Perhaps no position group took a bigger beating than the Washington Commanders’ offensive line this summer. After star left tackle Laremy Tunsil tore his triceps in August and projected starting center Nick Allegretti essentially missed all of training camp, there were grave concerns about the offensive line.
Fortunately, those concerns didn’t exist in Ashburn. The Commanders were crushed when Tunsil went down. But instead of looking outside the organization, Washington turned to Brandon Coleman. Coleman, who started at left tackle for Washington as a rookie in 2024, was competing to start at left guard. At center, instead of panicking, the Commanders waited for Allegretti’s return and recently signed veteran Lucas Patrick for depth.
In between,
the Commanders and the Baltimore Ravens held a joint practice, and a tweet from Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic went viral. After watching that joint practice, Jhabvala called Washington’s offensive line “inoperable.” She quickly added context, noting that the Commanders were missing three starters, including right guard Sam Cosmi. It didn’t matter. Any national analyst who talked about Washington immediately began predicting doom in 2026.
After two weeks, Washington Commanders quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota were sacked only once combined. In speaking to the media, several of the Commanders’ offensive linemen said they were unhappy with that narrative.
So, before Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, Washington defensive lineman Charles Omenihu had enough and defended his teammates.
Former NFL offensive lineman Brian Baldinger, now a top NFL analyst for multiple outlets, praised the Commanders’ offensive line in one of his “Baldy's Breakdowns” segments. Omenihu responded to Baldinger’s praise.
But people still speak on the Guys as if they’re a weakness shit a crazy narrative! https://t.co/8bjX5aJshQ
— Charles Omenihu (@charless_94) September 27, 2026
“A crazy narrative.”
Omenihu isn’t talking only about the aforementioned tweet, but also about things like Pro Football Focus ranking Washington’s offensive line 32nd—dead last in the NFL.
In Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl champions and arguably the NFL’s best defensive team, Washington backup quarterback Marcus Mariota was sacked only twice. He lost seven yards combined on those sacks. Neither really mattered in the overall landscape of the game.
The result? The Commanders picked up their first win of the season, shocking the Seahawks 33-31. Mariota passed for three touchdowns and did not turn the ball over. Washington had another touchdown called back because rookie receiver Antonio Williams was not lined up properly pre-snap.
The Commanders are still battling injuries along their offensive line. And guess what? They’re still outplaying everyone’s expectations. And they’re certainly not the 32nd-ranked offensive line in the NFL.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders DL defends teammates over 'crazy narrative'
