The Washington Commanders’ offensive line just got called “the worst I’ve ever seen in years,” and honestly, after watching their joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens, it is hard to argue. While a short, final drill offered a tiny sliver of hope, the overwhelming truth from the two-hour session on August 26 was that Baltimore thoroughly dominated, making it look like these two teams did not even belong on the same field. This isn’t just a bad day, folks, it is a glaring red flag for Washington with the regular season barely two weeks away.
The “Inoperable” Truth About Washington’s O-Line
Let’s be real, the biggest mismatch of the day was Washington’s ragtag offense trying to hold its own against a Ravens defense that is absolutely stacked with talent and looks poised to be one of the league’s best under new head coach Jesse Minter. Yeah, Washington was missing three starting offensive linemen: LT Laremy Tunsil is out for extended time, possibly the whole season, with a torn triceps; C Nick Allegretti has missed a ton of training camp with a calf injury; and RG Sam Cosmi was out sick. Plus, their top two running backs, Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White, were sidelined. But even with those injuries, the level of disarray was shocking. Nicki Jhabvala, a longtime Commanders beat writer, wasn’t pulling punches, tweeting, “This is the worst I’ve ever seen the Commanders’ offense in years. Inoperable offensive line.” We saw multiple miscues on snaps, fifth-round rookie center Matt Gulbin getting first-team reps, and Julian Good-Jones struggling after shifting to right guard. It was a mess. RT Josh Conerly Jr. summed it up perfectly: “I feel like we were just out of sync, a little bit, with our combos. There was a little bit of a mixup in the lineup as well, so there were some guys next to each other that haven’t worked next to each other all camp.”
One Play Tells the Whole Story
If you want a snapshot of how bad it was, think about this: Jayden Daniels was forced to field a wayward snap, scrambled, and then threw an interception to Kyle Hamilton. That play was doomed from the very start, a symptom of an offensive line that was just not there. Yes, in the final drill, the Commanders’ defense did manage a fourth-down stop with Mike Sainristil intercepting Lamar Jackson, and Daniels even found Antonio Williams for a touchdown under heavy pressure. The sideline erupted, sure, but that was just the tail end, a tiny moment that did not reflect the entire two-hour struggle. Baltimore’s dominance was eye-opening and truly telling of where both teams stand.
With the regular season kicking off in just two and a half weeks, the Commanders have to get this offensive line sorted, and fast. What kind of season can you expect when your foundation looks this shaky before Week 1? The Ravens, on the other hand, are heading into their next game with Lamar Jackson and that defense giving their fans plenty of reasons for optimism.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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