The Washington Commanders may have found a diamond in the rough with rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman. A third-round draft pick this year, he has impressed the coaching staff and they are slowly acclimating him to the offense and the NFL game.
Last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, Coleman played nearly 50 percent of the offensive snaps. The goal is for him to eventually take the starting spot and run with it.
In a recent media session, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was asked about Coleman's progress during games.
"Getting more and more comfortable," Kingsbury said. "He's going against a really good rusher that week and we knew it'd be a challenge, but I thought he battled. He's going to get better each week.
He's a rookie, he's going to have his ups and downs like they all do. But I liked the way he fought, and I liked the way he, when he did have a negative play, he responded the right way,"
Coleman knows fight. He didn't receive any D1 offers coming out of high school. He had to go to the tiny east Texas town of Athens to play two years of junior college ball before getting a scholarship at TCU in Fort Worth.
Once he broke their lineup, he never gave it back. If he can apply that same fight and work ethic to the NFL, the Commanders may have a solid left tackle for years to come.
The Commanders and the Arizona Cardinals play this Sunday in the desert at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.
