a No. 2 overall pick. Sure, the expectation shouldn't be for him to come in and have a C.J. Stroud-type rookie year, nor a Robert Griffin III-type rookie year, but at the same time, he's gotta make some plays on Saturday.

That goes for the entire offense, as well. It remains to be seen what the offensive line looks like, but right now, the front five is a scary situation and, outside of guys getting healthy, the Commanders need to find answers, quick. There were a couple of reports that said Daniels did progress against the Jets throughout practice and he took what was given to him and protected the ball, which are big positives. In all, that progression needs to continue on Saturday, even if it's a small bit.

2. What in the world will the offensive line look like?

Yep, speaking of the offensive line - what the hell is it going to look like?

Stud guard Sam Cosmi was in pads on Thursday, but didn't participate in team drills.  It was the same for incumbent starting right tackle, Andrew Wylie. Then, rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman sat out the session, but he wasn't in pads.

The starters at tackle were Trent Scott on the right and Cornelius Lucas on the left. Chris Paul also rotated in with the 1s. I couldn't find who filled in for Cosmi during teams.

Will Coleman get his shot to play on Saturday? Quinn singled him out before Sunday's practice when talking about potential matchups he was looking forward to. How about Cosmi and Wylie? Will the Commanders risk their veterans for some early playing time in a meaningless game? Especially when the latter isn't fully healthy?

If Daniels weren't in the picture, then it'd make sense to play it safe. But, putting Daniels out there behind a patchwork line is a risk, in itself. If the above trio is healthy enough to play without a big risk of aggravating any current injuries - they need to be out there with the former Heisman winner for as long as he is.

3. Will Brycen Tremayne and Dyami Brown take big steps toward a roster spot?

The Commanders have a solid 1-2 punch in Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson atop the receiver depth chart, but everything past them is a question when it comes to exactly who steps up in whatever regard.

Sure, there are a couple of vets like Olamide Zaccheaus and Jamison Crowder, but they have low ceilings. Luke McCaffrey, the rookie third-rounder, certainly has the highest ceiling of all, but he has a lot to prove, along with everyone else.

Two names that have been gaining steam are Brycen Tremayne and Dyami Brown. The former had quite the day against the Jets and has had a good camp, so far. The latter has impressed Quinn and made a highlight reel grab against New York on Thursday.

If these two guys can keep the momentum rolling, it would be a huge development. Especially when talking about Tremayne. He's literally the only wideout taller than 6-foot-2 on the roster - having that kind of size would come in handy, big time, during the season.

4. What is the cornerback composition and how effective is it?

We've all seen the reports on Emmanuel Forbes' performance against Garrett Wilson. Yes, he got smoked on several occasions and the fan video predicting Forbes would get burned, before yes, he got burned, is not a good look.

But, we really need to give Forbes the credit he deserves for the good plays he did make and the fact he was going up against Wilson. The third-year wideout is a top-tier receiver in the NFL - any corner can have a bad day going up against him. Still, there were plenty of lapses on Forbes' end that brought up bad memories from last year.

Outside Forbes, there's still a lot to figure out when it comes to the cornerback side of things in the secondary. Benjamin St-Juste got beat on a few plays and not much was reported on Mike Davis.

The cornerback group, like the offensive line, is a major question mark for the Commanders. We'll see how things shake out on Saturday and if anyone can take advantage of their opportunity.

5. Can the Commanders pass rush keep the momentum going?

There weren't a lot of bright spots on Thursday, but reports state the Commanders pass rush really showed some teeth against an average-at-best Jets offensive line.

Who cares about the status of the Jets offensive line - the Commanders defensive line is supposed to be the backbone of the defense and it's the best/deepest unit on the team. If it can't perform against an average front five, well, then I think you can put two and two together, here.

Again, we don't know exactly how much the 1s play on Saturday, but there's plenty to glean beyond them. Can Phidarian Mathis make some plays and keep his slim shot at a roster spot alive? What about John Ridgeway III? Then there's Dante Fowler Jr. and the Jamin Davis experiment to track, as well.

Odds are we won't see the exotic fronts Quinn likes to deploy because teams stay as vanilla as possible during the preseason, but the pass rush is still a viable topic to monitor.

6. How do the kickers bounce back?

Ramiz Ahmed and Riley Patterson are duking it out for the Commanders' kicker job, but neither did anything to separate themselves on Thursday. The elements obviously were a factor, so it'll be interesting to see what they can do on Saturday.

In normal weather conditions, it's been a pretty close race, so far. Both guys will certainly get a chance to show what they can do on Saturday and it'll certainly help when it comes to winning the job.