A shutout of the New York Giants’ sack machine demonstrates how far Bobby Johnson’s OL has come
Including “Commanders’ offensive line” and “elite” in the same sentence would have seemed crazy just three months ago. Heading into the season, there were major questions about the ability of the Commanders’ offensive line to protect rookie QB Jayden Daniels. After Sunday’s near shutout of the NFL’s best pass rush it’s worth asking whether the Commanders have pulled together one of the league’s best units in pass protection.
Throughout the offseason, the state of the OL was the subject of angst on Hogs Haven, as writers and commenters fiercely debated whether the new front office had done enough in their roster overhaul to address a protection unit that was blamed for allowing the second most sacks in the league in 2023 (65, tie with Panthers) and the fifth highest sack rate (9.27%) on passing drawbacks.
The biggest issues on the OL last season had been at left guard and center, which ranked at or near the bottom of the league in pass protection. Not surprisingly, those positions were upgraded by the signings of C Tyler Biadasz and LG Nick Allegretti in free agency. Biadasz was a clear upgrade to Nick Gates at center. Allegretti, on the other hand, appeared to be more of a modest improvement over last season’s starters.
There was a disproportionate focus of attention on the OT position, with Andrew Wylie returning at RT and veteran swing tackle Cornelius Lucas getting the start at LT to replace Charles Leno, who underwent surgery and retired. Contrary to claims that Wylie and Lucas were among the worst players in the league at their positions, the pressure stats showed them to be in the average to just below range among NFL starters.
The biggest contributors to QB Sam Howell’s sack totals in 2023 were actually his own deficiency in evading pressure and a league leading pass to run balance which maximally exposed that weakness.
Nevertheless, the team was heading into the season with what appeared to be mediocre players protecting the edges. The selection of OT Brandon Coleman in the third round did relatively little to assuage fears for the safety of the Commanders’ rookie QB. As I have pointed out, fewer than 10% of OTs drafted after the second round are better in pass protection than Andrew Wylie as rookies. Neither did the signing of OL coach Bobby Johnson to lead the unit after seemingly unsuccessful stints with the Giants and Bills. Expectations for the OL’s performance this season ranged from middle of the pack to worst in the league.
When the Commanders finally took to the field, the worst fears of some in the fanbase proved to be overblown. Following a rough game against the Giants in Week 2, in which Jayden Daniels took 5 sacks, the OL started to gel. Heading into the Week 9 rematch, Jayden Daniels had only taken 17 sacks, which was just the 14th most in the NFL. To the same point in 2023, Sam Howell had led the league with 41 sacks, 5 sacks clear of the Giants’ Tommy DeVito in second place, and more than double Daniels’ total.
The Giants’ pass rush that the Commanders faced in Week 2 proved not to be a fluke. After 8 games, the Giants defense led the league with 35 sacks. Prior to their second matchup with the Commanders, they had sacked opposing QBs 13.3% of dropbacks, which ranks right up there with some of the greatest defenses of all time.
In the rematch, the Commanders were without primary starting left tackle Cornelius, who was sidelined with an ankle injury. It was time for Brandon Coleman to play his first full game as the starter. Up to Week 8, Coleman had been alternating series with Lucas. While he had shown enough promise to earn significant playing time, he had been allowing pressure on 10.9% of pass blocking snaps, which is about twice the rate of mid-range starting LT, and more than twice the rate of Lucas (4.7%) who is having his best professional season.
Concerns were high that the rookie LT, and possibly the OL as a whole, would fold under the pressure of the Giants’ pass rush, exposing Jayden Daniels to dangerous hits. To the surprise and relief of an anxious fanbase, the Commanders became the first team this season not to surrender a sack against the Giants. In fact, the OL as a unit only gave up four QB pressures all game, their second best outing since surrendering just 3 pressures to the Cardinals in Week 4. And the icing on the cake was that rookie Brandon stepped up to the challenge of playing his first full game at LT by not yielding a single pressure.
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
How Good is the Giants’ Pass Rush?
Some might dismiss the Commanders’ dominant pass blocking performance as a good game against a weak opponent. That would be far from the truth. While the Giants are one of the weakest teams in the league, overall, their pass rush is actually exceptionally good.
Through the first 8 games of the season, the Giants had sacked opposing QBs on 13.3% of dropbacks. That figure seems extremely high. To get an idea of where it sits, historically, I searched the Pro Football Reference database, which records sack data back to 1947. Here is what I found:
While the Giants’ sack rate took a little hit in the rematch with the Commanders, if they can make up the missed sacks against other opponents, and maintain the 13.3% sack rate for the rest of the season, they will tie with Pittsburgh’s 1974 Steel Curtain defense as the sixth most effective pass rush of all time.
At the rate they have been sacking opposing QBs, they aren’t just the best team this season. They are historically good.
How Good Was the Commanders’ Pass Protection Against the Giants?
To put Sunday’s performance in proper perspective, here is how opposing offensive lines have fared against the Giants so far this season. First in terms of total sacks allowed, according to Pro Football Focus:
…and then in terms of pressure rates allowed in pass protection:
Here “pressure rate” is defined as the percentage of passing dropbacks on which an offensive lineman allowed a pressure (QB hurry, QB hit, sack).
Pressure rates allowed in pass protection tell a somewhat similar story. In Week 2, the Commanders’ OL was still rounding into form, yet still held the Giants’ pass rushers to their fourth lowest pressure rate this season, at 19.5% of dropbacks. In Sunday’s rematch, the OL improved on that figure, holding the Giant’s DL to their season low pressure rate of just 14.8%.
Commanders’ Offensive Tackles Are Improving
Perhaps the biggest good news story to come out of the OL’s rematch with the Giants is the continuing growth of third round draft pick Brandon Coleman at LT. In Week 2, Coleman allowed 2 QB hits and 1 pressure in just 13 pass blocking snaps against the Giants’ pass rushers. Since that game, his playing time has increased, and he has shown steady improvement in his pass blocking technique. In the Week 4 game against a depleted Cardinals’ pass rush, he pitched his first shutout, allowing no pressures in 20 pass block snaps.
Aside from the Cardinals game, Coleman has been allowing pressures on over 10% of pass rush snaps, which is around twice the average rate for starting LTs, but not outrageous for a rookie. The following graph illustrates Coleman’s performance in pass protection in the 7 games in which he has taken 8 or more pass block reps.
Coleman is not the only Commanders’ OT who has shown substantial improvement in pass protection this season. Following the 2023 season, in which he surrendered 9 sacks, there were concerns about Andrew Wylie’s ability to protect Jayden Daniels’ right side. Through 9 weeks, Wylie is one of only 4 OTs who have played at least 300 pass blocking snaps without allowing a sack. The others are Mike Onwenu (Patriots), Tristan Wirfs (Buccaneers) and Ronnie Stanley (Ravens). Swing tackle Cornelius Lucas has also had something of a late career renaissance in pass protection since he was pressed into starting duty.
The following graph shows the veteran OTs’ performance in pass protection since Lucas signed with Washington in 2020. Wylie started out at RG with the Chiefs and switched to RT full time in 2021.
For reference, OTs who consistently allow pressure on fewer than 5% of dropbacks get signed to long term deals on premium starting money. Those who allow pressure rates between 5% and 6% have less secure careers as starters. OTs allowing pressure rates significantly above 6% are replacement level players or rookies.
Cornelius Lucas signed with the Football Team to start his 7th NFL season at swing tackle in 2020. He started out well, but struggled in pass protection in 7 starts at RT in 2021, and 12 starts in 2022. He regained his early career form in 4 starts at LT in 2023. He has performed even better in 2024, while splitting series with Brandon Coleman.
Andrew Wylie signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs in 2018. He began his career starting at guard and transitioned to playing RT full time in 2021. His pass protection was initially leaky, and has improved every season since switching to OT. He has improved substantially in 2024, dropping his pressure rate to the level of plus starters.
The Offensive Line Is Trending in the Right Direction
The Commanders’ refurbished offensive line faces its next big test this weekend when the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town. The Steelers rank 2nd in scoring defense, 9th in yards allowed, and 6th by EPA/play on defense. The offensive tackles, in particular, will have their hands full blocking edge rusher T.J. Watt, who has 6.5 sacks, 14 QB hits and 10 TFL this season, and leads the league with 4 forced fumbles.
The offensive line has come a long way in a short time under new management. The sudden improvement in pass protection is likely due to a combination of factors including upgrades on the interior offensive line, an offensive scheme that creates synergies between the running and passing games, assistance from RBs and receivers chipping pass rushers, a QB who evades pressure and converts busted pockets into big gains, a focus on developing young players, and veteran players actually being better than they had been perceived to be. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and offensive line coach Bobby Johnson deserve a ton of credit for putting the offensive linemen in positions to succeed.
The Steelers defense is a load for any OL to handle. But the progress that the Commanders’ offensive line has made in pass protection since the season started, and the development of rookie OT Brandon Coleman, should give fans confidence that they are up to the challenge.
Photo by John McDonnell/ for The Washington Post via Getty Images