Nick Allegretti has not played well this season. That's been the case throughout most of his time with the Washington Commanders, and head coach Dan Quinn benched him in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts.
This was largely well-received by fans. It came as a shock, but the Commanders seemed to be sending a message by installing sixth-round rookie Matt Gulbin into the lineup.
In hindsight, that may have been a mistake.
Commanders should have kept Nick Allegretti in the lineup for one more week
Allegretti can have no complaints. He's already lost the starting center job to Lucas Patrick, who was signed off the street after Week 1's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. A subpar effort at right guard when filling in for Sam Cosmi followed, and the Commanders decided that the Illinois product was no longer trustworthy.
That was fine. But throwing Gulbin to the wolves was another lapse in judgment.
Gulbin was a Day 3 pick for a reason. His physical limitations are glaring, and the core strength just isn't where it needs to be right now. The Colts recognized this immediately, putting the rookie under significant pressure almost from the outset.
And perhaps inevitably, Gulbin crumbled.
DeForest Buckner got whatever he wanted against Gulbin. The Michigan State product was blown up on the play that injured veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota, and he got several other welcome-to-the-NFL moments as the game wore on.
The Commanders might not have gotten much more out of Allegretti. But it wouldn't have been much worse.
And his benching couldn't have waited another week until Sam Cosmi returned to the lineup?
Commanders are paying the price for a mess they created
Obviously, hindsight is a wonderful thing to have. I've gone back and forth on it, and benching Allegretti was the wrong call in Week 4, despite the obvious risks.
If anything, Allegretti is more experienced. Hanging Gulbin out to dry against an impressive Colts defensive front reeked of panic, and it all stems from general manager Adam Peters' offseason approach, which left the Commanders scrambling for answers.
Simply put, Peters thought he was the smartest guy in the room.
He released starter Tyler Biadasz with one year remaining on his deal and struck out on prized free-agent target Tyler Linderbaum. Nothing more was done, aside from giving Allegretti an early contract extension. Even after the Super Bowl winner missed all of camp with a calf strain, the front-office leader just shrugged, confident his master plan would pay off.
It hasn't gone well. But removing Allegretti from the equation in favor of Gulbin had disastrous consequences.
Allegretti could have lasted one more game before Cosmi came back. After that, the right guard situation would be solved, and the Commanders would have more stability at center with Parick. Putting so much pressure on Gulbin, a first-year player making his first NFL start, bordered on organizational malpractice.
But this malpractice started long before a competitive snap was played this season.
The Commanders can do nothing about that now. They swung and missed, and benching Allegretti failed to pay off. But if Patrick and Cosmi can say they're healthy, things should be more secure from here on.
As for Allegretti? The Commanders are stuck with him until 2028 unless they take a dead cap hit.
And they have no one to blame but themselves.
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