ASHBURN — By the speed at which he got off the line, Daron Payne seemed as if he was about to destroy Sam Cosmi.
But as the two Washington Commanders teammates collided, their pads violently clashing together to make a thunderous “THUMP,” Cosmi clasped the 320-pound defensive tackle and used his own force to drive Payne to the outside. Cosmi won the rep, doing so on the interior against one of the better defensive tackles in the league.
“He’s one of those guys that’s pretty quick and agile,” Payne said. “It’s hard to do kind of some of the things that I like to do against him.”
Cosmi’s battles with Payne this offseason have been a regular occurrence. But in the context of his three-year career, they’re still relatively new for the 24-year-old. This year, the Commanders have moved Cosmi inside to right guard after having him play right tackle for the majority of his first two seasons. The shift marked yet another decision by coach Ron Rivera and his staff to turn a tackle into a guard: Washington also moved Saahdiq Charles, the team’s projected starter at left guard, inside.
Through his three-plus seasons with the Commanders, Rivera has put an emphasis on what he calls “position flex,” or positional flexibility. That idea has worked great with some players (Kam Curl, Benjamin St-Juste) and less well with others (Wes Schweitzer, Jamin Davis). But in his attempt to fix Washington’s offensive line after a disappointing 2022, Rivera is once again relying on a player’s versatility to be a cure.
After briefly experimenting with the move last season, the Commanders shifted Cosmi to guard full-time after signing former Kansas City Chiefs lineman Andrew Wylie to be their right tackle. Charles, by contrast, is in line to be Washington’s starting left guard after the team released Andrew Norwell.
The goal behind the moves appears to be so the Commanders have more athleticism and youth on the interior of the line. They also have size — the 309-pound Cosmi is 6-foot-6, while the 322-pound Charles is 6-foot-4 — to remain stout upfront.
“I really have grasped the position,” Cosmi said. “I really feel comfortable at the position right now. I could be irreplaceable between guard and tackle if they need me to. But I’m really, really enjoying that inside being guard, physicality stuff. I think it fits my style of play better, and I’ve been enjoying the transition for sure.”
When Charles and Cosmi were drafted in 2020 and 2021 respectively, they were brought in with the intention of playing tackle. Back then, Washington was searching to fill the void left by trading star left tackle Trent Williams to the San Francisco 49ers. And Rivera’s staff saw Charles and Cosmi as potential replacements — even though draft analysts questioned whether both players would be better suited at guard because of their measurables. (Analysts expressed skepticism about both Cosmi‘s and Charles’ arm length.)
But plans changed quickly. Charles went through an injury-plagued rookie season, and the Commanders focused on the LSU product playing on the inside upon his return. Cosmi, on the other hand, didn’t get an opportunity to replace Williams on the left side as the team signed veteran Charles Leno a month after the 2021 draft — a move that has worked out well, in hindsight. Cosmi was then moved to right tackle, which he played in college and high school.
Last season, the Commanders’ offensive line regressed after being one of the league’s best units in 2021. Washington allowed 48 sacks (seventh-most in the NFL) and struggled to replace the departures of All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff and veteran Ereck Flowers. Norwell and Trai Turner — the replacements for Scherff and Flowers — looked old and slow, and defenses found success by attacking the interior.
By turning to Cosmi and Charles — and signing center Nick Gates in free agency — the Commanders hope they’ve shored up the middle.
“It gives us a chance to protect the quarterback,” Rivera said, “which I think is one of the most important things you gotta be able to do.”
One of the ways that Cosmi’s athleticism and Charles’ speed should help the Commanders is in their screen game. With both having the ability to get out in space and drive defensive lnemen up field, that could create the necessary room needed for playmakers to get out and run. New offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s system also relies on screens being effective as that was a staple of Kansas City’s offense when the assistant coach was there.
For Cosmi, the type of play is another chance to do what he likes to do best: Inflict pain.
“That’s why we play o-line,” he said.
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