Commanders Not Planning LT Addition

While there is no realistic hope of replacing an elite left tackle a month before the season kicks off, the Commanders could at least scour free agency and/or the trade market for depth. As things stand, though, they are not planning to bring in any outside reinforcements.

“Not today,” head coach Dan Quinn said (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic). “That’s not something we discussed.”

The Commanders are currently pinning their hopes on Brandon Coleman, whom they drafted in the third round in 2024. The former TCU standout was the Commanders’ top left option for most of his rookie season, during which he started in 12 of 16 games. Quarterback Jayden Daniels, another member of the team’s 2024 rookie class, dazzled as the leader of a top-five scoring offense. Washington unexpectedly won 12 regular-season games and advanced all the way to the NFC title game, but the club was not content with its setup at tackle.

When the offseason rolled around, general manager Adam Peters shipped a four-pick haul to the Texans in a Tunsil trade. With Tunsil in place on Daniels’ blind side, Coleman was a candidate to take over on the right. However, that went up in smoke when Peters spent the Commanders’ first-rounder (No. 29 overall) on Josh Conerly.

The additions of Tunsil and Conerly led the Commanders to shift Coleman to left guard, but he didn’t last long as a starter there. After a Week 2 loss in Green Bay, Washington benched Coleman in favor of Chris Paul. Coleman never got the job back, though he did fill in for an injured Tunsil for three starts at the end of the season. He is now in position to continue in that role, but that could change if he struggles over the next few weeks.

The Commanders also have experienced swing tackle Andrew Wylie on their roster, though Taylor Decker may be a name to monitor if they change their minds and dip into free agency. A starter in all 140 games with the Lions from 2016-2025, the soon-to-be 33-year-old Decker is the most qualified left tackle remaining on the open market. He also happens to have a notable connection to first-year Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough, who was a Lions quarterback from 2019-21 and again in ’23. Perhaps a Decker-Blough reunion will take place later in the summer, but it appears the Commanders will let Coleman sink or swim before they consider adding an outsider.