Washington head coach Dan Quinn was asked Tuesday about rookie offensive tackle Brandon Coleman.
Coleman has yet to start in his three games, but he has seen action on 65 offensive snaps (34 percent), rotating with starter Cornelius Lucas.
“We continued to balance them up a little more, as we’re going to do, but we knew that was going to be one of the factors inside, to make sure (Trey) Hendrickson can’t ruin the game. I believe he got inside late, on one late (rush) where they got the sack and created the negative yards.”
“But by and large, I felt Brandon’s technique and energy, all the things when you are missing some time, start coming back into play. So, we’ve been impressed, and the arrow is definitely going up.”
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Also of note, in these three games, Coleman has yet to be penalized. So, he is not getting beat early and is holding on to avoid his quarterback getting killed.
Washington drafted the 6-foot-6, 320-pound rookie out of TCU in the third round with the 67th overall choice. He had received first-string reps before injuring a pectoral muscle in training camp.
The coaches have determined to bring him along, play him each week, to help Lucas get some rest each week, providing both of them playing time and rests during the game.
Coleman has received progressively a few more snaps each of the three games. Against Tampa Bay in Week 1, it was 14 offensive snaps. Then, it was 22 against the Giants and 29 against the Bengals. Notice the progression: 24 percent, then 31 percent, and finally 49 percent.
Consequently, barring injury, Coleman may most likely play a higher percentage of plays than Lucas for the first time this season on Sunday against the Cardinals.