Reporters crowded the press conference room at the Washington Commanders facility waiting for head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters to speak about the team's initial 53-man roster.
Most of them only wanted to ask about one position group, though, and it's the same one the fan base has had since Laremy Tunsil was ruled out for the foreseeable future with a torn triceps: what's going on with the offensive line, and what is the team doing to fix it?
"We had no idea that was coming," Peters joked when asked about the offensive line on the first question.
The group's structure was a talking point throughout camp. Nick Allegretti -- the team's top option at center -- missed most of August with a calf strain. That, along with Tunsil's injury, forced the Commanders to shuffle around the players available to them. Brandon Coleman was moved to tackle, and Julian Good-Jones spent most of the time at center. When Sam Cosmi got sick during the joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens, Good-Jones moved to guard, and draft pick Matt Gulbin played center.
Despite all the movement up front and some formidable opponents appearing early on the schedule, the coaches and offensive linemen remain confident in their ability.
"To have this combination of guys going that way, yeah, [there's] a lot of confidence," Quinn said.
It's worth pointing out that Washington's current mashup of offensive linemen was not the plan the team had in mind. In a perfect world, Tunsil would remain the left tackle, Allegretti would have been on the field for most of camp and the duo of Sam Cosmi and Josh Conerly would have continued building their chemistry together on the right side. The only position that would have been undecided was left guard, but the team felt like it was in a good spot with either Coleman or Chris Paul.
But Tunsil's injury changed all that. The team likes what it has with Coleman at tackle, but that move affected the depth at guard. The uncertainty at guard put a brighter spotlight on the center position, which was already going through some flux with Allegretti's injury.
That's a lot of uncertainty for a position at which Commanders need to be solid this season, but the team is looking at the situation with optimism.
"I'm excited about what we got," Cosmi said following Tuesday's practice. "We can prove everybody wrong, I don't really care about everyone else, to be honest with you. I care about the guys in that room and our ability and what we can do."
Though it is not ideal to move Coleman to tackle and reduce the depth at guard, the Commanders consider themselves fortunate to have the ability to do so. Coleman was the Commanders' starting left tackle during their NFC Championship run and held his own against some quality competition. During their matchup against the Cleveland Browns, Myles Garrett did not record a single stat -- tackle, sack or otherwise -- with Coleman rotating in at left tackle alongside Cornelius Lucas. He was relegated to a backup role once the team traded for Tunsil, but the team feels like he has made progress in both maturity and skill over the past year.
"I think you've seen a young man grow here," Blough said of Coleman. "I think he has demonstrated everything that we're looking for to protect that side for us."
Still, questions have surrounded the position, and the concerns reached high points during the preseason game against the Detroit Lions and joint practice against the Baltimore Ravens. However, as with most things in the preseason, context matters. Teams don't put together comprehensive game plans for preseason opponents, and not all the starting offensive line was on the field for bigger evaluation opportunities.
That doesn't mean the offensive linemen who were on the field get an excuse for not playing well, but it is worth pointing out that Cosmi's illness required more shuffling to an offensive line that had already experienced changes.
"I think it's a huge misconception because I know how much we work," Conerly said. "There's only been so much put out there of the five being out there at once."
Fortunately for the Commanders, it appears that things are beginning to settle on the offensive line. Cosmi is back, which helps stabilize the interior, and Allegretti has returned to practice to take his spot as the starting center. He said in the locker room that he felt good in the days leading up to his return to the field, and that continued into this week. He understands the attention surrounding him and the position, particularly with him being sidelined, but he is not shying away from it. He appreciates the trust the team has placed in him and respects their decision to be cautious with his injury.
"I think I missed more practices in this training camp than I have in my entire career combined," Allegretti said. "So, [I was] trusting that process that we need to be right for September, not August."
Assuming things stay as they are, the Commanders have about 10 days with their offensive line together to get ready for their Week 1 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, which has an interior manned by Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. It's a daunting task for a season-opening opponent, but the Commanders believe there is enough time for Allegretti to get himself ready.
"Not having Nick for most of camp was something we had to work through, but we have a ton of confidence in him," Peters said. "And he's played, I think, 3,000-some-odd snaps in this league. And he's played good football for us before. He went through the whole offseason, so we're really confident. He's not a guy that needs a ton of reps, especially from a mental standpoint."
And, for what it's worth, the Commanders' offensive linemen aren't in panic mode. They're focused on relying on each other to succeed, and they feel good about their odds.
"We're gonna try to be the best five guys on that football field," Cosmi said. "I think, from a relationship from a relationship standpoint, from a communication standpoint, we just have a great group of guys ... I'm excited to go to battle with that versus Philly."
