On the second day of the Washington Commanders’ minicamp, rookie Brandon Coleman worked with the first-team offense at left tackle.
What does this mean? Well, nothing for now.
When Washington opened minicamp on Tuesday, veteran Cornelius Lucas worked with the first team. Lucas is the presumed starter, but that’s not a given. Head coach Dan Quinn has stressed competition multiple times since taking over. That goes for the left tackle position, too.
Here’s what Zach Selby of commanders.com observed on Wednesday regarding Coleman:
We have more movement on the offensive line. On Tuesday, it was Cornelius Lucas who spent most of his time as the starting left tackle. On Wednesday, it was third-round pick Brandon Coleman’s turn at the position. It’s worth noting that the Commanders have tried multiple players at that spot, so Coleman getting the reps does not mean he is guaranteed to win the job outright. Still, it was a good opportunity for the rookie to see how he stacked up against starting NFL defensive linemen.
Selby is correct; this is an excellent opportunity for Coleman. While the Commanders don’t have an elite edge rusher to practice against, they have multiple veterans who know how to win one-on-one. That’s precisely what Coleman needs to practice against to improve.
The Commanders were criticized for not doing more at offensive tackle. General manager Adam Peters improved the interior of the offensive line by signing center Tyler Biadasz and left guard Nick Allegretti. However, Peters chose to roll with Andrew Wylie at right tackle again and re-sign Lucas to compete with a rookie at left tackle. Lucas is an excellent backup tackle. He has proven that his effectiveness lessens the longer he plays.
If Coleman wins the job and becomes Washington’s long-term starter at left tackle, that would be a massive feather in Peters’ cap.