It’s hard to believe but Jayden Daniels may not actually be the biggest question for the Commanders in their season opener in eight days.
Yes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were a playoff team last year and yes, the season opener is at Tampa on a Sunday afternoon.
Daniels will face a much fiercer test than he has in the preseason, there is no debating this. But a large factor in how much pressure Daniels sees may be the play of the Commanders offensive tackles.
Andrew Wylie is plugged in at right tackle, and Cornelius Lucas is still the starter until we hear differently from Dan Quinn. Brandon Coleman had a pectoral injury and did not play a snap in the three preseason games.
Coleman is again back working with the team on the field with no restrictions. The TCU rookie said he feels great and is ready to go. So, what happens Sunday in Tampa if Coleman works out all next week?
Will the Commanders make him active? If so, will he play a few series, though he did not play in the preseason?
If he plays three or four series, then Lucas could be much less exhausted in the fourth quarter than if he played the entire game in the Florida heat.
The other tackle on the roster is Trent Scott. Returning from injury, Scott is listed as Wylie’s backup at right tackle. Chris Paul was asked to play tackle in the preseason, but with Coleman returning, Paul will now be listed as a backup at both guard positions.
Paul was willing to go way outside his comfort zone and play tackle for the good of the team to meet their need at the time. He retains his spot on the roster as a guard.
There is no tackle on the practice squad currently. Certainly, they know much more than we do about why they don’t have a tackle on the practice squad.
Lastly, fans will complain, but they must be reminded that Adam Peters attempted to trade back into the first round to draft a starting tackle; however, he saw the asking price as too much and did not pull the trigger on the trade.