Commanders hope heavy investments in offensive, defensive lines pay dividends

ASHBURN, Va. — There are few things Dan Quinn loves more than competition. He preaches it over and over, and especially in training camp. Of the many mottos he infused into the Washington Commanders’ culture last season, one in particular, “Anybody, Anywhere, Anytime,” speaks specifically to the team expecting to — and more so, embracing — competition against all opponents. Even if that’s in training camp against players who are technically your teammates.

So when tackle Josh Conerly Jr. responded to getting beat by defensive end Javonte Jean-Baptiste by stonewalling him one play and pushing him around the outside of the pocket the next, or when defensive end Dorance Armstrong blew by Brandon Coleman one play only for Coleman to push him back several yards on a run the next, Quinn must have been ecstatic.

“Let’s face it: The NFL, it’s a line of scrimmage league, and you’ve got to be rock solid on both sides of the line of scrimmage,” Quinn said. “So, I love seeing Brandon and JK [defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw] battling for it. Those two just keep rising, keep pushing each other, and their best also brings out your best.”

The idea here is that training camp and preseason battles lead to results when the games actually count. Though every team has training camp battles like these, Washington worked hard to ensure they’re high-quality duels.

For the offensive line, that meant two major additions. In March, the Commanders acquired Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil from the Houston Texans for a bevy of picks. In April, they used their own first-round pick on Conerly.

On the defensive line, that meant improved depth. Washington signed five free agents — pass rushers Von Miller and Jacob Martin, defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. and defensive tackles Kinlaw and Eddie Goldman — to a group that already featured Daron Payne, Johnny Newton, Clelin Ferrell and Armstrong.

Washington ranked 30th in the NFL last season defending the run, and while Quinn didn’t point specifically to the blowout 55-23 NFC Championship Game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s not hard to envision that left a mark heading into the offseason. In that game, Saquon Barkley ripped off a 60-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage, and Philadelphia finished with 229 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

Washington didn’t make a big investment just in terms of the number of players, but also in terms of the size of them. Goldman tips the scale at 332 pounds, and Kinlaw is listed at 319. At 6’5″ and 271 pounds, Wise adds significant size to the edge group.

“Kinlaw, he’s a big dude, man, huge guy, but he brings the thump every day,” Payne said, a smile on his face.

Goldman, 31, arrived in Washington in part thanks to Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris praising him when he was speaking with Quinn. Goldman retired from the NFL in 2022 and did not play in 2023, but he played in all 17 games for Atlanta last year.

“He’s really committed in that way in the run game,” Quinn said. “That was our vision of him coming here to add things to the defense on the early downs. We’re getting started. We only had one padded practice, but I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen so far from Eddie. I like his demeanor. I like what he stands for inside being square and tough.”

Washington finished last year with the fifth-highest sack rate in the NFL and the 12th-highest pressure rate. However, when it really needed plays late in games, that group often went missing. Washington’s five fourth-quarter sacks were tied for fewest in the NFL, its pressure rate the league’s second-lowest.

That bled into the defense as a whole. Only the Jaguars allowed more yards per play in the fourth quarter, and only the Colts and 49ers allowed more points in the fourth quarter.

That’s where Miller, 36, in particular can come in. He’s not what he once was, but Miller’s 16.1% pressure rate last year ranked 11th out of 212 players who had at least 150 pass rush snaps. After saying he can still get out of bed and rush the passer, he has shown it at camp.

“When I put the cleats on and I get in my stance, I can just feel it,” Miller said. “Still quick off the ball, still twitchy, probably not as twitchy as I was before, like when I was 21 years old. That’s just life. But I still got enough twitch to still go out here and do what I do and be effective in the game.”

Washington’s line isn’t just deep, but versatile. The Commanders can go big with Payne and Goldman inside and Wise and Kinlaw outside or smaller and faster with perhaps Payne and Newton inside Miller and Martin outside. Training camp provides the players the chance to play in all packages.

“You just have to be aware of who you are out there with,” Payne said. “I feel like that’s just going to help us have diversify when it comes to just facing different teams.”

Miller can also pass off wisdom and motivation to his fellow defenders — “when I’m out there next to him, it just makes me go to a different level,” Kinlaw said — and help improve the offensive linemen he goes against, too. That includes Conerly, who, at 21, is on the opposite end of the age spectrum.

Conerly has had some ups and downs a new position — he’s switching to right tackle after playing left tackle in college — and Andrew Wylie has gotten the bulk of the first-team reps there.

“As a younger college player coming up, he had more of a professional attitude,” Quinn said of Conerly. “They had said that about Oregon, talking to some of the people on the staff there. I mean, this guy handles his business. So although he is younger, I definitely felt that attitude to really put in the extra [work] to go, and he has some excellent guys in this offensive line group to model, to ask questions. He’s pretty fortunate in that way to have the right people around him to really nail it.”

Among those is Tunsil, the hulking left tackle who has been as advertised so far.

“I love him,” Jayden Daniels said simply.

Many of Tunsil’s accolades have come from his terrific pass blocking, but last year, he posted the best run blocking grade of his esteemed career, and running back Brian Robinson Jr. is excited to have him in the fold.

“You bring guys like L.T. in here to just help our unit be better, it’s amazing,” Robinson said. “So, I’m excited for it. I’m always thankful when they try to go get me some Pro Bowl left tackle, so I’ll never be against that.”

The interior of the line features Brandon Coleman sliding inside to left guard, Nick Allegretti at right guard as Sam Cosmi mends from a torn ACL, and the steady Tyler Biadasz at center. The quarterback/center relationship growing into Year 2 offers another chance for improvement.

“The continuity, and the chemistry and the looks that you’ve had so many times before, you kind of have a feel with what you would like to do,” Biadasz said. “There’s always going to be things that you’re gonna grow with, but that’s the beautiful part of the NFL is that you never stop learning, whether that be about the game or whether that be the people you’re playing with, too.”

After all, Washington is just one week into training camp. It’s a time for learning, a time for improvement, and a time for competition. In the trenches, the Commanders have raised the standard in all three aspects.