NFL analyst's Andrew Wylie insurance policy idea makes no sense for Commanders

There is an enormous amount of nervous excitement around the Washington Commanders coming off their bye week. Dan Quinn's men are in the seventh seed with the postseason in sight. One final push can cement their playoff status — a potentially remarkable accomplishment in Year 1 under the new regime.

The Commanders won't stand still in pursuit of improvements. They are relatively healthy and should be fresh following their prolonged rest as others around the league took center stage in Week 14. That could change in the blink of an eye, so general manager Adam Peters must have contingency plans in place should injuries occur at any stage.

One area that could use some depth enhancements during the offseason is the offensive line. The starting five — or six if one counts Cornelius Lucas on the blindside alongside rookie Brandon Coleman — looks pretty solid. What comes after that leaves a lot to be desired.

Andrew Wylie was unavailable for Washington's dominant win over the Tennessee Titans before their welcome break. Quinn stated that the veteran right tackle is on track to return, but one NFL analyst believes the Commanders need an insurance policy if similar problems emerge.

Analyts touts La'el Collins as potential Commanders' depth option

Matt Holder from The Bleacher Report touted La'el Collins as a potential late addition to the Commanders. He's not exactly the most dependable and the injury issues are glaring. But the analyst thought bringing him for a workout wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.

"Andrew Wylie missed Week 13 with an injury and hasn't been great this season. So, Washington might want to look into signing another right tackle ahead of the playoffs in case of an emergency. Plus, [La'el] Collins has experience playing on the interior too. It couldn't hurt to at least bring him in for a workout and see what he has left."

- Matt Holder, The Bleacher Report

This makes no real sense. Collins is regressing and slowly being cast aside by the league. He's never been the same since some outstanding years with the Dallas Cowboys. The versatile lineman hasn't played a competitive down since 2022. He'd also have to slot in quickly and learn new blocking concepts that could disrupt cohesion.

The Commanders have a backup plan for Wylie. Lucas switched to the right-hand side and flourished in Week 13. Confidence is growing around Coleman's ability to man the blindside effectively without support. If the two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs did go down again, this is the formula Quinn's staff will implement.

That doesn't detract from the need to solidify Washington's offensive line backup options during the offseason. Standing still in this critical area is not an option. Something Peters will address accordingly with plenty of salary-cap space and draft picks to strengthen the ranks.

Going after Collins is a non-starter at this late stage of the campaign. Sticking with what they have and trusting them to execute assignments effectively should be the preferred course of action.

After all, it's been a roaring success up to now. Upsetting the apple cart with someone like Collins doesn't seem smart.

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