When Dan Quinn hired Bobby Johnson as Washington’s offensive line coach last offseason, fans of the Bills and Giants laughed. New York fans blamed Johnson for the Giants’ poor offensive line play in 2023 despite having a group of underachieving players.
Johnson had the last laugh. He led an offensive line with three new starters, including a rookie left tackle, to one of the NFL’s top rushing teams.
Pro Football Focus did power rankings for offensive lines and recently revealed its 2024 season rankings, with the Commanders coming in at No. 10.
Selecting Brandon Coleman out of TCU in the third round of last year’s draft paid dividends in 2024 for the Commanders. Washington initially rotated at left tackle until Coleman steadily improved and eventually won the starting job for the second half of the season.
Washington’s offensive line ranked 25th in PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating in 2023 and finished eighth in 2024 with an 86.8 rating. The unit allowed 155 pressures — including 18 sacks — on 654 snaps.
Best player: Sam Cosmi
Even though Cosmi had a slightly down season following his contract extension, his 74.3 PFF pass-blocking grade still ranked 14th among guards this season.
Washington struggled with some teams, especially Philadelphia’s big, athletic offensive line. The Commanders, outside of quarterback Jayden Daniels, struggled to run in multiple games during the second half of the season. Considering the shape of Washington’s offensive line one year ago, the unit made tremendous progress in 2024.
As it turns out, Johnson can catch after all.
The starting offensive line will look different next season. General manager Adam Peters understands that he must continue to build the trenches after the previous regime ignored it for years. Washington will likely be without Cosmi early in the season after he tore his ACL in the NFC divisional round win over the Lions.
Center Tyler Biadasz, signed as a free agent last March, was Washington’s MVP along the offensive line. He brought stability to a position with multiple starters for the previous three seasons.