Commanders News: Sam Howell, Jabril Cox, OL slammed and Jim Harbaugh

Commanders OL slammed

If there was one glaring flaw holding the Washington Commanders back above all else, then the offensive line would be atop the list. This unit is on course to concede historic sack numbers if things continue in the same trend, which is making life extremely difficult for second-year quarterback Sam Howell under constant duress.

There could be changes this weekend with Saahdiq Charles ruled out through injury. Tyler Larsen was seen snapping the football to Howell during practice, which hints he'll be under center with Nick Gates switching to the left guard position.

Washington's suspect protection faces a daunting challenge against the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend. Not exactly the best opposition in pursuit of improving fortunes, but former offensive lineman Mark Schlereth launched a scathing attack on this unit in the lead-up to Week 8 via USA Today Sports.

"I was watching the film, and I wanted to be sick for Sam Howell, In this case, they [the offensive line] are awful. They cannot pick up a blitz. They cannot snap a game off. Like, it is…..unreal. They should dress up for Halloween as vampires because I ain’t never seen so many neck-sucking bloodsuckers that don’t see anything going on around them……..Pull your head out and actually look for the twister. Pay attention — to the blitzer. It’s as bad as it gets. They can’t run it. They can’t throw it. They didn’t separate from man to man…….They couldn’t do anything."

- Mark Schlereth via USA Today Sports

This might sound harsh, but Schlereth spoke nothing but facts. The Commanders' offensive line is the league's laughing stock and unless they start taking some pride in their performance, that will remain the case.