The Washington Commanders ' offensive linemen are simply going to have to prove themselves.
Whether they like it or not, there has been a lot of talk about their poor performances last week in the controlled scrimmage and preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens ; the frustrating noise continues. Tuesday was no different; when the media was given access to the players, the questioning of the offensive line continued.
Second-year right tackle Josh Conerly Jr was approached by Scott Abraham of ABC 7 in DC. "I don't know how much you pay attention to the outside noise, but there is some worry about this offensive line. Do you take that personally?"
Conerly responded, "I wouldn't say, personally, but I think it's a huge misconception because I know how much we work. I feel like there's only been so much put out there of the (starters) being out there at once. You got your three plays, and then you got your little bit of what you guys saw, and how you guys interpret that from the joint practice. But I don't think it necessarily went that way."
You know what? Conerly is correct. The first offensive unit only got the first three offensive snaps vs. the Lions in preseason Week 2 in Detroit. They performed poorly, were pulled for the night, and that evidently left a very bad taste for the media and fan base.
Additionally, Conerly is correct that the first unit was not together much against the Ravens in the controlled scrimmage either. Commanders coaches used the scrimmage to rotate offensive linemen and other positions, but fans recall Nicki Jhabvala calling the offense 'inoperable'.
Abraham then transitioned smoothly to, "Is there an exciting part of proving people wrong?" A big smile came across the face of Conerly. He responded, "You just having fun with it. You know what I am sayin'? We got a great opportunity to play the Eagles and the Cowboys to start it off, and it's going to be fun."
Indeed, the criticism has been plentiful, and the opportunity is large, facing two divisional rivals on the road the first two weeks of the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' Josh Conerly passionately defends Washington's offensive line
