The Washington Commanders have an electric QB + head coach duo in Jayden Daniels and Dan Quinn that was able to get to a Conference Championship in year 1 together despite Jayden Daniels being a rookie, Dan Quinn being in his first season on the job, and the team having gone 4-13 the year prior. However, the subpar/rebuilding Washington roster held the team back in year 1 and was a large contributing factor to the poor year the team had in 2025 along with Jayden Daniels’ lack of health. I feel as if the duo of Daniels/Quinn is one of the best head coach + QB combinations in the sport and the subpar roster that the team has had is what has held them back so far in this era. I will go into detail assessing the Commanders’ roster starting here with the offensive line of the team.
Set to start at left tackle is five-time pro bowler Laremy Tunsil who is among the better if not the best overall offensive tackles in the sport. Tunsil is known for being elite in pass protection and consistently being good to very good as a run blocker. Tunsil graded as the seventh best overall tackle in the NFL this past season. Tunsil provides stability to a Commanders’ offensive line that lacks it in places if he can stay healthy.
Starting at left guard is former seventh rounder Chris Paul who is the weak link on the Commanders’ starting offensive front as of now. Paul in every season he has played thus far in the NFL has graded in the well below average to poor range among players at his position. However, Paul has only put together one season of starter snaps thus far in the NFL and could very well improve as he moves forward from his de-facto rookie season. However, Washington should explore moving Paul to a reserve role while figuring out how they can get stronger production out of their starting left guard spot.
At center former seventh rounder Nick Allegretti is set to start for the team and is also a weak link who could move to a reserve role eventually in 2026. Allegretti has graded in the below average range with regularity in every season he has played extended snaps except one where he actually played pretty well grading in the top third among players at his position while taking almost 700 snaps. Allegretti has a high ceiling but is below average the vast majority of the time and is likely better suited as a reserve.
Starting at right guard is former 2nd rounder Sam Cosmi who is a strong anchor to an otherwise questionable Washington offensive line along with Laremy Tunsil. Cosmi has graded in the above average to elite range among players at his position in every season he has played thus far since entering the NFL in 2021. Cosmi has graded as a top 10 overall guard on one occasion and as a top five overall guard on another occasion as well, while also being consistently above average at tackle. Cosmi is among the better if not among the best overall guards in the sport today who can also play tackle at an above average clip if need be.
Set to start at right tackle is 2025 1st rounder Josh Conerly Jr who is coming off a meager but respectable rookie season that he can build off of. Conerly Jr graded (71/95) among all qualified tackles as a rookie and is in line to build off of it and live up to his high draft billing in year 2. However, after a mediocre season in 2025 he remains a question mark and could transition to a reserve role at some point during this upcoming season if he does not improve noticeably.
From a reserve standpoint on the offensive front the Commanders have some notable names that could step into a starting role and/or provide the team with some high-end reserve play. 2024 3rd rounder Brandon Coleman has looked good in about a season’s worth of snaps thus far and could now build off his de-facto rookie season and become a high-level starter. Coleman primarily plays tackle but can also play guard if need be which would bode the team well as the team’s starting interior offensive line is very questionable as of now. Reserve offensive lineman Andrew Wylie is capable of playing both tackle and guard, was very proficient at guard early in his career but has since struggled transitioning to the tackle spot.
In totality, the Commanders have what it takes to have potentially an elite offensive line during this upcoming season although there are a ton of question marks as of now. The starting left guard and center spot are currently occupied by players who I do not deem to be NFL caliber starters as of now. However, Nick Allegretti, Andrew Wylie, and Brandon Coleman are all capable of playing at an above average clip on the interior of the offensive front. If two of those three players can play well and solidify the interior of Washington’s offensive line, if 2025 1st round starting tackle Josh Conerly Jr can improve and start to live up to his high draft billing heading into year 2, if the team can stay relatively healthy up front and/or see some young players emerge as strong backups, then this Washington offensive line can be elite next season. A breakdown of the Commanders’ offensive front heading into the 2026 season can be found below.
Projected 2026 Commanders’ Starting Offensive Line
LT – Laremy Tunsil – A-
LG – Chris Paul – C to C-, weak link as of now, could move to a reserve role if he does not improve
C – Nick Allegretti – C+, high ceiling, but far too inconsistent
RG – Sam Cosmi – B+ to A-
RT – Josh Conerly Jr – C as rookie, 2025 1st rounder heading into year 2 where he is in line to dramatically improve
Notable 2026 Reserve Commanders’ Offensive Linemen
T – Brandon Coleman – C+ to B- so far, still improving, capable of playing guard as well
G – Andrew Wylie – C+, can play guard or tackle, B to B- at guard, C at tackle
