The Washington Commanders chose to elevate offensive lineman Julian Good-Jones from the practice squad to their active roster for Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. This further proves that general manager Adam Peters got his protection strategy completely wrong this offseason.
It's not so much the starting options, either. The lack of legitimate depth is glaring, and fans will be watching closely as the campaign goes on.
Good-Jones was the starting center for most of training camp after Nick Allegretti suffered a calf strain during the first practice. His performances were subpar, and an indifferent preseason left the Commanders with no option other than to keep him off the 53-man roster.
Julian Good-Jones elevation bring Commanders' offensive line strategy under scrutiny
The Commanders signed him back to the practice squad. And now, Good-Jones will suit up at Lincoln Financial Field as a backup option.
Is this really the best Washington could come up with?
Seriously?
While it's just a practice squad elevation, it speaks to the mistakes made this offseason.
Releasing starting center Tyler Biadasz was a gamble. Doing almost nothing to replace him was even worse, and with left tackle Laremy Tunsil set to miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season, it quickly exposed the cracks.
And considering what is at stake for the Commanders this season, Peters better hope the options chosen can meet or exceed expectations.
Otherwise, the consequences will be severe.
Commanders should have done more to improve their offensive line depth
Even the surprising release of veteran offensive tackle D.J. Humphries on Friday came with no real explanation. There is no viable left tackle backup. Andrew Wylie is serviceable but nothing more. Sixth-round rookie Matt Gulbin and undrafted free agent Tanoa Togiai are inexperienced and completely unproven.
After that, there is nothing.
And if Good-Jones is the answer, the Commanders are asking the wrong question.
Hopefully, Good-Jones will be on the field for nothing more than special-teams snaps. He could produce against second- and third-string players in the preseason. Putting him up in the face of the vaunted defensive tackle tandem of Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter would be a recipe for disaster.
Peters has reaffirmed his confidence in the offensive linemen. He's received heavy scrutiny for his decisions, but the front-office leader is bullish. Even so, if someone else gets hurt or Allegretti underperforms, the Commanders will have a monumental problem on their hands.
Good-Jones' elevation is a microcosm of that fact.
The former Iowa State star is clearly valued more highly in the building than among the fan base, but that's not the point. Peters should have done more, and if these depth concerns linger, it won't look favorably on his ability to build a competitive roster around quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Let's hope everything goes according to plan and Peters looks like a genius. But elevating Good-Jones immediately doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
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