3 Commanders offseason mistakes that were apparent in Week 3 loss

1. Releasing Ereck Flowers, Other OL Moves

Anyone else miss Ereck Flowers right about now? While Andrew Norwell was technically signed to replace Flowers at left guard, neither Norwell nor Trai Turner, signed to replace Brandon Scherff at right guard, have looked great to start 2022.

There was a brutal back-to-back sequence in the first quarter where Turner was steamrolled by Fletcher Cox for a sack and Javon Hargrave tossed Norwell aside to get to Wentz and record a sack. PFF recently dubbed Turner the weak link of Washington’s offensive line and Norwell’s 60.3 player grade entering Sunday’s game is a far cry from what fans expected after he signed.

At the time, the Norwell signing looked like a steal. The totality of his two-year contract amounted to what Flowers was due in 2022 alone. Through two games, we’d bet the majority of Commanders fans would prefer it if the underrated Flowers was still manning the left guard position over Norwell.

As for Turner, you can certainly question whether Washington did enough to replace the centerpiece of their offensive line. The 29-year-old vet missed most of training camp with a quad injury and has gotten beat for speed and power on an alarming number of occasions over the first three games.

Coaches and players have to be better, but it’s not reactionary to question the front office’s approach to the offseason after this loss.