Commanders' Offensive Line Depth Tested Again - And Exposed
The Washington Commanders walked into their Week 17 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys already shorthanded-and things only got tougher from there. Missing both starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil and right guard Sam Cosmi, Washington’s offensive line was already a patchwork job before the opening whistle. And when center Tyler Biadasz went down before halftime with knee and ankle issues, the situation turned from challenging to critical.
To their credit, the Commanders didn’t crumble. This team has experience plugging holes on the line, and the replacements were anything but green.
Brandon Coleman stepped in at left tackle, Nick Allegretti slid from guard to center, and Andrew Wylie filled in at right guard. All three had logged significant snaps last season, and that familiarity helped stabilize things-at least temporarily.
The results were mixed. Washington averaged a strong 8.0 yards per play, a number any offense would take in a heartbeat.
Quarterback Josh Johnson, who’s seen more playbooks than most coaches, was sacked just twice. But the offense only ran 41 total plays, hampered by third-down inefficiency and red zone struggles.
The Commanders moved the ball, but they couldn’t finish drives when it mattered most.
The Biadasz Effect
It’s becoming clear just how important Tyler Biadasz is to the identity of this offensive line. Since arriving in Washington as a free agent in 2024, he’s been a steadying force in the middle.
He’s not the kind of center who bulldozes defenders off the snap, but he brings a technician’s approach, balancing solid pass protection with dependable run blocking. In short, he’s the kind of player you can build around.
But when Biadasz isn’t on the field, the cracks show fast.
We saw it last season in Week 15 against New Orleans. With Biadasz sidelined, the Commanders turned to Michael Deiter.
The result? A chaotic 20-19 win that felt more like survival than strategy.
The Saints, despite boasting one of the league’s worst run defenses, held Washington under its season rushing average. And they got after Jayden Daniels with a vengeance, sacking him eight times-more than a quarter of their season total in a single game.
That performance wasn’t solely on Deiter, but it underscored a bigger issue: Washington hasn’t found a reliable Plan B at center.
Depth Chart Dilemmas
This past offseason, GM Adam Peters tried to address that. He brought in Nate Herbig, a dependable veteran who could back up multiple interior spots.
But Herbig unexpectedly retired during the summer, leaving the Commanders scrambling. Deiter and Julian Good-Jones stuck around on the practice squad, but neither did enough to earn the trust of the coaching staff.
That left Allegretti as the emergency option. He’s a versatile lineman who’s started games at guard, and he’s under contract for another year at a team-friendly price.
But when pressed into center duties, the results have been uneven. His performance in the Dallas game was a reminder of that.
Late in the game, with Washington in position to score from first-and-goal at the five, the offense stalled. One of the key reasons?
Allegretti couldn’t contain Quinnen Williams in the middle. To be fair, not many linemen win that matchup consistently-Williams is an elite interior defender.
But if Washington wants to be a playoff-caliber team again, they’ll need more reliability in those high-leverage moments.
A Familiar Problem
This isn’t a new issue for Washington. Over the past few seasons, the Commanders have cycled through a long list of interior linemen trying to find the right mix.
Nick Gates was a free-agent miss. Ricky Stromberg, a draft pick who didn’t pan out.
Tyler Larsen, the dependable veteran who always seemed to be the fallback plan. Now it’s Deiter and Allegretti in similar roles-and the results haven’t changed much.
The center position has quietly become one of the most important on the field. It’s not just about snapping the ball cleanly-it’s about setting protections, identifying blitzers, and anchoring the middle of the line. When that position is shaky, the whole offense feels it.
What Comes Next
As the Commanders look ahead, the need for better depth behind Biadasz is hard to ignore. It may not be the flashiest offseason priority, especially with other holes to fill, but it’s one that carries real consequences. Washington saw what happened when the depth wasn’t there-both last year and again this week.
If Biadasz is healthy, the Commanders have a solid foundation in the middle. But if he’s not, the dominoes start to fall. And for a team trying to recapture the form that made them contenders in 2024, that’s a risk they can’t afford to keep taking.