The Washington Commanders put a lot on offensive tackle Brandon Coleman’s plate last season. The No. 67 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft appeared in 16 games, making 12 starts at left tackle to protect franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels. Coleman played well all things considered, but an offseason position switch makes his upcoming sophomore campaign an urgent one.
Coleman is now tasked with making a successful transition from tackle to guard. A failed experiment could see him lose his standing as a Commanders' starting offensive lineman. Good thing Coleman possesses the skills required to develop into a quality blocker inside.
Position switch for Commanders offensive lineman Brandon Coleman.
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) June 10, 2025
Tackle in year one. This season it looks like he is moving to guard.
Coleman said, "to be honest, I don't really care where I play. Wherever they need me at is where I'll work into." pic.twitter.com/cBPxgnbM2h
Coleman earned 775 snaps at left tackle last season. Pro Football Focus assigned him blame for allowing nine sacks and 29 pressures. Only three offensive tackles in the league allowed more sacks, per their tracking data. Coleman was also whistled for seven penalties.
The inconsistent results forced general manager Adam Peters to consider alternatives this offseason. Coleman was stellar, but the Commanders have higher expectations in a competitive win-now window. Peters executed a blockbuster by acquiring elite left tackle Laremy Tunsil in a trade with the Houston Texans. Tunsil immediately replaced Coleman on the blind side.
Peters then used his first-round pick (No. 29 overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft on former Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. Conerly will be Dan Quinn’s starting right tackle, meaning the Commanders completely revamped the state of their bookends in one offseason.
Those decisions left Coleman in limbo. Luckily for the former TCU product, most analysts agreed pre-draft that guard was actually Coleman's best projected position. Perhaps he played tackle in Year One out of sheer necessity.
The plan has been consistent throughout this entire offseason. Coleman worked specifically at left guard during OTAs and again at the first practice of mandatory minicamp. Coleman did have some experience playing across the interior in college.
#Commanders tackle Brandon Coleman will play at LG this season, per HC Dan Quinn on the @greenlight podcast.
— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) June 10, 2025
Washington’s projected starting lineup ⬇️
• LT - Tunsil
• LG - Coleman
• C - Biadasz
• RG - Cosmi (Wylie/Allegretti until Cosmi is healthy)
• RT - Conerly Jr pic.twitter.com/hWNZXiTJy0
Now that the Commanders are moving Coleman to his best predicted position, he'll face a make-or-break year at left guard. Last year's starter in that role was Nick Allegretti, who played 99 percent of Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive snaps. The Commanders are placing Coleman in that spot, possibly demoting Allegretti to reserve swing lineman.
However, Allegretti could potentially compete with Andrew Wylie, who is also making the full-time transition from tackle to guard, for the right-sided interior role. Guard Nate Herbig is also in that mix. Regular starter Sam Cosmi suffered a season-ending torn ACL injury in the divisional round matchup with the Detroit Lions. The lateness of that setback threatens to derail the start of his 2025 season.
It’s a great sign for Coleman that he really isn’t facing any competition at left guard. It speaks volumes of the Commanders’ faith in his ability to make a successful transition. If Coleman doesn’t meet expectations, though, Peters could consider replacing him in the starting lineup next offseason.
Coleman performed admirably at tackle as a rookie, but a sophomore move to guard could improve his long-term outlook. The onus is on Coleman to maximize this opportunity. If not, Peters could spend next offseason searching for alternative solutions.
