There weren’t a lot of positive things to say about the 2023 Washington Commanders. After beginning the season 2-0, Washington would lose 13 of its final 15 games to finish 4-13.
It was a tale of two seasons for Washington’s offense. Throughout the first half of the season, quarterback Sam Howell was among the NFL’s leaders in passing yards and big-time throws, but he was on pace to shatter David Carr’s 21-year-old record of being sacked the most times in a single season.
In the second half of the year, Howell’s sacks went way down, but his turnovers went up, and he regressed overall. There were issues everywhere. Howell, receivers not getting enough separation, coaches refusing to run the ball and offensive line problems.
On that offensive line, there was one bright spot: Right guard Sam Cosmi.
The 2021 second-round pick moved to guard ahead of last season and became the best player on Washington’s offensive line. While the rest of the group is a question mark heading into the 2024 offseason, Cosmi gives new general manager Adam Peters a building block along the offensive line.
According to Pro Football Focus, Cosmi finished the 2023 season with an overage grade of 80.6. That was No. 5 in the entire NFL.
Even more impressive, Cosmi was good as a run blocker (80.9) and a pass blocker (74.0). PFF credited Cosmi with only one sack allowed in 2023.
The Commanders could look to extend Cosmi heading into the final season of his rookie contract. If that doesn’t happen, his price could keep going up with another impressive season.