The Washington Commanders have four starting offensive line positions locked in while the other spot is up for grabs. They have a crucial competition for the starting left tackle job after theyparted ways with Charles Leno Jr. Leno spent the last three seasons in D.C., starting 47 games.
The Commanders needed to find a replacement. They looked for one in the draft.
The Washington Commanders drafted an offensive tackle on Day 2
The Commanders drafted Brandon Coleman 67th overall in the 3rd round of the 2024 NFL draft, hoping he could become their long-term answer at left tackle. Coleman played college football for the Horned Frogs, starting 22 of 34 games at LT.
He competed for the starting job since spring practices and has held his own.
Brandon Coleman has turned heads throughout training camp
Coleman has been impressive in their first few weeks of training camp, alternating with the first-team offense, being listed as the starting left tackle in their unofficial depth chart, and is the early favorite to start in Week 1.
Dan Quinn is impressed with Coleman.
“He’s really had a good camp,” Quinn said of Coleman. “I’ve seen a couple things that happened, we’re referring to some injuries earlier. When Wylie went down in practice, we moved Brandon over to right tackle for 20-25 snaps that day. ‘No problem.’ And he’s just got a good demeanor. He is very intentional about his practice, but both he and Jayden have earned that right to start for this first preseason game. Like I said to everybody earlier, this is the first good step and that’s what it should be.”
One thing to look out for is his shoulder injury. Coleman wore a shoulder wrap on Tuesday and missed their last two practices. It’s unclear whether he will play in Saturday’s preseason game against the New York Jets.
The Washington Commanders swing tackle will compete for the starting left tackle job as well
Cornelius Lucas will compete against Brandon Coleman. Lucas has spent most of his four-year tenure as the swing tackle in D.C., with 31 starts in 62 regular season games. Similar to Coleman, Lucas practiced with the first-team offense in training camp.
