The Washington Commanders are all-in on Nick Allegretti at center, and Adam Peters is making no secret of it.
That conviction has come with plenty of scrutiny this offseason. Washington moved on from starting center Tyler Biadasz, handed Allegretti a contract extension before he had truly settled into the job, and then watched the veteran miss critical training-camp reps after suffering a calf strain on the first day. For a player with almost no experience anchoring the offensive line, that was enough to raise eyebrows.
Peters isn’t flinching.
“Not having Nick for most of camp was something we had to work through, but we have a ton of confidence in him. And he's played, I think, 3,000-some-odd snaps in this league. And he's played good football for us before.
"He went through the whole offseason, so we're really confident. He's not a guy that needs a ton of reps, especially from a mental standpoint.”
The Commanders have backed that belief with their actions, or lack of them. They haven’t gone searching for a more established fallback option, and that leaves Allegretti positioned to keep the job unless something changes.
The resume is mixed. Allegretti had a rough stretch at left guard in 2024, though there were a few encouraging moments mixed in.
He then lost the starting left guard job to Brandon Coleman in 2025, before Sam Cosmi’s injury pushed him to the right side of the interior to open the season. That experiment went poorly, and he was benched after two games.
After that, he was barely part of the rotation.
Still, Washington saw enough when Allegretti filled in at center for Biadasz to keep the faith.
Behind him, the depth chart is thin. Julian Good-Jones’ preseason struggles landed him on the practice squad, and sixth-round rookie Matt Gulbin is now the backup. Gulbin has more center experience, but he is also young and still developing.
The Commanders could still add another center if the right opportunity appears, but the current plan is obvious: let Allegretti handle it and trust the process.
That is a gamble Peters is willing to own. If it backfires, the spotlight will land squarely on him.
And the opening stretch won’t make life any easier. Washington begins on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles, with Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter waiting in the middle at Lincoln Financial Field. That is a tough first test for a line already dealing with the loss of five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil to a torn triceps.
For a quarterback like Jayden Daniels, the margin for error is getting smaller by the day. The Commanders believe Allegretti can hold up. Fans can only hope they’re right.
In Other News...
Commanders Quietly Added A Tackle Who Could Solve A Real Depth Concern
As the Commanders wrapped up their 53-man roster and practice squad, they also spent the back end of roster-cut day bringing back familiar pieces and hunting for help from outside the building. Washington re-signed 12 players it had waived or released, then added five newcomers, a group that included veteran cornerback Isaac Yiadom and offensive tackle Esa Pole.
Pole is the more interesting addition for the line conversation because he has already been through a bit of a whirlwind. The former Chiefs and Jets blocker made his NFL debut last season, started four games at left tackle, then was waived before Washington brought him in, giving the Commanders another tackle option at a spot where depth can disappear fast. The real question now is whether he can turn that opening into something bigger once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Aiyuk Keeps Sending A Message Washington No Longer Needs
Brandon Aiyuk has spent part of the summer sending Washington a message in plain sight, showing up on social media in Commanders gear and making it clear where he would like to land. For a while, that kind of public courting might have at least sparked a real conversation in Ashburn, especially with a talent like Aiyuk still under contract with the 49ers and looking for a path to a new team.
Instead, Washingtons side of the equation has been settled for some time. The Commanders have not shown interest in signing him, and general manager Adam Peters has already made it clear veteran Stefon Diggs was the preferred option all along. Aiyuk still has not applied for reinstatement, which leaves his NFL future hanging in the balance while the team he keeps signaling to has moved on. [Read more 🡒]
Adam Peters Is Forcing A New Commanders Roster Debate
Adam Peters has opened the door for undrafted free agents in a way that has started to change the conversation around how Washington should build its roster. Under the Commanders current approach, those players are getting more real chances to compete than they were in previous years, and a few have already turned that opportunity into roster spots or meaningful roles.
The broader point is what makes the debate interesting. Washington is being viewed more like the Ravens now, a team with a long track record of finding contributors after the draft, and that has complicated the old argument that the Commanders needed to stockpile more late-round picks and UDFAs. Peters is giving the franchise a different kind of depth strategy, and the question is whether it can keep producing enough hidden value to matter once the roster gets tighter. [Read more 🡒]