ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Sonny Styles played just one drive during his NFL preseason debut, but it was more than enough for the Washington Commanders rookie linebacker to self-critique his performance.
“First game, I wasn’t a big fan of it,” Styles said Wednesday.
Styles, the seventh pick in the draft, was the only projected defensive starter to play Friday night against Miami. The Dolphins went on a 14-play, 93-yard touchdown drive, which amounted to their only points of the game.
“One drive, start slow,” Styles said. “You’re always going to have things you want to be better at. I got to work on keeping better footwork, hands — all those different things.”
That drive was a reality check for Styles, who has largely impressed in his first pro training camp. He was tasked with wearing the green dot on his helmet, making him responsible for relaying plays to the rest of the defense.
Frankie Luvu has had that role with the first-team defense throughout camp, but new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones has preached the need for constant communication throughout the unit.
“I think all the guys in the room execute at a high level,” Styles said. “We have a bunch of guys that can do it. It really doesn’t matter (who gets) the play out. Once we get the play out, we’re all communicating together: linebackers, safeties, D-line, everyone’s communicating, corners. It’s not just one person doing all the communicating.”
Styles has leaned on Luvu throughout training camp, trying to learn as much as possible from the ninth-year veteran. They are still in a feel-out process of how to play alongside each other.
“I respect him a lot,” Styles said. “It’s great to have a vet like that in the room. … You got to get a feel for each other, how each of you fit certain runs and knowing how to play off each other.”
With an exhibition game under his belt, the Ohio State product said he didn’t notice much of a difference in live action between college and the NFL.
“I think it’s the same thing, like ball is ball,” Styles said. “If you’re a linebacker, you got to have good footwork, you got to have good hands, get off blocks, execute the play call.”
Commanders coach Dan Quinn has yet to decide who will play during Saturday’s preseason game at Detroit. If Styles gets the call again, he has one goal in mind.
“I just want to get out there and start fast,” Styles said.
The Commanders were without four defensive players during practice Wednesday because of injuries: Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Johnny Newton and Jordan Magee.
Newton’s absence seems to be the most serious after the third-year defensive tackle injured a pectoral muscle in the preseason opener. Newton spent Wednesday in New York meeting with a specialist for what Quinn expects could be a long-term injury.
Magee injured a shoulder during Friday’s game and will not play this week against the Lions, according to Quinn, who said it is “nothing that’s going to linger into the season or any of that.”
Oweh is dealing with a calf strain, while Chaisson suffered a knee injury during the joint practice with the Dolphins last week. Quinn emphasizing the team is being precautionary and did not appear concerned about either injury lasting long.
The injury list doesn’t stop there: Running backs Rachaad White (undisclosed) and Jeremy McNichols (quadriceps), quarterback Marcus Mariota (knee), defensive tackle Tim Settle and cornerback Trey Amos (ankle) didn’t practice on Wednesday. Mariota is out for the rest of camp with a sprained right medial collateral ligament, though Quinn expressed optimism about the 32-year-old being available by the start of the regular season.
Washington won't have standout left tackle Laremy Tunsil for the foreseeable future after he tore his triceps at practice on Aug. 7. Running back Jeremy Ford and wide receiver River Cracraft were placed on injured reserve and will miss the entire season.
The Commanders got center Nick Allegretti (calf) and tight end John Bates (hamstring) back at practice this week after each had been sidelined since the first week of training camp.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis (2) slides to the ground to avoid a tackle during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Washington Commanders, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in Landover, MD. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Miami Dolphins running back De'von Achane (28) is tackled by Washington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in Landover, MD. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are ticking higher Wednesday after the U.S. Treasury Department said it will buy more U.S. government bonds in a move that eased pressure on financial markets worldwide. Strong profit reports for the spring from Estee Lauder, Target and other U.S. companies are also helping to support the stock market.
The S&P 500 rose 0.3% and is on track for its first gain in four days after setting its all-time high last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 92 points, or 0.2%, as of 1:08 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.3%.
The stock market has been under growing strain as worries about inflation, big government debts and other factors drive Treasury yields higher in the bond market. That ultimately makes borrowing money more expensive for everyone, which slows the economy and undercuts prices for stocks and other investments.
But Treasury yields fell in the morning after the U.S. Treasury Department said it will at least double the size of its planned purchases of longer-term Treasurys from Sept. 9 through Nov. 4. The department said it’s doing so “to provide greater liquidity support in longer-dated nominal sectors where there is consistent strong sponsorship from market participants.”
These longer-term 10- and 30-year Treasurys are less beholden to the Federal Reserve, which can raise or lower very short-term interest rates for overnight loans. President Donald Trump has lobbied for the Fed to lower interest rates to help the economy.
Instead, longer-term yields are set by investors in the bond market, who are deciding how much interest they need to get paid by the U.S. government in exchange for lending it money. And recently, they have been demanding more in interest to make up for the growing risks of high inflation, continued government deficits and other factors.
After the Treasury department's announcement, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.67% from 4.71% late Tuesday. It, though, remains well above its 3.97% level from before the war with Iran sent oil prices and worries about inflation much higher.
The 30-year Treasury yield, which has recently touched its highest level since 2007, fell more sharply to 5.21% from 5.28% late Tuesday.
On Wall Street, Moderna and Merck helped lead the market after they announced encouraging initial results from a study of a cancer vaccine they co-developed. The new drug showed better recurrence-free survival in melanoma patients who had a combination of it and Keytruda, a prescription immunotherapy drug made by Merck, than with Keytruda alone.
Moderna soared 144.8%, while Merck jumped 11.2%.
The continuing parade of U.S. companies to report bigger profits for the spring than analysts expected, meanwhile, continues to support stocks.
Estee Lauder rallied 17.4% after CEO Stéphane de La Faverie said a key measure of its revenue growth accelerated for a fourth straight quarter. It reported growth in revenue around the world, with the strongest in mainland China.
The skin care company reported earnings per share of 39 cents, after excluding some restructuring and other one-time expenses. That’s up from just 9 cents a year earlier and was better than the 32 cents that analysts expected, according to FactSet.
Such growth is imperative because stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term. And strong growth helps allay criticism that stock prices shot too high in their runs to records.
Target rose 5.9%, Lowe’s added 2.5% and homebuilder Toll Brothers climbed 6.3% after they all also reported better profits for the latest quarter than expected.
They helped offset drops for some Big Tech stocks, which restrained the overall market. Broadcom fell 4%, for example, and was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500. It and other winners of the artificial-intelligence boom have been swingingsharply through the summer on worries that their stocks may have shot too high and that the AI frenzy may not be sustainable if it doesn't produce big-enough profits.
In stock markets abroad, indexes were mostly lower in Asia and mixed in Europe.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 sank 3.2%. South Korea’s Kospi, which has been home to some of the world’s sharpest swings because of its heavy reliance on AI stocks, slumped 5.8%.
AP Writers Michelle Chapman, Chan Ho-him, Mike Stobbe and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.
Specialist Gregg Maloney works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Options traders Chris Dattolo, Scott Frinzi, Justin Kanda, and Ravi Bhandari, left to right, work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics Co. stock price at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
