Watch: Commanders' key free-agent signing has tough debut vs. Browns
On Friday, tackle Andrew Wylie, a key offseason addition by the Washington Commanders, had a debut to forget against the Cleveland Browns.
Wylie, a six-year veteran and two-time Super Bowl Champion, committed not one but two penalties over the first 10 snaps of the preseason game, one of which occurred in the endzone resulting in a safety.
Right off the snap, Browns defensive end Za'Darius Smith had Wylie on roller skates, shifting to the inside quickly and forcing the Commanders tackle to grab hold of his jersey. Quarterback Sam Howell had to retreat from the pocket almost immediately before barely getting rid of the football. Wylie's penalty turned what should've been fourth-and-10 into two points for Cleveland.
In 2022, Wylie was part of the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line, ranked the fourth-best in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. However, Wylie may have been the weak link. He allowed nine sacks and 49 pressures starting all 17 games at right tackle, which might be why the Chiefs chose to let him walk.
Wylie proceeded to join a Washington line that ranked 20th last season. Wylie is among the highest-paid lineman on the Commanders, signing a three-year, $24 million deal in the offseason, so he's likely entrenched on the right side for the foreseeable future. And while it may be too early to press the panic button, Washington might have buyer's remorse soon. Wylie's contract carries a $4.1 million cap hit in 2022, but it goes up significantly over the next two years, jumping to $9.4 in 2024 and $10.4 in 2025.
There's no way around it. Wylie did not put his best foot forward in his first game wearing a Commanders uniform. And while the preseason is the time for teams to get the kinks out before Week 1, there has to be some cause for concern seeing a player with 59 NFL starts under his belt committing the kind of errors Wylie did on Friday.
More must-reads: