When starting center Lucas Patrick went out with a concussion against the Los Angeles Rams, the Washington Commanders turned to sixth-round rookie Matt Gulbin instead of Nick Allegretti.
Unsurprisingly, the Day 3 pick struggled while the man this team trusted so much during the offseason watched from the sidelines.
And head coach Dan Quinn's contradicting statements since then just prove the Commanders have absolutely no clue what they are doing at the offensive line anchor.
Commanders have been a walking contradiction at center this season
When asked after the game why Allegretti wasn't installed when Patrick left, Quinn said they have been practicing more with the Illinois product at guard, and they wanted to give reps to someone who's playing center during the week.
And you kidding me?
Allegretti was the man general manager Adam Peters placed all his confidence in this offseason. And it's backfired in the worst way.
The Commanders released Tyler Biadasz, who was highly respected in the locker room. They struck out on free agent Tyler Linderbaum when the Las Vegas Raiders came in with a bigger offer, and Peters had no contingency plan.
They waited until the sixth round to draft a center, and based on Gulbin's efforts so far, a lot of hard work remains.
Peters wasn't concerned when Allegretti missed all of training camp with a calf strain. Instead of acting, the front-office leader buried his head in the sand, and the Commanders are paying the price.
Patrick is a short-term stopgap and nothing more. And if he is forced to miss Thursday Night Football against the New York Giants, the Commanders have got a big problem.
Jayden Daniels is being failed by Commanders' roster strategy
Quinn changed his tune on Monday, stating it would be either Gulbin or Allegretti who'd start if Patrick cannot get out of concussion protocol in time. But if the veteran struggled earlier in the season, and he isn't getting center reps in practice after missing the entire summer, what good is throwing him into the fire going to do, exactly?
The whole thing is an embarrassing mess.
It was also completely avoidable, and Quinn is now scrambling for answers to the issue Peters brought to his door.
This isn't doing quarterback Jayden Daniels any favors, either.
Of all the quarterbacks drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, aside from the one who isn't with the team that drafted him, the signal-caller is easily in the worst situation. That's sad to say after Daniels took Washington to the conference championship game as a rookie.
Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Bo Nix are being built around. They are all on contending teams now, while the Commanders barely tread water. Daniels is suffering, and there's no doubt the organization is failing him.
The center-position botch is a microcosm of this. Washington doesn't have the right answers, and Quinn is having to cover his tracks. Peters is in the shadows, but he'll have to answer for his questionable roster moves at some stage.
Whether it's Gulbin or Allegretti, the Giants will be attacking this area as a weak link. Daniels will have to get the ball out quickly or get out on the move, because the G-Men are still causing havoc even without Dexter Lawrence II (traded) and Brian Burns (injured).
And with the Commanders' season all but over with another loss, the ramifications of getting this wrong could be severe.
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