The Washington Commanders are relying on veteran players for now. Adam Peters was forced into this strategy thanks to four years of subpar drafting from the previous head coach, Ron Rivera. And the only way this ethos is going to shift is by stacking good drafts himself.
Peters has had mixed success so far. Most of his 2024 class is still around, but not many are firmly establishing themselves. Almost all of them, aside from Luke McCaffrey, have regressed in some capacity from the previous campaign.
Brandon Coleman's situation is arguably the most concerning of all. The No. 67 overall selection was expected to become the team's long-term starter at left guard this season after Washington traded for five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. He lasted just two games before he was benched in favor of Chris Paul, who's been much more assured despite a few blips along the way.
Not only was Coleman benched, but he's been a healthy scratch since Week 2. This is becoming a nightmare campaign for the TCU product, prompting fans to speculate about whether the lineman has any future in Washington.
Although it's too soon to write off Coleman completely, this pick is starting to look like it's not going to work out. Hindsight is a wonderful thing to have, but here are five players the Commanders could have taken instead.
Players the Commanders could have drafted over Brandon Coleman in 2024
Commanders could have drafted Cooper Beebe
If the Washington Commanders were looking for offensive line help, they might have been better off casting their alluring eyes on Cooper Beebe, who went a few picks after Brandon Coleman. He's had some injury problems, but his overall production and long-term outlook with the Dallas Cowboys is far more stable than Adam Peters' choice right now.
Beebe had experience across the interior in college at Kansas State. The Cowboys immediately transitioned him to the center position after Tyler Biadasz decided to link up with Dan Quinn in Washington. This proved exceptionally fruitful, and it's something the Commanders' bitter division rival is going to benefit from in the coming years.
The second-year pro is an outstanding communicator. Beebe is a crushing force on running plays. Although there is still some refinement needed in pass protection, especially in footwork, the encouraging progress being made suggests that further improvements can be made with a bit of extra work.
Dallas is set to welcome Beebe back from injured reserve sooner rather than later. That's only going to give the Cowboys' league-leading offense another shot in the arm.