Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn delivered some good news on Sunday for those worried about the center position. Nick Allegretti will return to practice this week. Allegretti had been out since the first day of training camp almost three weeks ago after straining his calf.
Allegretti’s return is good news, but questions will persist regarding the center position. While Allegretti has played center throughout his life and feels it is his natural position, he only has a few starts at the spot since entering the NFL in 2019.
With Allegretti out, Washington has primarily worked with veteran Julian Good-Jones (2 career snaps) and rookie sixth-round pick Matt Gulbin.
Good-Jones started at center for the Commanders in Friday’s preseason opener against the Dolphins. Gulbin relieved him and stood out with several key blocks. On Sunday, Quinn was asked to assess how Good-Jones and Gulbin have progressed in Allegretti’s absence.
“I think both guys are really starting to make a move,” Quinn said. “I thought Matt had a nice practice (vs. Miami) and a nice game (Friday's preseason opener). He was clean. He can get to the second level. Pass protection was strong. Julian’s really stepped in from like, midway through practice one. And so, he’s got a bunch of work up until this point. So, over the next two weeks, or maybe two and a half weeks, we’ll call it, I’d like to see what that rotation looks like with the three of these guys.”
Nothing earth-shattering there. Allegretti needs the work with quarterback Jayden Daniels after missing almost all of camp so far, but the others still need reps, too. Quinn then continued his answer with more praise for Gulbin.
“I’ll also probably work Matt at some guard at some point. Just from the interior side, that’s something that kinda goes with the position interior, you know, three spots. So, whether that’s this week or next week, I’ll work a little bit of Gulbin in that space at some point too, just to make sure he has all the value at all the spots. But I like where they’re at. I like both he and Julian competing, and I’m excited to get Nick back and get him into this.”
Was Quinn teasing a potential change at guard? Well, it does make sense for Gulbin to get more work at guard, considering the interior offensive line reserves will often be required to play all three positions in a pinch. Gulbin began his career at Wake Forest, where he played guard for four seasons. He finished his career at Michigan State, where he started at center. So, if anything, he could use more work at center if he makes the roster as Allegretti’s backup.
With Brandon Coleman taking over the injured Laremy Tunsil at left tackle, that means Chris Paul won the left guard job by default. It was Paul who took over for Coleman at left guard early last season. This time around, though, Coleman appeared to be the frontrunner under new offensive coordinator David Blough. Blough’s offense will feature a more traditional running game with zone blocking, which requires more athleticism from the offensive linemen.
Does Quinn want to see Gulbin earn NFL reps at left guard because he’s testing the waters to see if he can become the starter there early in the season? Paul was excellent in pass protection at left guard last season, but he struggled with run blocking. The Commanders have had some issues in camp getting an interior push. That’s not to say Paul is completely at fault, because he’s not.
Tunsil’s injury changed the dynamic of Washington’s offensive line. Coleman is set at left tackle. He’s proven he can handle the position before. But if Paul struggles at guard, perhaps the Commanders think Gulbin can replace Paul.
We’ll have our eyes on Gulbin, Paul, and how Quinn handles the offensive line rotation over the final two preseason games and joint practice with the Ravens. But we learned from Quinn on Sunday that the Commanders really like their sixth-round rookie lineman.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Was Dan Quinn teasing a big OL change for Commanders?