Editor’s note: Welcome to our series on the big questions the Commanders face when camp opens Tuesday in Ashburn. Today: Will the offensive line be as dominant?
There was a stat that Commanders coach Ron Rivera loved to tout this offseason, one that he almost always used as a selling point for his team. According to Pro Football Focus, the Burgundy and Gold had the NFL’s sixth-best offensive line in 2021.
As proud as Rivera seemed to be of the group, the Commanders still went on to replace two starters.
The interior of Washington’s offensive line projects to look significantly different this season after All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency and Ereck Flowers was released for salary cap purposes. Starting center Chase Roullier, meanwhile, is also working his way back from a season-ending leg injury and is out for the time being.
To replace Scherff and Flowers, Rivera went back to a familiar place — relying on his Carolina roots. The team signed veterans Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner, two former Pro Bowlers who thrived with the Panthers when Rivera was there last decade. Backup Wes Schweitzer, traditionally a guard, has filled the middle as Roullier recovers.
With so much change, is it realistic to expect a repeat performance?
“I like the group,” Rivera said earlier this offseason. “I like the depth that we have. One thing we wanted to do consciously was we wanted to have at least 10 guys that were veteran-savvy guys that have played on the field for us. We like that minimum of 10 men depth.”
Washington’s offensive linemen do have experience. Outside of right tackle Sam Cosmi, four of the team’s five projected starters have more than five years in the league — with three of them entering their ninth seasons.
Even before Scherff’s departure, Rivera said he felt the line gained valuable reps last season. Washington used a variety of different line combinations in 2021 because of injuries, with reserves like Cornelius Lucas, Keith Ismael and Schweitzer stepping in and holding their own.
In all, starters Scherff (six games), Cosmi (eight) and Roullier (nine) missed a good chunk of time. Left tackle Charles Leno was the only lineman on the unit to play all 17 games. Washington’s injury situation became so severe that, at one point, the team was on its fifth center of the season.
The common thread, players and coaches say, is offensive line coach John Matsko. The grizzled, old-school coach always seems to get his unit to play at an efficient level, no matter who’s on the field.
“There’s no other way but figuring it out,” Cosmi said. “Coach Matsko is a very, very demanding man. He demands the highest out of all his players, so he’s going to be on top of you. He’s going to teach you the techniques that he wants you to learn and the ways that work, and I think you’ve seen it with a lot of us, being able to apply those techniques and be successful at it.”
It helps that Matsko has the talent to work with. Leno’s arrival last season helped Washington finally plug a hole at left tackle in wake of Trent Williams’ departure in 2020, and the former Chicago Bears cast-off signed a three-year, $37.5 million extension in January as a result of his solid play.
Cosmi, despite the hip and ankle injuries that kept him sidelined, showed a lot of promise as a rookie. According to Pro Football Focus, the former second-rounder allowed only 16 pressures on 282 pass-blocking snaps.
Norwell and Turner are also accomplished. Norwell, 30, was named an All-Pro in 2017 and Turner, 29, made five straight Pro Bowls from 2015 to 2019. Neither player has reached those same highs after leaving Carolina, but both were starters for Jacksonville and Pittsburgh last season.
The wild card to all of this could be at quarterback. Carson Wentz is now under center, and the signal-caller tends to hold the ball longer than most. Could the line regress because of Wentz?
If last season is any indication, the Commanders can handle a quarterback who takes longer to throw. Taylor Heinicke only got rid of the ball every 2.97 seconds, taking the fourth-longest time to throw in the league, according to Next Gen Stats. Wentz’s average time to throw was 2.83 seconds on dropbacks.
Washington’s offensive line gave up a total of 43 sacks — the 10th-most — but the unit was still strong overall.
“You got a hand of five offensive linemen,” Leno said in June. “One finger breaks, it’s all messed up. But if you keep a closed fist, nothing breaks. You’re out there knocking people out. … That’s what happened on the field. That’s what shows.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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