Commanders take swing on unpredictable talent after Nate Herbig retirement

The Washington Commanders were rocked by the news of Nate Herbig's retirement just a few short days into training camp. They were expecting the offensive lineman to provide valuable depth this season, so it has the scope to expose some slight flaws if injury strikes at any stage.

But as always, Adam Peters reacted to the situation quickly. And he managed to secure a potential replacement for Herbig as the Commanders enjoyed a day off following two padded practices at training camp.

Washington confirmed the signing of Lucas Niang, who'll get the chance to compete for a roster spot in the coming weeks. The former third-round selection has been used as an offensive tackle throughout his short NFL career, but he's got the size at 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds to switch onto the interior if needed.

Commanders are giving Lucas Niang a shot after Nate Herbig's shock retirement

Niang was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs but decided to opt out of the COVID season. That was his prerogative at the time, even if it dented his chances of firmly establishing himself along the way.

The TCU product played 62 percent of the team's offensive snaps in 2021. Unfortunately for Niang, he became an innocent bystander after that, even bouncing on and off the practice squad before Kansas City cut the cord entirely.

An injury during the 2022 campaign wasn't ideal, but Niang was always fighting a losing battle. Now, he gets the chance to stake a claim with another contending team aiming for great things.

If the Commanders deploy Niang at the tackle spot, that could indicate a shift inside for Trent Scott. The savvy veteran was thrust into the right guard role during the playoffs when Sam Cosmi went down with a torn ACL. He performed well, but it didn't last. Nevertheless, desperate times call for desperate measures after Herbig's bombshell retirement.

Whether this amounts to anything is debatable. Niang is playing catch-up, although he'll have some familiar faces to lean on in the form of Nick Allegretti and Andrew Wylie. They were all together on the Chiefs, so it could greatly smooth his transition to a different environment.

The Commanders don't have any room for passengers. They think Niang could offer something. Even so, they won't hesitate to pull the plug on this experiment if standards aren't being met.

And judging by Peters' ruthless roster construction since joining the Commanders, he'll already have a contingency plan in place for that, too.

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