Sam Cosmi is known more for his actions on the field and isn't one to typically speak up. The 25-year-old guard grew up with a stutter, which causes him to avoid public speaking.
Sunday's 28-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at home, however, lit a fire inside the 25-year-old guard that caused him to find his voice. Cosmi addressed the entire team in the locker room after the Week 10 loss in hopes of emphasizing the importance of resilience when it comes to a short week.
"I wanted them to know not to let this snowball effect into this week," Cosmi said in the locker room after Sunday's game. "I wanted them to know what we have here is still special. No matter what, we still keep fighting. I wanted them to know that this should hurt, this should hurt your core. This means a lot to us. Winning is the ultimate goal, and I know from the past that this means a lot, not only to me, but to everybody, so just to keep their heads up, keep fighting, and let's beat Philly."
A second-round pick out of Texas in the 2021 NFL Draft, Cosmi has lived through multiple iterations of the organization since his arrival to Washington three years ago. Cosmi has taken it upon himself to make sure the team continues its winning ways.
Through the first 10 weeks of the season, the Commanders have broken out of losing patterns and created new, winning ones. Ahead of the one-point loss to Pittsburgh, Washington had yet to lose at Northwest Stadium. Additionally, the team started the season 4-0 at home for the first time since 1991 and was 7-2 for the first time since 1996.
Sunday's loss stings even more to Cosmi because now that he's gotten a taste of success and what the team is capable of, he doesn't want to fall back into the Commanders' old habits. Cosmi credits his shift in mindset to the culture head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters' instituted from Day 1.
"What D.Q. [Dan Quinn] has done, what A.P. [Adam Peters] has done is change the culture," Cosmi said. "We have a higher standard here, and the thing is to uphold that standard. Like I said, we have faith and belief in what we're doing here to turn the page and do something special.
"We don't have the most talented team, but we have a really hardworking team, one that will come each and every day to work, to keep fighting and that's what I love about this team. I see that across the locker room, across the coaches, across everybody. I feel that, and it just makes you believe, and so we're not going to waiver from this loss; we're going to learn from it and turn the page and move our focus to Philly."
Part of becoming a leader is taking accountability, which Cosmi did through admitting his own flaws on the field.
"I'll call myself out," Cosmi said to the media. "On the draw, I think 95 [nose tackle Keeanu Benton] had an inside move. I tried to set him to the point where I should have known he was going to take that, he took it, got Jayden [Daniels] for a one-yard gain. That's on me, you know, and I take accountability on that, and I'll learn from that.
"So that little thing right there could be the play that changes the game, because you don't know what five [quarterback Jayden Daniels] is going to do on that play with his legs, so I was kicking myself on that aspect. But if we can go tonight and watch the tape and learn from that and take accountability for ourselves and not point fingers, we're going to be OK."
In September, Cosmi signed a multi-year contract extension after proving himself to be a keystone of the Commanders' offensive line the past three seasons. The move demonstrates just how valuable the team views Cosmi, and his postgame remarks reflect that.
Cosmi's personal development as a leader was on full display, and the broader notion that Quinn and Peters' vision for the Commanders' culture is taking shape. The new locker room culture is empowering younger players and veterans alike to speak up. No player is settling on good enough anymore, which is reflected in the team's "hurt," as Cosmi called it, on Sunday.
Luckily in the NFL, each week brings a new opportunity to be better than the last, and this week just so happens to be a short one.
With the focus shifted to Thursday night's divisional matchup under the primetime lights in Philadelphia, the three-day rest week is a big test for the Commanders. Facing off against the Eagles this week is different because of the way the players have bought into the new culture.
As much as the game is a traditional evaluation of how the division is shaking out, more importantly, it's an assessment of whether Washington's winning culture will keep the team striving to be better week after week instead of being content with what they've done thus far.
With all of the necessary tools to bounce back and stay atop the NFC East, Cosmi has clearly bought into the Commanders' version of success and winning football. He has one thing on his mind as the team prepares for a battle in the City of Brotherly Love -- winning.
"There's nothing more that I want to do than beat Philly, so they're going to have a pretty pissed team on their hands."
