The Washington Commanders heard talk this summer that their offensive line would be bad in 2026 after left tackle Laremy Tunsil tore his triceps. They heard talk that center Nick Allegretti would fail in his quest to replace Tyler Biadasz at center.
When the Commanders struggled in a joint practice with the Ravens last month, they were without three starting offensive linemen, including right guard Sam Cosmi. One Washington media member even called the offensive line inoperable. That one word shaped the national narrative around the Commanders for 2026. People who hadn’t even watched Washington were calling them terrible based on one social media post that lacked context.
Cosmi brushed off criticism of Washington’s offensive line, saying the players
block out the noise and trust one another. Clearly, GM Adam Peters is confident, too. He didn’t bring in a replacement for Allegretti, despite fans thinking he should.
The Commanders faced the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, which meant facing their vaunted defensive line. Despite the 24-22 loss, Washington’s offensive line played reasonably well, with Jayden Daniels taking only one sack. Cosmi, in particular, was dominant, with one prominent NFL offensive line analyst saying he put Eagles star defensive tackle Jalen Carter “in Alcatraz.”
On Friday, Cosmi spoke about the criticism levied at the Commanders’ offensive line, and he wanted no part of it.
“I like being underdogs,” Cosmi said. “I really don’t care what other people believe about us. I know what we have in our group and how hard we work. I don’t really care about what people.....people don’t know, like the ins and outs about what’s in a game plan. They see things, and they’re like, ‘oh my gosh, this, that, or the other.' It’s the most annoying thing. People just need to shut up sometimes. They don’t know game. They really don’t. So, just watch the tapes and shut your mouths.”
There were plenty of question marks surrounding this Commanders O-Line.
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) September 16, 2026
Today, Sam Cosmi was asked if their performance against the Eagles proved people wrong.
Sam said, "people just need to shut up sometimes. They don't know game. Just watch the tapes and shut your mouth." pic.twitter.com/Eh8bEIGdvc
That sounds like pretty solid advice from Cosmi.
Everything he said was correct. Wouldn’t you get tired of hearing how terrible you were before you even played a game, too? What Cosmi said is what many of us think most of the time.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' offensive lineman has a strong message for detractors
