When left guard Brandon Coleman left the Washington Commanders game against the Green Bay Packers during the first half, he was replaced by Chris Paul before coming back in. That was a huge relief, but it exposed a potential thorn in the team's side that cannot be ignored.
The second-year pro, who recently switched from tackle to guard this season, had some key blocks against the New York Giants, but finished with a 42.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. Still, with Sam Cosmi still recovering from a torn ACL, losing Coleman for any length would be catastrophic to the team's hopes.
Commanders' offensive line depth is shaky at best
Coleman missed the first two preseason games with an injury and also missed time last year due to a concussion. He's taking some severe punishment to begin his NFL career, so the Commanders must think of better contingency plans if the worst-case scenario occurs at any stage.
The third-round pick has been under the spotlight in his new position, and an extended injury would not help. Thankfully, it wasn't serious enough to remove him completely from the equation. Even so, it realized just how frail the Commanders' protection is without Cosmi locking down his side of the interior.
Washington's offensive line is a work in progress. General manager Adam Peters made some hefty investments this offseason, so things were always going to take time to become a cohesive unit. Any major injury only jeopardizes this further, so Coleman is someone Washington fans will be monitoring closely from here on.
It's a precarious situation. And all it'll take is one issue like this to emerge for everything to unravel. That didn't happen this time, but the Commanders can only get lucky for so long.
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