Tag: Cornelius Lucas

Free agent offensive tackle David Bakhtiari eager to remind teams how much he has left in the tank

David Bakhtiari claims he’s healthy. Should the Commanders be interested?

In case you haven’t heard, the Washington Commanders could use some help at left tackle. The Commanders released former left tackle Charles Leno Jr. ahead of free agency, but Leno was unlikely to be in the team’s plans in 2024.

Many assumed Washington would be aggressive in landing a left tackle in the 2024 NFL draft. After the Commanders selected quarterback Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall, Washington was aggressive in attempting to move back into the first round but was unable to strike a deal.

Instead, the Commanders used the second pick in the third round — No. 67 overall — on TCU offensive tackle Brandon Coleman. While some believe Coleman will be better at guard, the Commanders believe he’s an NFL tackle with an untapped upside.

Even with Coleman, who is no sure thing to start early, the Commanders could use more help. As of now, veteran Cornelius Lucas will start Week 1 at left tackle. While Lucas has proven to be a capable short-term option for years, the Commanders would probably be more comfortable with him in his normal swing tackle role.

However, Washington’s options are limited. One potential option, though, is quite intriguing. Former Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari, who has dealt with injuries since 2020, is healthy and ready to return to finish his career on a strong note.

Before he was hit with multiple knee injuries, Bakhtiari was a five-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler.

“A lot of other people wanted me to just kind of grit through it, but no one experiences what you truly experience,” Bakhtiari told Adam Schefter on his podcast via ESPN. “Look, I’ve been gritting through it for three years. I’m in constant pain. I’m so happy now to be on the other side of it and get the actual surgery that I needed because my knee was not in a good place.”

Bakhtiari isn’t looking to sign with someone in December and help for a playoff push. He wants to play all season and possibly more.

“My goal right now is just to make sure that I not only fully recover but I can withstand and play the game that I want to play but also play and be there for a team no matter what,” Bakhtiari said. “I’m not a reliever guy; I am your cornerstone guy. Someone that’s not only going to play in September but in December and into February and obviously hopefully for another couple of years.”

How does that sound for Washington? We’ve written about the possibility of Washington signing Bakhtiari before but admitted it was unlikely due to his age and health. Now, Bakhtiari doesn’t believe his health will be an issue.

Does this change things for the Commanders?

Bakhtiari said he wants to win a Super Bowl in his short playing window, but that’s unlikely to happen in Washington right now. Still, if the Commanders come calling, Bakhtiari is unlikely to turn down the opportunity if other teams aren’t interested.

 

How can the Commanders solve their biggest remaining hole ahead of training cap?

What should the Commanders do at left tackle?

It was a foregone conclusion entering the offseason that the Washington Commanders would make a move at offensive tackle. The Commanders were busy during the early stages of free agency, signing over a dozen players within the first week.

However, none of those players were an offensive tackle. That’s not to say Washington didn’t address the offensive line. The Commanders signed center Tyler Biadasz and guard Nick Allegretti, both of whom will likely start. Washington did re-sign veteran tackle Cornelius Lucas, bringing him back for his fifth season with the franchise.

The Commanders still had the 2024 NFL draft, and many believed they would move back into the first round for one of the offensive tackles in what was a deep class. The first round came and went, and Washington did not move back into the first, although there were attempts to do so.

The Commanders did use a high third-round pick on TCU offensive lineman Brandon Coleman. Washington said Coleman would be a tackle, and while others view him as a guard, his film and athletic profile is promising.

We’ve discussed multiple veteran options for the Commanders. While none would be long-term solutions, there just aren’t many players who could come in and start Week 1 at left tackle.

Bleacher Report recently looked at seven teams that didn’t address their major holes in the 2024 NFL draft and suggested what these teams could do to improve.

Washington’s tackle problem was listed.

Here’s what B/R said about the Commanders’ tackle need:

New center Tyler Biadasz and third-year guard Sam Cosmi are the only offensive linemen on the squad proven to be at least average starters. The rest—left tackle Cornelius Lucas, left guard Nick Allegretti and right tackle Andrew Wylie—are all replacement level or worse.

The blindside commands priority. It always has and it always will. With a rookie quarterback in the building, especially one with some of the pocket-management concerns Jayden Daniels brings, the priority on sorting out the position is raised even higher.

As we sit here in June, the Commanders’ options at left tackle are Lucas, Cosmi and third-round rookie Brandon Coleman.

Lucas is hardly a serious consideration. He’s been a fine spot starter for the Commanders for half a decade now, but if he was good enough to be locked into a starting job, he would be by now.

Cosmi is an intriguing option but not a surefire answer. He played both left and right tackle in college, as well as right tackle for most of his time with the Commanders. However, he has yet to play left tackle in the NFL, in part because he lacks the range and length you see from the best blindside protectors. It’s why he’s kicked inside to guard.

Even if Cosmi does OK at left tackle, that just makes the guard spot worse in turn. Being better at left tackle is probably more valuable, but the Commanders would just be moving one quality lineman to a different position rather than adding another good player to the line. That doesn’t solve much.

Then there’s the rookie Coleman. Right off the bat, it’s hard to trust any third-round tackle to be an immediate positive presence on the left side. He is also coming from an Air Raid-style offense that doesn’t really pass protect with the same rules or spacing as the NFL. That’s going to create a steep learning curve. Chances are Coleman won’t be ready for the spotlight Week 1.

The Commanders should be in the market for the handful of remaining left tackles out there.

D.J. Humphries, Donovan Smith, and David Bakhtiari were all named as potential signings for Washington. We’ve discussed each. Humphries tore his ACL at the end of the season and will not be ready for the early part of the season. He may not be able to play at all. Bakhtiari has been injured for much of the past three seasons. Smith would be a potential option for one season.

As far as the potential of Cosmi moving back to tackle, that would be a horrible move for him and the team. He has All-Pro potential at guard and is heading into a contract year. Peters and Quinn see Cosmi’s future at guard, too.

Coleman and Lucas both worked at left tackle during OTAs and minicamp. Washington’s ultimate outcome would be Coleman winning the job.

Commanders rookie OT Brandon Coleman working with the first-team offense

The rookie getting in some work with the first team at left tackle.

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.

Could former All-Pro David Bakhtiari be an option for the Commanders?

Bakhtiari recently received a positive health update.

We are a little over two months away from veteran Cornelius Lucas opening Washington Commanders’ training camp as the left tackle. Considering Washington’s investment in quarterback Jayden Daniels, that may not be the best decision.

Lucas has been with Washington since 2020 and started a bunch of games. He’s been good. However, the longer he plays, the more his flaws are exposed. Lucas has been a valuable player for the Commanders and that’s why the regime brought him back at almost 33 years old.

Washington drafted TCU’s Brandon Coleman early in the third round of last month’s NFL draft. While some believe Coleman may be better at guard, the Commanders loved his tape, and he has excellent measurables, which they feel translates to left tackle.

But you can’t count on a third-round rookie in Week 1.

Washington largely ignored the position in free agency, outside of bringing back Lucas. The Commanders released last year’s starter, Charles Leno Jr., who had offseason surgery. While there are no surefire options available right now, there is one particularly intriguing player available.

Former Green Bay offensive tackle David Bakhtiari played only one game last season and has played in just 13 games over the past three seasons as he has undergone two knee surgeries.

Bakhtiari recently received some positive injury news, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Bakhtiari will be 33 in September, and Washington has plenty of cap space remaining to take a chance on Bakhtiari for the upcoming season.

Bakhtiari will not be costly, as no team will break the bank on him. This means he could be a smart buy-low candidate if team doctors clear him for 2024. A two-time first-team All-Pro and a three-time second-team All-Pro, Bakhtiari could at least be brought in for a workout.

 

PFF says Andrew Wylie is Commanders’ most underrated player

PFF says Andrew Wylie is underrated.

Who is the Washington Commanders’ most underrated player? If you ask 20 people, you’d likely get 15 different answers, but one answer you wouldn’t get is right tackle Andrew Wylie.

Pro Football Focus thinks otherwise.

PFF recently named one underrated player on all 32 NFL teams, and Wylie was Washington’s pick. Here’s what PFF said about Wylie:

Wylie came over from Kansas City with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to play right tackle for the Commanders. Although he gave up a sack in each of his first four games with Washington, Wylie got better as the season went on and eventually earned a 69.2 PFF overall grade — a career-high mark for him on his way to ranking 16th among right tackles.

PFF’s grading system is often controversial. The grades are helpful but don’t always tell the complete story. If you watched all 17 Washington games last season, you’d know Wylie wasn’t very good. Was he as bad as some fans thought? Maybe not, but it was difficult to call the right tackle position a strength.

General manager Adam Peters didn’t replace Wylie this offseason, and he had plenty of cap room to do so. Finding an answer at left tackle was a more significant issue, and the Commanders only addressed that by re-signing veteran swing tackle Cornelius Lucas and selecting Brandon Coleman in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Will Wylie be better in 2024? Peters and the new coaching staff believe so.

 

Commanders owner Josh Harris on team’s facilities: ‘I’m not an F-minus guy’

Josh Harris talks about Washington’s poor grades from the NFLPA survey and the all of the work the team is doing.

When the NFLPA released its first report cards in 2023, the goal was to provide anonymous feedback from players on all 32 NFL teams. Some of the items graded in the report cards were team facilities, medical care, coaches and treatment of the players’ families.

The Washington Commanders didn’t grade well in the first or second year of the report cards. Whether it was outdated team headquarters in Ashburn, Va., the locker rooms or the training staff, the team scored poorly in many categories.

In some good news, Washington made a big jump in the ownership category this year, scoring a “B.”

Majority owner Josh Harris has pledged improvements of over $75 million to FedEx Field and the team’s facilities since taking over last July.

At the NFL owners meetings this week, Harris spoke with JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington about the report cards and was asked specifically about some of the Commanders’ grades. Harris offered a terrific answer.

“I’m not an F-minus guy,” Harris said, referring to some of the grades the team received. “I didn’t even know you could get an F-minus. Obviously, we’ve jumped all over that; first of all, that report is based on interviews that occurred right around the ownership change. It’s clearly something we’re focused on. In fact, (GM) Adam (Peters) and (head coach) Dan (Quinn) had to leave the NFL meetings briefly to go have a discussion with the architects. We’re trying to make a lot of changes there quickly. The NFL player community is a small community; the NFL coaching community is a small community. We want to be a place that everyone says, ‘That’s a great place to be.’ And therefore, we need to upgrade that facility, and we are upgrading that facility.”

Harris continued to discuss the topic, noting that there is only so much that can be done before training camp but the team is working on every aspect to make it a player-friendly environment.

Offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas, who re-signed with the team last week, told the media about the changes underway at Commanders Park, even noting the team was getting new carpet in the locker room.

It’s a good time for the Commanders. There is excitement with a new owner, GM and coach. Washington will soon have a new franchise quarterback as it’s expected to select one second overall in next month’s draft.

Commanders re-sign offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas

Cornelius Lucas is returning for his fifth season in Washington.

The Washington Commanders have finally signed an offensive tackle. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Commanders are bringing back Cornelius Lucas on a one-year deal worth up to $4 million.

Lucas, who will turn 33 in July, is entering his 11th NFL season and fifth in Washington. Before signing with the Commanders in 2020, Lucas spent time with the Lions, Rams, Saints and Bears.

Since coming to Washington, Lucas has been a valuable addition. He has appeared in 62 games with 31 starts, making starts at both right and left tackle.

As of now, Lucas would be at the top of Washington’s depth chart at left tackle after the release of Charles Leno Jr. Andrew Wylie remains atop the depth chart at right tackle — for now. The Commanders are expected to address the offensive tackle position high in the 2024 NFL draft. The offensive tackle class is deep, and Washington could target at least two tackles with its nine picks.

6 pending free agents the Commanders need to re-sign

We look at six unrestricted free agents the Commanders should bring back in 2024.

In two weeks, the legal tampering period of the NFL offseason begins. NFL teams can negotiate contracts with impending free agents from other teams for two days, but nothing can be signed until the new league year opens two days later on March 13.

That gives all 32 NFL teams the next two weeks exclusivity in negotiating with their own free agents. The Washington Commanders have 28 free agents, 18 of which are unrestricted free agents.

The Commanders have a new general manager (Adam Peters) and a new coaching staff led by Dan Quinn. So, while other teams have been preparing for free agency, Washington’s new staff has been evaluating the current roster, including its free agents.

How many of the Commanders’ free agents should they retain in 2024?

We name six free agents Washington should re-sign. Not included are wide receiver Curtis Samuel and cornerback Kendall Fuller. It’s not that the Commanders wouldn’t love both players back, but Fuller is older, has some knee concerns, and has earned a raise. Washington can look to the draft to replace Samuel’s productivity for cheaper.

Here are those six free agents, for which we will focus only on the unrestricted free agents.

Ranking 2024’s top 12 free-agent offensive tackles

Are there any hog mollies worth keeping an eye on in free agency?

Will the Carolina Panthers be able to find the fabled offensive line depth this offseason?

Here are the top 12 free-agent offensive tackles of 2024:

Stay or go: Previewing Commanders’ top 11 2024 free agents

We look at 11 Washington free agents and determine whether they should stay or go in 2024.

Super Bowl LVIII is over, with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers. That means the offseason is upon us.

The offseason began for Washington five weeks ago after a Week 18 loss to the Dallas Cowboys handed them their eighth consecutive loss to finish the season with a 4-13 record.

Since then, Washington fired head coach Ron Rivera and hired general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn. And with the most salary cap space in the NFL and five of the top 100 picks in the 2024 NFL draft, including No. 2 overall, the Commanders have a chance to drastically improve next season.

But before Washington gets to free agency, it must decide on its 28 free agents. Some will remain, others will leave. Much of it will depend on the price.

We look at Washington’s top 11 free agents and determine if they should stay or go — and why.