The competition for left tackle is one of the biggest storylines from the Washington Commanders' training camp, but the offensive line as a whole is a question that the team must solve to better protect Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota.
That is going to take longer than fans might want, but the deliberately slow process of finding the right players up front isn't a bad thing.
The Commanders haven't done much tinkering with the offensive line in the first two days of training camp, but that will change as practices continue into August. The team will mix and match different players together in 11-on-11 and other team drills, occasionally giving backups reps with the starts and possibly moving players from tackle to guard and vice versa.
There's a reason behind the team playing a game of "big skill" musical chairs over the next few weeks; they'll be experimenting to see which five players work best as one group.
"Different combinations of players will be necessary over the course of the next four or five weeks to find what's the best winning combinations," head coach Dan Quinn said before practice.
The Commanders tried some of that during OTAs in June, particularly at tackle. Cornelius Lucas and Brandon Coleman split reps on the left side in team drills, with the latter taking over during the end of the offseason workout program. Trent Scott, who is also in the running for the left tackle spot, played snaps on the right side.
For now, it looks like there is a clear pecking order on the offensive line. From left to right, the starting group consists of Lucas, Nick Allegretti, Tyler Biadasz, Sam Cosmi and Andrew Wylie.
To find the right fits for the starting lineups, Quinn will be paying close attention to execution and skill work of each player, meaning their individual blocks and techniques. But there is more than talent required to play on the offensive line. Centers, guards and tackles all must work together, whether it's a combo block or passing off a blitz in pass protection.
The chemistry that the players build together can be just as important a factor when deciding on starters. Learning to work, and compete, with each other is what camp is for, Cosmi said.
"We're trying to get to the point where anybody can go out there and ball out. And so, having those guys in there and competing and doing all that and having the ones out there, you have guys that have been doing this for a very long time too."
Building chemistry isn't just hitting each other on the practice field every day. The offensive line has some other activities off the field to strengthen their bonds, and that typically involves food. The group does O-line dinners often, Cosmi said, but they also like to watch UFC fights or go to a teammates' house. If it ends up creating a sense of brotherhood between them, they're up for giving it a try.
Learning a new playbook together also accomplishes that goal.
"Obviously there's just different ways of blocking certain things but having a group of guys that are vets like bringing Ty [Biadasz] in, he's very, very intelligent, very smart, asks a lot of questions, and he wants to know all the details of the play," Cosmi said. "And having Andrew next to me, we just have that chemistry and we're building that and we're both learning this playbook together and doing all that."
The Commanders clearly needed an upgrade at offensive line after a turbulent 2023 season. And while the team doesn't have a full answer as to which players will start Week 1, they at least made sure to add plenty of new pieces. Cosmi and Wylie are the only Day 1 starters from a year ago. The rest of the group will consist of newcomers or career swing players.
It's now time to see how those pieces fit together. They all share the same goal of winning, but they're also aware that they'll be going after the same jobs.
"Guys are still trying to work for jobs and grind for jobs," Cosmi said. "It's competing. I always say you think you're competing against a guy across from you, no. You're competing with the guy in your room."
