The 2023 season was a crossroads for Sam Cosmi of the Washington Commanders. Entering his third season, Cosmi had played offensive tackle during his first two seasons.
While Cosmi was solid at tackle, he had trouble taking his game to the next level. Last offseason, former head coach Ron Rivera said he was moving Cosmi to guard, which he embraced.
The offensive line wasn’t a team strength last season. The group was often in the headlines due to the number of times quarterback Sam Howell was sacked. As anyone knows who watches, not all the sacks were on the O-Line. Not all were on Howell, either. Washington was poorly coached in multiple areas.
Cosmi was a bright spot for the Commanders last season. As he adjusted to the position, Cosmi slowly put together a solid season before dominating in the second half of the season. Pro Football Focus regularly graded Cosmi as one of the NFL’s better guards.
As PFF continued its countdown of ranking the 32 best players at each position group, it ranked Cosmi as the NFL’s No. 3 guard.
Cosmi was quietly one of the best guards in the NFL in 2023. His 80.6 PFF overall grade ranked fifth at the position, and he had seven games with an overall grade of 80.0 or higher. Despite that, Cosmi didn’t garner the attention he deserved in his first full season as a starter.
He spent most of his first two NFL seasons at right tackle for the Commanders before making the switch inside to guard in 2023. His 4.3% pressure rate allowed last year was the 19th lowest at the position.
Cosmi should be even better in 2024 after having played a full year in his new position. He will also have more stability beside him next season with the Commanders signing veteran center Tyler Biadasz.
It would surprise no one if Washington general manager Adam Peters used some of the team’s cap space to give Cosmi a new extension. It would be the first extension of the new regime. Cosmi would be a smart investment now before he has another outstanding season.