Commanders' recent first-round draft pick has silenced critics following his controversial start to the season

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Josh Taylor | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 12:51 PM ET

The Washington Commanders have needed everyone to step up with injuries and a much tougher schedule, including their younger players.

It was a rough start for one of the most improved units on the team, and the coaching staff was forced to make a lot of changes on the offensive line . They decided to stick with one struggling rookie, and it seems to have paid off for Josh Conerly Jr.

A rough start for the Commanders' offensive line

The front office invested a ton of capital into the offensive line this offseason when general manager Adam Peter traded for staple left tackle Laremy Tunsil and drafted Conerly Jr. in the first round. The season was off to as rough a start as you could imagine for the offensive line as a unit, and head coach Dan Quinn made changes at both guard spots and stuck through the rough times for Conerly Jr.

Chris Paul took over at left guard, while Andrew Wylie stepped in at right guard , and Conerly Jr's play reached what we expected. It was a baptism by fire to start his career, as he had to face Abdul Carter, Micah Parsons, Maxx Crosby, and Jalon Walker in his first four games, but it was a learning experience he needed.

Micah Parsons getting parallel with Josh Conerly Jr before his first drop-step off the line pic.twitter.com/KfEYwOIvMs
— Football Digest (@FoootballDigest) September 12, 2025

Quinn talked about Conerly Jr's start to the season, and how he's really taking it all as a learning experience and building off of good moments.

"Sometimes you go, can you learn through the fights, and where do you grow?" Quinn said. "And I would say like, it's cool to see the game that didn't go well, and then grow from it, get the lessons. How do I get better against a fantastic player? Did it all go great? No, but there was a lot to like, and that's what you're looking for as a coach: are we learning? Are you growing or are you stuck in the blender? And so, for him, the growth at times is tough, and it sucks when you go through it. But there's also, when you come through the other way, saying you gain some confidence to say, okay, this is some of the highest levels that you go to, and you grow and you keep digging in.”

Josh Conerly Jr's bounce back

After allowing four sacks and 11 pressures in the first two games, Conerly Jr found his groove and hasn't allowed a sack in the last two matchups, with only two pressures. He didn't allow a single registered stat against Crosby, and only had one penalty called on him.

Lowest pressure rates allowed by rookie offensive linemen in Week 3 (min. 15 pass protection snaps):

1. Josh Conerly Jr., WSH - 0% (23 pass snaps/0 pressures allowed)
2. Armand Membou, NYJ - 2.2% (47/1)
3. Tate Ratledge, DET - 3.4% (30/1)
4. Donovan Jackson, MIN - 3.7% (28/1)
5.… pic.twitter.com/YfcGPuR1Vu
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) September 23, 2025

We knew it would be a gauntlet to start his rookie season, but Conerly Jr. is starting to get comfortable at the right time. The competition he will be facing is much easier than what he's already seen, and quarterback Jayden Daniels is coming back from his knee injury and needs to be protected from taking unnecessary hits moving forward.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: