On the first day of legal tampering, Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters made a very clear statement about how he sees his roster.
While some analysts are focusing on the $45 million committed to defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and the second, third, fourth, and seventh-round draft picks Washington is giving up for offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil for a fourth-rounder, I am looking at a different set of numbers.
Six-foot-5, 319 pounds, and 34.
The first two are Kinlaw’s height and weight. The third is the number of bench press reps Tunsil performed at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2016.
Commanders looking to counteract the Eagles' size in the trenches
The Commanders just got a lot bigger and stronger. The reason is fairly simple. If you want to compete with the Philadelphia Eagles over the next five years, you have to match the enormous size they have built across both trenches.
Kinlaw struck a lot of fans as an overreach. The former South Carolina star has not lived up to his first-round draft status over his five years in the league. The San Francisco 49ers chose him when Peters was serving as vice president of player personnel in 2020. He was an athletic marvel, demonstrating exceptional burst and power in college. His problem in the NFL has been translating those gifts into consistent play on the field.
The new arrival is significantly bigger than Jonathan Allen. That matters when lining up against the Eagles' interior. Even if Philadelphia does not re-sign free agent guard Mekhi Becton, they still have the 6-foot-7, 325-pound Landon Dickerson lining up inside.
Allen is an exceptional athlete, but size and power are not his best attributes. His overall package of speed, agility, and decent strength make him a force inside. Versus the overwhelming size that the Eagles routinely throw at opposition defenses, he'd often struggle.
Peters knows Kinlaw well. He knows that he has the physical tools to stand up to that kind of power. It will be up to Darryl Tapp and Sharrif Floyd — the Commanders' defensive line coaches — to get the best out of him.
As for Tunsil? He immediately becomes Washington’s most productive left tackle since the departure of Trent Williams. At 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds, he isn’t necessarily bigger than a typical blindside enforcer. Last year’s starter, Brandon Coleman, measured slightly bigger. But those 34 bench press reps — that is rarefied air.
For context, that’s one rep short of what Aaron Donald had done a few years before.
Washington’s left tackle may not often be tasked with blocking Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. Nonetheless, those two exceptionally powerful defenders routinely dominated offensive lines in 2024. Even the Commanders' strongest blocker, right guard Sam Cosmi, had trouble moving them.
With Cosmi out for most or all of the 2025 season, Tunsil’s arrival will allow the Commanders to move Coleman to another position. Perhaps he will take over at right guard, or perhaps there will be additional juggling.
Regardless, the pattern seems clear. When Cosmi returns, Washington will have two powerhouses along the offensive front to deal with Philadelphia in the trenches. Expect Peters to continue this approach until the Commanders have significantly bigger, stronger players across both lines.
The NFL is a copycat, reactive league. When something works, everyone replicates it, while simultaneously figuring out how to counter it.
Washington's road to the NFC East title and beyond looks to head straight through Philadelphia for the next several years. And you better not show up with an undersized line — either on offense or defense.
Kinlaw and Tunsil are the just first pieces in this project.