ASHBURN, Va. - Dan Quinn didn’t want Monday to look like a routine walkthrough, and after what he saw in Detroit, he made sure it wouldn’t.
The Washington Commanders came back from their 17-13 preseason loss and shifted gears, moving from a lighter planned session to a more competitive workout with live drills. It still wasn’t a full practice - no pads, no shells, just about an hour of work - but Quinn wanted another look at his team under pressure.
“… A lot of what I saw (in Detroit), that wasn’t us,” he said before the session. “And that bothered me.
And so today is our time to get to the truth - what, why? … I went through a lot of plays and I didn’t feel like we played complementary football.
… That felt in disarray.”
Quinn said the adjustment was not “a knee-jerk reaction” to the loss, but the bigger issue is hard to miss: six months after creating it, Washington still hasn’t solved its center problem.
That started in February, when the Commanders released Tyler Biadasz. The move saved about $8 million in cash, but the payoff never came once Washington went after Tyler Linderbaum, who ended up getting nearly $30 million a year from the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Commanders have poured resources into the offensive line. They traded for and later extended Laremy Tunsil, then used a first-round pick in 2025 on Josh Conerly Jr. at right tackle. But the decision to move on from Biadasz has left a hole that keeps showing up in the worst possible places.
What was supposed to be one of Washington’s steadier units now looks vulnerable. The line is unsettled at center, uneven at left guard, and now missing Tunsil too after he tore his left triceps earlier this month. The result is a group that has gone from strength to question mark.
Nick Allegretti was the only veteran in the building with any real center background, though most of his NFL work has come at guard. Then his calf injury in the first week of training camp pushed the issue into the open. Since then, the Commanders have been piecing things together.
Julian Good-Jones has become the main fill-in despite having just two regular-season offensive snaps in six NFL seasons. The team also drafted Matt Gulbin in the sixth round, though he was viewed as more of a developmental option at first.
The lack of experience showed again Saturday in Good-Jones’ first live work with Jayden Daniels. Washington planned to give Daniels one drive against the Lions, but that series ended after three plays because the protection fell apart.
Devin White got through Good-Jones on the opening snap, forcing Daniels to throw the ball away. On the next play, D.J.
Wonnum beat tight end John Bates on the left side and sacked the quarterback. Daniels’ preseason ended on a third-down handoff to rookie running back Kaytron Allen.
Through the preseason, Good-Jones has allowed three pressures in 24 pass-blocking snaps, a 12.5 percent rate that TruMedia says is the highest among centers with at least 10 pass-blocking snaps. Gulbin has allowed one pressure in 32 pass-blocking snaps.
“We’ve got work to do to figure out where we want to get to at center,” Quinn said, while also praising Sam Cosmi at left guard and Conerly’s progress.
On Monday, Quinn kept saying the Commanders do have enough talent to sort it out, but he stopped well short of pretending the answer is already in hand.
“We do, but we still have work to do there, honestly,” Quinn said. “… Between the three of them, we’re still in the process of evaluating what’s the best way for us to go. That’d be one of the spots that I’m still digging in on and still looking.”
Allegretti does not have a clear return date, and Quinn said he will miss the rest of the preseason.
Gulbin spent some time at guard in practice last week and in Detroit, but he is moving back to center this week. He and Good-Jones both took snaps with the starters in Monday’s workout, and Gulbin is expected to get more time Friday in the preseason finale in Baltimore.
If Washington decides neither player is ready, the choices get thin fast. The team would be looking at veteran free agents cut when rosters are reduced on Sunday, or possibly a trade.
That’s not an easy market to shop in this late in the summer. Still, a few teams have their own center battles going on, which could leave a couple of players available.
Buffalo is one to watch, with Connor McGovern dealing with a leg injury, Lloyd Cushenberry sitting behind him, and third-year center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger on the bubble. Tennessee also has depth at the spot and could send more names into the market.
For now, Washington is waiting for the next week to bring some clarity.
“So, with both (Good-Jones and Gulbin), I feel good (about their) knowledge of the system of where they’re at,” Quinn said. “… I want to see really good protection in the middle of the line, especially blitz stunts, and we’ll get a good look at that.
Our defense does it. Baltimore does it.
So, between Wednesday and Friday, those are two more nice chances to get some good looks.
In Other News...
Commanders Suddenly Have Trade Candidates As Final Cuts Close In
Adam Peters is coming up on one of the busiest stretches of the preseason, with the Commanders needing to trim their roster from 90 players to 53 by the deadline. As Washington sorts through a few crowded position groups, the front office has some tougher calls than usual, and a handful of players who may not fit the final picture are suddenly part of the conversation.
Treylon Burks and Jordan Magee are among the names worth watching as the Commanders weigh whether to keep depth, deal from it or simply move on. In a league where every roster spot matters, Washington appears open to finding value wherever it can before the final cuts hit, which makes these next few days more than just a formality. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Safety Decision Already Looks Worse Than Fans Feared
A preseason miscue was enough to push Will Harris to the edge, and the Commanders ended up cutting ties with the veteran safety after a performance that had already been raising concerns behind the scenes. Washington still has other options in the secondary it believes are better fits, so the move also gives the front office some salary-cap relief while it reshapes the back end of the defense.
Harris had one year left on his contract, which is what makes the decision feel like more than a routine roster churn move. The bigger question now is whether his time in Washington is simply over or whether he can land somewhere else and prove the Commanders moved on faster than they needed to, especially with the starting job conversation already looking shaky before the release. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Daniels Is Taking Washingtons Offense Into A Dangerous New Phase
The Commanders have spent this preseason pushing their offense into a more demanding and less predictable shape, with Jayden Daniels taking on more control at the line and more responsibility for steering the operation before the snap. The idea is to get beyond a tightly scripted approach and let the quarterback use his football IQ and passing ability to create answers in real time, while the rest of the skill group stays sharp enough to keep pace with what the defense is showing.
It is the kind of shift that can make an offense harder to defend, but only if everyone around Daniels is ready for the same level of detail. Washington is still working through issues up front, and the addition of Stefon Diggs gives the unit another piece to deploy as it tries to become more versatile and more dangerous. For now, the bigger question is how quickly all those moving parts can mesh once the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]