Injuries are ravaging the Washington Commanders again this season, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel as quarterback Jayden Daniels returns for Week 5 against the New York Giants.
And he's not the only one.
Right guard Sam Cosmi is also back after suffering a concussion and throat injury in Week 2, which kept him out for two contests. And the Commanders desperately need him.
Sam Cosmi's return ends the Commanders' ill-fated right guard experiment
Washington's offensive line was a disaster in London against the Indianapolis Colts. Now, Cosmi will need to help calm down a unit that must perform.
The Commanders benched struggling center Nick Allegretti for recent free agent signing Lucas Patrick, while playing sixth-round rookie Matt Gulbin at right guard. To say it went badly would be an understatement.
Gulbin was a fish out of water and missed a block on the play that injured veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Michigan State product was drafted as a center, and giving him his first significant NFL action out of position clearly wasn't the move.
No worries, though, because now Daniels and Cosmi are playing at Northwest Stadium this weekend. And the latter's return will only make life easier for the former.
Cosmi has long been one of Washington's best and most underrated players, but he hasn't been consistently available for the past two seasons. He tore his ACL during the Commanders' divisional playoff game against the Detroit Lions in January of 2025, which cost him much of the following campaign.
Sam Cosmi gives the Commanders a major boost along their protection
Then, he was winded by a friendly-fire hit from rookie running back Kaytron Allen, now with the Miami Dolphins, against the Dallas Cowboys a few weeks ago. He'll need to stay upright from here on, especially as the Commanders' franchise passer's health becomes the top objective again.
Daniels will play with an elbow brace on his non-throwing arm, which he injured when he fell after left guard Chris Paul stepped on his foot in that same Dallas game.
He might not have either of his top two receiving weapons in Terry McLaurin (questionable) or Stefon Diggs (out), both of whom are nursing hamstring injuries. It's absolutely on this beleaguered offensive line to protect him.
The Commanders' injuries have been a problem this year, but if there's any solace, most are short-term. And on Sunday, they'll have two of their most important players back in the lineup.
Now they need to stay there.
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