Sam Cosmi has been one of the quiet constants for the Washington Commanders, and that reputation is showing up again in training camp.
Even as the roster around him has changed, the Commanders’ offensive line picture is still being sorted out. Washington has poured resources into the offseason, adding new pieces on both sides of the ball and bringing in Stefon Diggs to give Jayden Daniels another weapon.
But the line remains one of the biggest talking points, especially after Laremy Tunsil went down with a torn triceps muscle in camp and will miss the rest of the season. Center Nick Allegretti also worked his way back to the field after sitting out with a calf strain.
That backdrop makes Albert Breer’s latest observations on the unit especially relevant. In discussing the line, the Sports Illustrated senior NFL writer noted that the staff briefly weighed moving Josh Conerly Jr. back to his college spot, but chose not to because of the progress he’s made at right tackle.
Breer said the team liked that Conerly had gotten bigger and stronger, and didn’t want him to have to relearn everything on one side this year only to shift back next year. That decision leaves Brandon Coleman at left tackle, where he played as a rookie in 2024, with Chris Paul set at left guard.
The center battle is still the one to watch. Breer described Allegretti as a veteran with “high-end football IQ and is steady,” while saying he’s trying to hold off Julian Good-Jones and rookie Matt Gulbin.
The Commanders’ exchange from center to quarterback is the kind of detail that can make or break drives, and every rep matters there. Any slip in that handoff can kill a play instantly and can easily snowball into a turnover.
For now, the rest of the line looks familiar, and that continuity matters. Even with Tunsil out, this is still a group that has spent a lot of time together over the last couple of years, which should help with chemistry and communication.
And then there’s Cosmi, who Breer went out of his way to highlight. He wrote that “Right guard Sam Cosmi might be the team’s best lineman through camp, coming back from an injury-marred season last year.”
That tracks with how Washington has viewed him for a while. Since being drafted in 2021, Cosmi has been one of the team’s most dependable guards, and he’s been regarded as one of the better players at his position in the league.
The Commanders will need that version of him to keep showing up, and they’ll need him healthy in 2026.
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 🡒]