With Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders offense putting up historic numbers, it is time to give the offensive line credit where it is due. After the protection gave up 65 sacks last year and put Sam Howell in tough spots, changes across the group were overdue.
There is still potential to continue improving the line. But what used to be one of the biggest issues for the Commanders has turned into a strength.
Charles Leno Jr. is gone. Saahdiq Charles is gone. Centers Nick Gates and Tyler Larsen have both moved on with little fanfare attached. The difference has been welcome and immediate in equal measure.
With 60 percent of the offensive line different from last year, fans were expecting some growing pains. Instead, their play has been a major improvement compared to last season. Maybe, just maybe, Adam Peters is a far better general manager than Ron Rivera.
Commanders offensive line is much-improved from the 2023 season
After four games, Daniels is on pace to have a historical completion percentage. Head coach Dan Quinn sees that as just one of the metrics for the Commanders to judge the offense. It not only allows him to keep a pulse on the signal-caller but also the offensive line.
So, I would say the ability to have these completions and that's just not Jayden, that's the protection to have a game where the offensive line was able to protect and allow him to deliver the ball to the right spots. That's a big deal too.Dan Quinn
The Commanders brought in Gates on a three-year, $16.5 million deal in free agency. That experiment didn't go too well. He was benched after seven games and cut after the season by the new front office, which came with a $5.3 million dead-cap figure.
Gates gave up five sacks, fifth-most in the league, and had four penalties according to Pro Football Focus. Tyler Larsen, who took over for him, didn't fare much better, giving up three sacks but with zero infringements.
Late last year, our own Ryan Heckman called Larsen "one of the worst pass-blocking centers in all of football" as he allowed more pressures on Howell than even Gates.
The offensive line made life hell for Howell, with the quarterback enduring 24 sacks through the first four contests in 2023. Daniels has been sacked nine times and was not brought down at all in Week 4.
Howell was sacked nine times...in one game last year. The differences are night and day. However, the signal-caller didn't help himself sometimes by taking too long to go through his progressions and panicking under pressure.
Daniels deserves credit for his shiftiness and decision-making. But the Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU acknowledges that the offensive line has been a major catalyst in his success.
They're keeping me upright there. I mean, everything starts with them, so we wouldn't be in any of this position without them, so shout out to them.Jayden Daniels
Tyler Biadasz, having a familiarity with Quinn from their time together on the Cowboys, signed with the Commanders this offseason. The veteran center, who the coach affectionately referred to as "badass", has been a force out front, allowing zero sacks and having no penalties called against him.
After the 42-14 win against the Arizona Cardinals, Quinn had high praise for Biadasz, comparing his processing to that of a quarterback.
"Yeah, one of the challenging parts about playing center, on so many of these plays you have to target who belongs to whom. On a traditional offense, you have a little bit more time...When you're going more quickly, those are when you really have to process quickly like a QB. So, on the runs and the passes, Tyler's right in the middle of all that to make sure the declaration's right, who we're going to, how we're going to go. Dan Quinn via Commanders.com
With at least 13 more games to play, the Commanders will look for their offensive line to continue to develop cohesion as Daniels works towards NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and hopefully a return to playoff glory for Washington.
That's a long way off and there will be many twists to come, but everything is going much better than anyone anticipated so far.
