Commanders quietly secure hidden depth at fragile roster position

The Washington Commanders invested heavily in their offensive line during general manager Adam Peters' second recruitment period at the helm. There was a significant desire to surround quarterback Jayden Daniels with the supporting cast needed to excel after a rookie campaign to remember, which rightfully started in the trenches.

Things look a lot more promising now. However, there is a lingering cloud hanging over the franchise that could dent their hopes of making the improvements needed.

Sam Cosmi is making good progress from a torn ACL suffered in Washington's memorable divisional road playoff triumph against the Detroit Lions. The stud right guard is making good progress and hitting all his markers, according to head coach Dan Quinn. Even so, keeping him on the physically unable to perform list means the second-round pick out of Texas will miss the first four games, if not more.

Darrian Dalcourt signing keeps urgency high on Commanders offensive line

The Commanders probably won't see the best of Cosmi until the business end of the season. It's about treading water until then, with either Nick Allegretti or Andrew Wylie set to fill the void over the opening stages of the campaign.

Washington will have contingency plans in place for every eventuality. Peters quietly picked up another option this week, with Darrian Dalcourt's arrival to the practice squad going completely under the radar.

Dalcourt spent last season on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad after going undrafted out of Alabama. He started his career on the edge before switching to the interior with great success. He's also spent time at the center position, where the Commanders don't have a legitimate backup behind Tyler Biadasz right now.

There isn't much chance of Dalcourt unseating Biadasz. He doesn't have any NFL experience and is a little undersized compared to most offensive linemen, but it does prove that Peters is eager to keep urgency high.

The front-office leader hasn't been scared to implement changes across the depth chart if he feels like it would benefit the franchise. Peters is a ruthless roster builder, as evidenced by trading running back Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers and releasing Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jonathan Allen this offseason. He'll be watching the offensive line dynamic closely, and he now has an insurance policy in place if things aren't going as expected.

Dalcoure might not be better than anything the Commanders have right now. But signing him sends a clear message to those who'll get the first shot to provide a solid interior for Daniels.