The Commanders seemingly want to spend the bulk of their season with two new tackles protecting Jayden Daniels. Weeks after trading for Laremy Tunsil, Washington drafted Josh Conerly Jr. With the left tackle job unavailable, the first-round pick is competing at the other tackle spo
Conerly is vying to usurp Andrew Wylie at right tackle, ESPN.com’s John Keim notes. The rookie is rotating first-team snaps with the 2022 free agent signing, but the Commanders are attempting to give regular reps regardless of position. Conerly is seeing LT time when Tunsil is not in, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds.
Viewed as a future left tackle, Conerly — a college LT — does not have a route to that role thanks to Tunsil’s arrival. Washington has not extended Tunsil, though after trading four draft choices in that Texans swap, extension talks certainly would make sense. Tunsil has shrewdly commanded two top-market extensions, receiving the first a year after being acquired in a trade that sent the Dolphins two first-rounders. For now, Tunsil is signed through 2026; his ’26 base salary ($20.95MM) is nonguaranteed.
Tunsil extension plans would mean Conerly’s early-career stop will be right tackle. The Eagles had once envisioned a potential Lane Johnson LT transition post-Jason Peters, but the potential Hall of Famer became so impactful at RT no change ever transpired. Tunsil also played guard as a rookie (alongside Branden Albert), before moving to left tackle in Year 2. Conerly has not yet shown himself to be a surefire starter, Keim adds, keeping Wylie in the mix for another Week 1 starting role.
The Commanders’ RT starter for three seasons, Wylie accepted a pay cut this offseason. He is now on a one-year, $4MM deal. Tunsil’s presence also moved primary 2024 LT Brandon Coleman away from that position; the third-round pick is expected to play left guard this season, displacing 2023 free agent pickup Nick Allegretti. We heard after the Conerly pick Coleman would be more likely to factor in at guard than right tackle, and he has been working at the LG spot during training camp.
Wylie, who joins Allegretti in having a guard past in Kansas City, replaced Coleman at LG after the second-year blocker exited a recent practice, veteran Commanders reporter Ben Standig notes. Both the ex-Chiefs would represent plus swing options, even though they were signed to start. Allegretti is on a three-year, $16MM deal that runs through 2026. He started every Commanders game last season.
With Sam Cosmi recovering from a divisional-round ACL tear, Washington’s RG spot is currently open. Allegretti has seen some RG work during camp, but Dan Quinn is not ruling out Cosmi returning by Week 1. That would be on the aggressive side, but players have certainly made comparable journeys back previously.
Quinn said (via Keim) a Cosmi Week 1 return is on the table while also not dismissing a shift to the reserve/PUP list, which would knock the well-paid guard out for at least four games. The second-year Washington HC said more time will be necessary to determine if Cosmi will be ready to go.
The Commanders also could carry Cosmi over to the 53-man roster later this month and go week-to-week in the regular season, passing on a PUP stay in order to ensure he could play if ready to return by Week 2, 3 or 4. But Allegretti or Wylie, should the latter lose the RT competition to Conerly, represent solid backup options at RG if Cosmi is not ready to open the season.