One day after finalizing their initial 53-man roster, Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn met with the media. It was an opportunity for Peters and Quinn to discuss the offseason, training camp, the current roster, offer any injury updates and take questions.
There was plenty to talk about, specifically regarding the injuries and the offensive line. While Quinn and Peters provided several injury updates, mostly positive, one question in particular seemed to make Quinn a bit uncomfortable.
The center position has been a point of conversation since February when Washington surprisingly released two-year starter Tyler Biadasz. We’ve discussed the Commanders’ reported attempts to sign Tyler Linderbaum in free
agency and the decision to hand the position over to veteran Nick Allegretti.
Washington’s plans appeared to hit a snag on the first day of training camp when Allegretti left practice with an injury. The top options to replace him were veteran Julian Good-Jones and rookie sixth-round pick Matt Gulbin. Together, they have a combined two career NFL snaps.
The experience went about as well as expected. Good-Jones had his share of struggles in practice, whether it was with his teammates or in the joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens. He also struggled in the preseason game against Detroit.
So, back to the question that appeared to have made Quinn a little uncomfortable.
Quinn was asked why Good-Jones received so many reps as the top center with quarterback Jayden Daniels so late in camp. Washington released Good-Jones on Sunday and re-signed him to the practice squad.
Here’s Quinn’s answer.
“Well, first I’d say, Julian definitely deserved the shot to go compete for it. That was, first and foremost of being here, going through it. And so, although it may not, like Matt got practice reps as well with Jayden. So, we got a chance to see that and evaluate him into that and who he was going against. I understand your question, but Nick, Julian, Matt, they’re all gonna get their looks at it to go. But you do have to give a shot to go do it too.”
That was a great question, and it needed to be asked. Once Allegretti went down, did Washington think he would be back quickly? At first it was a week, then it turned into two weeks, and he later reaggravated it. Peters had a chance to bring in an experienced center multiple times this offseason to at least compete with Allegretti, or, at the very least, provide insurance. He passed at every opportunity.
When Laremy Tunsil tore his triceps, Washington’s center woes were highlighted even further. Essentially, the Commanders knew what they had in Good-Jones and put him in an unenviable position. It was unfair to him and Gulbin. But if you were so resistant to bringing in outside help that was game-ready, then why not give the rookie more reps with the starting quarterback?
Peters and Quinn need to be right about Allegretti. If they are, this is no longer a talking point. But if they’re wrong, or he gets hurt again, they’ll be reliving their decision to cut Tyler Biadasz and not bring in another veteran for a long time.
It’s also worth pointing out that Quinn may not be making some of these decisions.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: One question appeared to make Commanders coach Dan Quinn uncomfortable
