What can Commanders fans learn from the Texans, Lions, Bills and 49ers?
Throughout the first offseason of the Washington Commanders’ franchise reset, no position on the roster generated more anxiety among fans than offensive tackle. Relative to the investment of draft capital at QB and free agency spending on the interior offensive line, the single third round pick expended at OT struck many as unreasonably modest.
As the first three games of the season unfolded, fans have started to breathe sighs of relief. The worst fears of the new regime’s most vocal critics do not appear to have materialized, and there is a growing sense that the offensive line is far from the rebuilding team’s worst problem. But the team is not out of the woods yet. Ron Rivera left the OL talent pipeline in such a dire state that the Commanders could be one injury away from disaster at any position.
Over the next few off-seasons, we can expect to see continued intensive investment to replenish the roster and elevate the talent level to compete at the highest level. It is frequently suggested that offensive tackle is of such crucial importance that it has to be the top priority of a rebuilding team, after quarterback. Some would even say it should come before the quarterback.
I recently took an in-depth look at four teams that rebuilt as playoff contenders following more or less comparable franchise resets to the 2024 Commanders. In this article, I will take a look at how these teams went about finding their starting OTs during their rebuilds. Did they all make a priority of shoring up the edges of their offensive lines early in the rebuilds? Or did some of them sneak back into the playoffs with a weak player or two at key positions on the offensive line.
The player at the center of fans’ concerns over the offseason was RT Andrew Wylie. Wylie’s performance in pass protection last season placed him around the 40th percentile of starting RTs. Do the Commanders need to find an upgrade urgently, to avoid hindering their young QB’s development? Or is it possible to get back to the playoffs with a player like Wylie on the roster? When pondering that question, it is worth remembering that Wylie blocked for Patrick Mahomes in the 2022 Super Bowl win and two AFC Championships.
To get a better idea of where the OT position fits in the overall scheme of the roster rebuild, I thought it would be informative to see how other successfully rebuilt teams went about finding their starting bookends.
Before getting into the case studies, though, I have to point out that the 2024 Commanders are starting from a lower baseline than any of the other successful rebuilds. Only one of the teams I profiled started their rebuild without at least one quality starting OT already on the roster. And no other team started their rebuild with as many deficits at key positions, in addition to OT.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Houston Texans
The Texans commenced their roster reset in 2021, with 2019 trade acquisition Laremy Tunsil and 2019 first round pick Tytus Howard already on the roster.
Left Tackle
Former GM Bill O’Brien traded with the Dolphins for Tunsil in 2019. The Texans acquired Tunsil, wide receiver Kenny Stills and future fourth and sixth round picks in exchange for the Texans’ first round picks in 2020 and 2021, a 2021 second round pick and cornerback Johnson Bademosi plus OT Julien Davenport. Tunsil was extended on a three year contract that made him the highest paid OT at 3 years, $75 million with $50 million fully guaranteed. Tunsil rewarded the Texans with Pro Bowl performances in 2019 and 2020.
Tunsil was in the third year of his contract in 2021, when the Texans began their rebuild. A thumb injury in game 5 required surgery and sent him to IR for the rest of the season. Former Redskin, Geron Christian, filled in for him while he was out. Tunsil returned to Pro Bowl form in 2022 and 2023 and remains the Texans’ starter.
Right Tackle
Tytus Howard played RT for the Texans in 2019 and 2020. In his second season, under Bill O’Brien, he allowed 7.5% Pressure Rate in pass protection, which is near the bottom quartile for starting RTs. In the first year of the rebuild, the Texans moved him to LG, where performed much better in pass protection, but was a weak run blocker. In the second year of the rebuild, he moved back to RT and performed at around an average starter level in pass protection but was still weak in pass protection. In 2023, he moved back to LG and started during the Texans’ playoff run.
In 2021, the Texans started the previous season’s 4th round pick Charlie Heck at RT, when Howard moved to LG. Heck only started a single season before moving to a backup role. In 2023, they signed journey OT George Fant to a 1 year $3.97 million deal. In 2024, Tytus Howard has moved back to the starting RT position.
Texans Summary
Pro Bowl LT Laremy Tunsil was on the roster at the start of the rebuild and remained the starter throughout the rebuild, only missing part of Year 1 due to injury.
RT Tytus Howard was on the roster at the start of the rebuild and the Texans appear to be still trying to figure out if he is the long term solution or waiting to find an upgrade.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Detroit Lions
The Lions had a fitful start to recovering from the long, dark period under former owner William Clay Ford. In 2021, his daughter Sheila Hamp Ford hired GM Brad Holmes to commence a second rebuild following an unsuccessful reset under GM Bob Quinn.
The Lions commenced their rebuild with LT Taylor Decker already under contract, and he remained the starter throughout the rebuild. Decker is an above average to starting LT in most seasons.
In Year 1 of the rebuild, the Lions used the seventh overall pick of the draft to select Oregon Ducks OT and Polynesian College Football Player of the Year co-recipient Penei Sewell to play RT. In 2021, Sewell started 16 games for Detroit. In 2022, he again started 100% of games and was voted to the Pro Bowl. In 2023 he stepped up his game even further, earning his first nomination to the All Pro first team roster. He is arguably the most dominant RT in football.
Lions Summary
The rebuild started with LT Tyler Decker already on the roster. In Year RT Penei Sewell was drafted early in the first round and quickly became an elite-level starter.
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Buffalo Bills
The Bills had a slightly less bumpy road to recovery than the Lions following the death of founding owner Ralph Wilson in 2014. In 2017, new owners Terry and Kim Pegula hired GM Brandon Beane to clean up the mess left by his predecessor Doug Whaley.
The Bills commenced their rebuild with LT Cordy Glenn and RT Jordan Mills under contract from the previous regime.
Left Tackle
In Year 1 of the rebuild, the Bills opted to roll with 2016 starting QB Tyrod Taylor, rather than drafting a QB. That freed up their early round draft picks for other positions. The Bills traded the 10th overall pick to the Chiefs in exchange for the 27th pick in the first round plus a 2017 third round pick and a 2018 first round pick. The Chiefs used pick #10 acquired in the trade to draft QB Patrick Mahomes. The Bills used their first round pick to draft CB Tre’Davious White and then used their second pick in the second round to draft Temple LT Dion Dawkins.
Dawkins won the starting LT job from Cordy Glenn during his rookie season in 2017, and remained the starter throughout the rebuild and ever since. He received Pro Bowl nominations from 2021 through 2023.
Right Tackle
Right tackle Jordan Mills was also on the roster when the rebuild began. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of 2013 draft, one round ahead of rookie teammate Cornelius Lucas. He started as a rookie, but was released after losing the starting job to Charles Leno in 2015. The Bills claimed him off the Lions’ practice squad in 2015 and extended him twice.
Mills started at RT through the first two years of the rebuild. His pass blocking was around average for a starting RT, with a cumulative Pressure Rate allowed in protection of 5.3%, nearly identical to his old buddy Cornelius Lucas in 2023. PFF graded his run blocking as weak (2017 52.3, 2018 48.6).
In 2019, the Bills drafted Oklahoma RT Cody Ford in the second round, 38th overall. He started 15 games at RT as a rookie and was not good in either phase of the game.
In 2020, the Bills signed former Carolina Panthers former All Pro RT Daryl Williams to a 1 year, $1.3 million deal with bonuses up to $3.35 million. Williams provided an upgrade at the position in the Bills’ first playoff winning season since 1995 and remained with the team until his retirement after the 2021 season. In 2021, the Bills drafted Northern Iowa starter Spencer Brown in the 3rd round. He is the current starter.
Bills Summary
Pro Bowl LT Dion Dawkins was drafted in the second round and won the starting job in Year 1 of the rebuild. He has provided a long term solution at the position.
During the rebuild, RT was manned by a succession of players, starting with an average to below average veteran for the first two Years, followed by a high second round draft pick who did not work out, and finally hit on a low value FA signing for the final year of the rebuild. They following season they drafted a new starter in the third round.
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San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers were fortunate to start their rebuild with Hall of Fame All-2010s Team LT Joe Staley on the roster. Staley was a 3-time second team All Pro and 6 time Pro Bowler. H final Pro Bowl nomination came in 2017, the first season of the 49ers’ franchise reset.
The RT position was manned by Trent Brown, who was drafted by the Niners in the 7th round in 2015.
Left Tackle
Staley only missed one game in 2017 and 2018. In the third and final year of the rebuild, he missed 9 games with a broken fibula, but came back for the final four games of the regular season and played through Super Bowl LIV with a hand injury. Staley announced his retirement during the 2020 draft on the same day that the 49ers signed former Redskin LT Trent Williams. During Staley’s absence in 2019, rookie 6th round pick Justin Skule manned the position. Skule did not catch on as a starter, and is currently a backup with the Bucs.
Right Tackle
Trent Brown played RT in the first season of the rebuild. Brown is an underrated player at the position in my opinion. In 2017 he allowed a Pressure Rate of 3.7% in pass protection, which put him in the top quartile of starting RTs. PFF graded his run blocking a solid 70.9. In the 2018 offseason, Brown was traded along with a 4th round draft pick to the Patriots in exchange for a third round pick.
The following season, the 49ers drafted Notre Dame OT Mike McGlinchey with the 9th overall pick to replace Brown at RT. McGlinchey had some struggles in pass protection as a rookie, but settled in to playing at an average starting level in 2019. He suffered a torn quad in the option year of his rookie contract and was allowed to walk in free agency after the season.
49ers Summary
The 49ers had an elite player at LT throughout their three year rebuild. He retired after the team had returned to playoff contention. They also started the rebuild with a solid option at RT, held over from previous management. Their attempt to trade him for draft capital and upgrade the position with a first round pick in Year 2 resulted in a modest downgrade at the position.
The 49ers finally found their new franchise LT through a fortunate acquisition of Trent Williams via trade, after the rebuild had returned them to playoff contention. They are still looking for the solution at RT.
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Summary and Conclusions
Of the four teams that have successfully rebuilt and become playoff contenders since 2017, three started from a higher baseline than the 2024 Commanders at offensive tackle. All four rebuilding teams either started with a quality option at left tackle, or added one in Year 1 of the rebuild. Right tackle proved more challenging to solidify for three of the four teams.
Left Tackle
Only the Bills started the rebuild without a very good to elite player at left tackle. The 49ers started their rebuild with future Hall of Famer Joe Staley on the roster. The Texans had Pro Bowl LT Laremy Tunsil returning in Year 1; and the Lions had an average to above-average starting LT in Taylor Decker.
The Bills opted not address QB in Year 1 of their rebuild, which freed up their early round draft picks for other positions. In fact, they traded back from the 10th overall pick with Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes still available. They were fortunate to hit on underrated left tackle prospect Dion Dawkins late in the second round, who became a long term starter and has played at a Pro Bowl level.
Right Tackle
Compared to left tackle, the rebuilding teams had more mixed success at solidifying the right tackle position. The Lions were the only team to upgrade by adding a stud right tackle in the first rebuilding year. They commenced their rebuild with the QB position addressed via trade, and a solid starter at left tackle. That freed up their first round pick to upgrade the right tackle position. They drafted Penei Sewell 7th overall in the first year of the rebuild and hit on an All Pro starter.
The other three teams struggled to solidify the right tackle position throughout their rebuilds.
The Texans have moved Tytus Howard from RT to LG and back again. He has played like a solid starter in some seasons, but has been inconsistent. During the rebuild, from 2021 to 2023, they tried two other players at RT, and have returned to Howard in 2024.
The Bills had a mid-level starting RT in Jordan Mills for the first two seasons of the rebuild. They attempted to replace him with Cody Ford in Year 3, then replaced Ford with vet free agent Daryl Williams in Year 4. The following season, after the rebuild was complete, they drafted Spencer Brown, who has started ever since.
Lastly, the 49ers started their rebuild with a solid right tackle in place. They attempted to raise draft capital by trading Trent Brown to the Patriots and upgrade the position by drafting Mike McGlinchey in the first round. But McGlinchey was something of a disappointment.
What Does It Mean for the Commanders?
The Commanders started their rebuild from a lower baseline than the four teams that I profiled. In addition to being weak at both OT positions, they entered the offseason without viable starters all of the other marquee positions (QB, edge rusher, CB) as well as WR2. Their extensive list of needs placed constraints on what positions could be upgraded in Year 1.
The experience of the four successfully rebuilt teams suggests that it may not be possible or even necessary to restore all of the positions on the roster to positions of strength during the rebuild. In particular, the Bills, Texans and 49ers all returned to playoff contention while still looking for a long term solution at right tackle. The Commanders might upgrade one or both OT positions in the coming offseason. But if they are not able to fix both OT positions in one more offseason, it won’t necessarily keep them from becoming a playoff team.
Who knows, Andrew Wylie could even collect his second Super Bowl ring playing RT for the Commanders in the not too distant future.