Washington Football Team: Important to exercise patience with Sam Cosmi

When the Washington Football Team pounced on Jamin Davis with the No. 19 overall pick this past April, there was only one position GM Martin Mayhew and head coach Ron Rivera would eye in the second round: offensive tackle.

As we know, Texas standout Sam Cosmi was ultimately taken with that pick and the selection set the stage for the release of longtime starting RT Morgan Moses and the eventual signing of Charles Leno in May.

Cosmi has had his ups and downs since the draft. He reportedly endured a rough start to camp, when he was regularly battling Chase Young and Montez Sweat, two premier talents at the defensive end position.

Cosmi rebounded with a promising preseason only to finish second-best in pass protection against Chargers star Joey Bosa in Week 1.

Once again showing that adversity and criticism don’t faze him, the former Longhorn was one of Washington’s best players vs the Giants.

In other words, fans need to exercise patience with the young tackle.

Washington Football Team fans need to be patient with rookie offensive tackle Sam Cosmi.

The rollercoaster start to Cosmi’s rookie campaign isn’t surprising, but we’ve seen far too much criticism of him in the early goings. What did fans really expect? For Cosmi to get the better of Bosa, a former No. 3 overall pick and one of the most fearsome and relentless pass rushers the game has to offer?

We’re not saying Cosmi should be coached with kid gloves, but very few tackles would come out on top in that situation. The most encouraging sign was that Cosmi didn’t let his struggles in pass protection impact the rest of his game.

The 22-year-old excelled in the running game vs Los Angeles, earning a stellar 85.8 run-block grade from Pro Football Focus.

Though he committed a few costly penalties, Cosmi was much more balanced in Week 2. The rookie was as formidable as ever blocking for the run (82.5 grade) and showed significant improvement in the passing game, logging a 77.9 grade from PFF. For context, Cosmi compiled a 15.0 pass-block grade in the opener.

How impressive was Cosmi in Week 2? He was PFF’s second-highest graded offensive rookie, checking in just behind Broncos RB Javonte Williams.

We have high expectations for Cosmi, but that doesn’t mean we’re expecting him to reach those heights in Year 1. Let’s remember that run blocking and pass protection are two entirely different entities. While Cosmi seems to have already mastered the former, fans should expect the occasional lapse in the latter.

The bottom line is that Cosmi looks like a steal considering where he was drafted. He’ll eventually emerge into a stud, but be patient. We can’t rush his development. Experience is the best teacher and he’s proven to be a quick learner.