We're now in July, which means that training camp is coming soon.
It's going to be an interesting period for the Washington Commanders, who are entering the next stage of a new regime. It will be general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn's first season leading the Burgundy & Gold, and all eyes will be on Jayden Daniels as he begins to earn his spot as Washington's starting quarterback.
This year's training camp will also feature an overturned roster, half of which is made up of new players and draft picks.
For the next few weeks, Commanders.com will be looking at each position and highlighting some of the challenges they will face until the season begins. We'll start with the offensive line, which might be one of the team's most interesting groups.
On the roster
- C Tyler Biadasz
- C Ricky Stromberg
- G Nick Allegretti
- G Mason Brooks
- G Sam Cosmi
- G Michael Deiter
- G Julian Good-Jones
- G Chris Paul
- T Andrew Wylie
- T Alex Akingbulu
- T Cornelius Lucas
- T David Nwaogwugwu
- T Trent Scott
- T Brandon Coleman
What to watch:
- Who will be the left tackle? It's the question for the Commanders to answer at the position and one of the biggest questions on the entire team. Washington could have brought in other options to address left tackle, but they stuck with Lucas, Scott and Coleman. Peters said during the Annual League Meetings that he would feel comfortable with either Lucas or Scott as the starter. However, the Commanders are also going to give Coleman, who looked impressive during the offseason workout program, a shot at taking the job for himself. All three players received starting reps in 11-on-11 drills. While Coleman is certainly the long-term plan, it would answer a massive question for the Commanders if he can earn the job earlier than expected.
- Will Nick Allegretti be the left guard? Left guard is less of a question than left tackle, although it is less certain than center and the other spots on the right side. For now, it looks like Allegretti is set up to be a full-time starter for the first time in his career. Allegretti, who spent the last five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, has 13 regular season starts and filled in for Joe Thuney during the Super Bowl, performing well against an imposing San Francisco 49ers defensive front. Allegretti took most of the starting reps at left guard during OTAs with players like Paul, Brooks and Deiter also looking to compete for the spot themselves. It's likely that Allegretti will end up being the starter; even if he doesn't start, he would provide the position with an experienced veteran.
- How will Biadasz help Jayden Daniels? Daniels is not the starter yet, despite it looking like he was taking several steps to achieve that goal in OTAs. When that day comes, Daniels will need as much help as possible to direct the offense, regardless of how impressive he looked in OTAs. Biadasz was a three-year starter for the Dallas Cowboys, contributing to one of the better offensive lines over the past five years. The two have already begun developing chemistry, spending time together after practice to get snaps together. Biadasz should also help with protection calls, acting as an extra set of eyes for Daniels as he tries to read NFL defenses.
