It's been a bit of a mystery what Washington was gonna do with all of its offensive tackles; after all, the Football Team had just drafted Samuel Cosmi out of Texas in the 2nd round three weeks ago, and then signed veteran free agent left tackle Charles Leno from the Bears last week.
Click here to read about Samuel Cosmi: the most athletic offensive tackle in the ’21 class
They joined an offensive line group that already included stalwart right guard, Morgan Moses, along with others like 2nd-year player Saahdiq Charles, who was the starting left tackle for the national champion LSU Tigers in 2019, Geron Christian, drafted in the 3rd round out of Louisville in 2018, and veteran Cornelius Lucas, who started the latter half of the 2020 season and played very well.
Today, part of the mystery was resolved, but it opens up questions about what the exact plan is for Washington's offensive line going forward.
There had been no speculation at all previous to this that Moses would be anywhere except where he's been for since 2014 -- that is, lining up as the starting right tackle for the Washington team.
Now that he's been granted permission to seek a trade, the writing is on the wall. Either a trade will happen, getting Washington a bit of draft capital back sometime in the next week or so, or Moses will be released and the franchise will get no draft picks in return. Either way, it will free up a bit of cap space in 2021 and 22, as Moses has two years remaining on his contract.
Once Morgan Moses is gone, what happens to the offensive line depth chart?
I think it opens up a world of opportunity for Samuel Cosmi.
Let's look at who will be locked in and what that means for everyone else.
- Chase Roullier is locked in as the starter at Center.
- Unless we get a trade, All Pro guard Brandon Scherff is locked in, at least for 2021, as the starting right guard.
- At left guard, the team has two starter-quality players in Wes Schweitzer and Ereck Flowers, both veterans who have started for Washington in the past.
- Left tackle was locked down with the signing of Charles Leno to a one-year, $5m contract last week. He had reportedly refused to play for any team that wanted him to play on the right side.
A few players will compete for roles -- Geron Christian at tackle, Saahdiq Charles primarily at guard, and others.
Related story: Ereck Flowers and Brandon Scherff stories remain intertwined with Washington-Miami trade
But there are two players who seem to be primed to fill the roles of starting right tackle and "swing" tackle (a player who backs up both left and right tackle). Those two guys are rookie Sam Cosmi and veteran Corn Lucas.
Starting right tackle and swing tackle
Washington's front office just invested a 2nd round pick in Cosmi. At the time, before Leno was signed, it was assumed that Cosmi was destined to take over the left tackle role, but now, with the news about Morgan Moses, Cosmi projects easily into the right tackle spot. Indeed, he has often been compared to the Eagles starting left tackle Lane Johnson in terms of athleticism.
Lucas, who became popular with the Washington faithful last year when he stepped up, started and played well after getting a chance, was originally signed by Washington a year ago to be the backup swing tackle (and his contract reflects that fact). Playing that role behind Leno on the left and Cosmi on the right probably isn't what Lucas thinks he deserves after last year's good performance, but Leno's contract and Cosmi's draft status make this the most likely outcome.
The most athletic rookie lineman in the NFL this season
The opportunity is driven by Cosmi’s natural abilities, and the potential that they signal to NFL coaches and fans. Cosmi is one of the best athletes on the offensive line in this draft class -- many will say THE best. Even at his immense size, he ran a relatively blistering 4.84s 40-yard dash, jumped almost 10 feet in the board, and recorded a 30” vertical leap, while putting up 36 reps at 225 lbs on the bench press.
In Relative Athletic Score (RAS) testing, Cosmi scored a 9.99 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 2nd out of 1,119 offensive tackles tested from 1987 to 2021. This is the highest RAS for an OT ever recorded using official testing numbers. In short, Cosmi is an athletic freak for a big lineman.
The challenge
The challenge that lays before him is to develop the technical skills needed to win individual battles against NFL defensive players consistently as a pro. The issue is that Cosmi excelled as a college athlete largely on the strength of his superior athleticism. Against veteran NFL defensive linemen, that edge will be dramatically narrowed. To become the superior pro tackle that he has the potential to become, Cosmi will need to master the techniques needed to rise to the top of a profession where every man on the field is an elite athlete.
The opportunity
Fortunately, Cosmi will be in the capable hands of one of the best offensive line coaches in the game. John Matsko came to Washington last year with new head coach Ron Rivera, and his impact was seen immediately in the improved play of Washington’s offensive line. Matsko spent training camp last year teaching the Washington linemen new techniques for footwork, hand placement and tactical dominance.
A new defensive back
In related news, Washington's attempts to build a deep roster continue. Today, it was announced by the team that they claimed a defensive back, Chris Miller, off of waivers, filling the team's final available roster space.
While the announcement lists Miller as a cornerback, he is more often described as a hard-hitting safety. Miller was initially signed to the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted college free agent last year, and ended the 2020 season as an Arizona Cardinal. He has never played a snap in a regular season game. At 6'0", 191 pounds, the 23-year-old seems to be destined for the practice squad.