It took one preseason game for Commanders veteran to play his way off the roster

In addition to improving the quality of his offensive line starters, Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters was also hoping to build depth up front. Perhaps when everyone is healthy, that will be the case. However, based on their preseason opener against the New England Patriots, it's a work in progress.

Washington sat most of its starters, but that hardly explains the atrocious performance of every unit. As a whole, the team made just as many mental and physical mistakes against New England’s starters early on as they did against the Patriots’ reserves towards the end.

As for the offensive line, the Commanders experimented with different combinations, moving players around in an effort to test versatility. To be fair, compared to the team’s other units, they didn’t fare all that badly, but they were not exactly inspired either. They averaged a mediocre four rushing yards per carry, and many of those yards came late.

Tyre Phillips didn't help his Commanders roster chances in preseason opener

The depth chart probably won't change based on this game. Only one projected starter played — rookie right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. He wasn’t exactly a world-beater, but he looked reasonably comfortable, and got better as time went on.

Tyre Phillips initially lined up at guard on the right side next to Conerly, while veterans Trent Scott and Chris Paul played tackle and guard on the left. Julian Good-Jones began at center.

Michael Deiter traded snaps at center with Good-Jones, and both took a turn at right guard as well. Bobby Hart took over for Conerly at right tackle and then shifted to the left side as the game wound down. Foster Sarrell took snaps at left guard in the second half, next to recently-signed Lucas Niang and then Hart, once he moved left.

Of all the rotating pieces, the two starting tackles — Conerly and Trent Scott — performed the best. Paul was similarly unobjectionable at left guard. Deiter outplayed Good-Jones in the middle, while Sarrell seemed a bit awkward playing inside.

But Sarrell, like the recently unretired and rather rusty Niang, showed enough talent to let them adjust at their own pace.

The same cannot be said about Phillips. He has the size and length to be a prototypical tackle, but he is not the most natural fit on the inside. He has played guard in the NFL, but it is not his best position.

To put it bluntly, save for one nice pull block in the second half, Phillips was toasted all night long. He was pushed around in pass sets and got little movement on drive blocks. In the waning moments, he did take a few snaps at right tackle, which is where he belongs. But based on his usage, it seems as if the Commanders want him at guard.

Phillips is not the answer. Paul is a steadier option, and Deiter offers positional flexibility because of his ability to play center. Sarrell is also learning to play on the interior.

The player has a relationship with offensive line coach Bobby Johnson from their time together with the New York Giants. That may be the reason he is in camp to begin with. But based on this effort, it may be time to move on and bring in a different prospect.

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