On Sunday, the Washington Commanders (3-3) play their second division game of 2023 when they face the New York Giants (1-5) at MetLife Stadium. Washington went 0-1-1 against New York last season, with the games being played two weeks apart in December.
At Commanders Wire, we do an exercise each week where we hypothetically steal one player from the upcoming opponent to bolster Washington’s roster.
In assessing the Giants’ roster, some of their best players are on the defensive line. Obviously, that’s Washington’s strength, too, leading us to look elsewhere.
Running back Saquon Barkley is an easy choice, but we choose Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas for this exercise. The 24-year-old franchise tackle has only appeared in one game this season due to injury, and it looks like he could miss Sunday’s game, too.
However, the Giants know what they have in Thomas. They signed him to a five-year, $117.5 million extension in July, with $67 million guaranteed at signing, an NFL record for an offensive lineman.
Thomas is an elite pass protector but also a dominant run blocker. He is excellent on the move, making him ideal for the Commanders and their screen game. Thomas was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, two picks after Washington chose Chase Young.
In this exercise last week, we selected Falcons Pro Bowl guard Chris Lindstrom. As you can see, we think Washington should be most jealous of young and dominant offensive linemen.