Commanders deep dive: Should Sam Cosmi switch back to offensive tackle?

Should the Commanders switch Sam Cosmi back?

Offensive tackles are some of the biggest players on the field. Defensive corners are among the smallest. But the two positions are similar in this regard.

Those players are on an island.

They guard the perimeter and as such usually must go up against elite athletes - whether they are edge rushers or wide receivers. They will get beaten from time to time, especially when they are young.

Sam Cosmi struggled some at right tackle as a rookie. Then he got hurt. In his second year, he showed some modest improvement but had to move inside because the Washington Commanders did not build a good interior in the offseason. Then he spent time on the shelf again.

During last spring's free agency, the Commanders chose to sign Andrew Wylie to play right tackle and Nick Gates to play center, making Cosmi’s move to guard official. Despite his relatively high Pro Football Focus score, the move has not been very successful.

Honestly, I don’t know what PFF is looking at sometimes.

Cosmi is still a decent pass blocker on the inside, but he is not a good run blocker. Neither are any of Washington’s linemen, and the entire offense has struggled as a result.

Brian Robinson Jr. is moving heaven and earth to eke out four yards per carry. Though the Commanders do average an above-average 4.6 yards-per-carry as a team, that number is inflated by Sam Howell’s scrambles. Without them, they sink below the league average.

Washington’s averages are unreliable because they run so infrequently. They run so little that the averages can be skewed by a single big run. They simply cannot rely on establishing any kind of consistent ground attack.

The answer is not moving Cosmi to a position where he is likely to be less effective. What is the answer?