The Commanders need to have a difficult discussion on a possible change with a struggling rookie that could end up backfiring
Is it time for a short-term switch after a rough start?
The first two weeks haven’t been the prettiest for the Washington Commanders, and they can’t afford to have the same performance as they did against the Green Bay Packers.
The offense hasn’t lived up to expectations, and it hit a new low against the Packers, especially with Jayden Daniels taking way too many hits and ultimately suffering a sprained knee. The glaringly obvious flaw has been the protection from the offensive line, which allowed Micah Parsons and company to have a field day.
A majority of the rush came from the right side of the line, especially with Josh Conerly Jr., and the Commanders may need to make a change with Maxx Crosby and the Las Vegas Raiders coming to town.
The struggling rookie
He was thrown into the toughest situation as a rookie, but the first two games haven’t looked good for Conerly Jr. The first-round rookie had to face Abdul Carter in Week 1, followed by Parsons in Week 2. Now, you have Crosby coming to town looking to repeat what the Packers did.
The Commanders allowed way too many hits on Daniels and finished with four sacks and 26 pressures allowed against the Packers alone. Conerly Jr. had the biggest part in those numbers, allowing three sacks and nine pressures himself. Through two weeks, he has allowed four total sacks, which is the most by a tackle so far.
Head coach Dan Quinn was asked about Conerly Jr.’s performance so far and his overall thoughts on the offensive line, and he left it open for competition.
“Yeah, I think we want to stick to the competition as the essential theme in what we do,” Quinn said. “If I’m looking at two games, there are things that I also liked in the opening game. We ran the ball well and effectively into that space. So yeah, we got things to improve on for sure. Not just at one spot, but at a number of them, and we plan on doing that.”
Time for a short-term switch?
I’m not saying Conerly Jr. needs to be benched for good, but it might be time for the Commanders to have veteran Andrew Wylie step in at right tackle this week, with Crosby licking at his chops to get to whoever plays QB this weekend. Wylie was the starting right tackle last season, and he didn’t allow a single sack in 534 pass snaps. Conerly Jr. has gotten the in-game reps he needs against top competition, but the Commanders’ offense can’t afford to struggle again due to a steady pass rush.
Crosby is just as elite as Parsons, and he has the fastest average get-off time in the NFL at .69 seconds. That means on average, he gets past the line of scrimmage after the snap in only .69 seconds, which is insane to imagine is even possible.
Whether it’s a banged-up Daniels starting at QB or Mariota making the start, the offensive line needs to tighten up to allow plays downfield to develop. The best decision for this week might be Wylie taking over at right tackle as Conerly Jr still gets his feet set in the league.