Including “Commanders’ offensive line” and “elite” in the same sentence would have seemed crazy just three months ago. Heading into the season, there were major questions about the ability of the Commanders’ offensive line to protect rookie QB Jayden Daniels. After Sunday’s near shutout of the NFL’s best pass rush it’s worth asking whether the Commanders have pulled together one of the league’s best units in pass protection.
Throughout the offseason, the state of the OL was the subject of angst on Hogs Haven, as writers and commenters fiercely debated whether the new front office had done enough in their roster overhaul to address a protection unit that was blamed for allowing the second most sacks in the league in 2023 (65, tie with Panthers) and the fifth highest sack rate (9.