The Washington Commanders have added starting experience to their offensive line by bringing in Andrew Wylie from the Kansas City Chiefs. Here are five things to know about one of the team's newest offensive players.
1. The move from guard to tackle.
When asked about his role on the Commanders' offensive line, Wylie smartly said he was willing to do whatever the team needs. If we're going by what he has done recently, though, he has been at right tackle for the past two seasons after playing guard for most of his career. The transition is going well, but it was not one that happened overnight.
The switch first happened out of necessity with Wylie filling in for players like Mitchell Schwartz, Mike Remmers and Lucas Niang. Wylie began to get more comfortable at the position over time, though, and he earned the starting job outright for the 2022 season.
"I can see the defense a lot better now too, so I've grown a lot out at right tackle and it's very comfortable for me," Wylie told KSHB last August.
Wylie can still play guard if needed. The team still has Sam Cosmi, who started at right tackle to start his career, although it is not known whether he will play guard or tackle in 2023. Fortunately, Wylie's experience at both positions gives Washington some wiggle room.
2. He has a big appetite.
Here's one thing that everyone knows: offensive linemen love to eat, and Wylie is no exception. Nick Vieau, one of Wylie's former teammates at Midland High School, shared a story with Midland Daily News days before Super Bowl LVII that shows just how much food Wylie can put away.
"I remember one time when I realized he was definitely different and not in a bad way," Vieau said Feb. 8.
Back in the early 2010s, Vieau and Wylie visited a restaurant called Daddy O's, which had a challenge that required customers to eat a one-pound burger, a pound of fries and a large milkshake in less than 30 minutes. That's a lot of calories for anyone, but the food was no match for Wylie.
"Andrew put it down in less than nine minutes -- and then he ordered a second one right after that," Vieau said with a laugh. "That takes a different level of human being to put that (amount of food) down that quick."
If Wylie can conquer defensive lines like he does eating challenges, then Washington's offensive line is in good shape.
3. He collects trading cards.
Everyone needs a hobby, and for Wylie, that involves a heavy dose of nostalgia and a few unopened packs of trading cards.
The passion started at a young age for Wylie. He was a Detroit Lions fan growing up, and his dad would often buy him boxes of cards with his favorite players in them.
Over the past few years, though, his attention has shifted to Pokémon cards. It became a tradition among the Chiefs' offensive line, and even Patrick Mahomes got in on the action in 2021. Wylie loves collecting them so much that buying more was his way of celebrating the Chiefs' win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship that year.
His favorite card: a LeBron James rookie card that was graded in perfect condition.
"That's a nice turnaround," Wylie said. "A $20-25 card is now worth a few thousand now. Nothing too crazy, but for that to be one of the first cards is really cool."
4. He has a nasty side to him.
Eating a bunch of food and collecting trading cards are all cool aspects of Wylie's personality, but at the end of the day, he is still an offensive lineman. That involves being a little nasty on the field, and Wylie can certainly live up to that.
The most recent example of Wylie causing problems for defensive linemen came in Super Bowl LVII, when Wylie and the rest of the Chiefs' offensive line had to deal with a defensive front that recorded 70 sacks last season.
Wylie was often lined up against Hasaan Reddick, and well...things did not go well for the veteran pass-rusher.
The Commanders have struggled to protect quarterbacks for various reasons, but that should change with Wylie injecting his physicality into the group.
5. He is excited to be reunited with Eric Bieniemy.
Wylie has worked with Eric Bieniemy from the time he signed with the Chiefs, so he is familiar with the Commanders' new assistant head coach/offensive coordinator and the system he intends to bring with him. It was actually one of the driving factors behind Wylie coming to Washington himself.
"He just has an incredible mind for the game from all aspects and all positions," Wylie said. "He spends a lot of time watching the O-line, so he gets it."
The numbers back up Wylie's confidence. The Chiefs had a top five offense every season Bieniemy was their offensive coordinator, and players like Mahomes and Travis Kelce had career performances. Bieniemy intends to replicate that success in Washington with its plethora of weapons at running back and receiver.
So, why wouldn't Wylie want to stay in a scheme that's had that much success?
"It's a good offense," Wylie said. "It scores a lot of points, and EB is really the driving factor behind it. It's just an incredible opportunity to be here and play under him. I'm just really excited to get after it."
