Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn announced that offensive lineman Nick Allegretti is set to return to practice on Tuesday. Allegretti took over as the starting center for Tyler Biadasz during the final two games of the regular season. Allegrti suffered a calf strain during the Commanders’ first training camp practice. With Biadasz signing with the Los Angeles Chargers in the offseason, the starting center competition has been mainly between sixth-round rookie Matt Gulbin and former Philadelphia Eagles undrafted guard Julian Good-Jones. However, now with Allegretti’s return, the starting center battle enters a new phase.
Dan Quinn expressed excitement about Allegretti’s return and stated its significance in his August 16th press conference.
“Yeah, it’s for sure super important. Not just for he and Jay [Jayden Daniels], but for the two guards next to him, the identification, the call. So, he’s been doing the walkthroughs in the evenings, but that’s just not the same. And so those reps will be important,” Quinn stated.
While it seems as though Allegretti has the inside track to win the starting role, the competition is ongoing and will progress as the team ramps Allegretti back up to full speed.
Why Julian Good-Jones Has A Good Case To Be The Commanders’ Center
Sports Illustrated’s Phillip Hughes provided insight into the starting center battle and made cases for both Julian Good-Jones and Matt Gulbin.
“Good-Jones received most of the immediate first-team work after Allegretti went down, and in the process, has accumulated more live reps with Washington’s offense than either Allegretti or Gulbin during camp,” Hughes stated.
Hughes then recapped Good-Jones’ preseason Week 1 performance. “Good-Jones played 12 offensive and two special teams snaps and finished with an overall PFF grade of 50.8 that included a pass-blocking grade of 44.5 and a run-blocking grade of 50.7. Of course, those numbers don’t tell the whole story; the competition Good-Jones faced was mainly Miami’s first string, which they plan to start the season with.”
While not the best performance, Good-Jones has still received the bulk of the work throughout Training Camp, which Dan Quinn acknowledged, stating, “Julian’s really stepped in from midway through practice one, and so he’s got a bunch of work up until this point.”
Why Matt Gulbin Has A Good Case To Be The Commanders’ Center
Hughes believes that Gulbin’s preseason performance so far has given the team something to think about looking forward in the competition.
“During the Dolphins game, Matt Gulbin played 42 offensive and three special teams snaps and earned a 67.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus that included a pass-blocking grade of 83.3 and a run-blocking grade of 63.2. That was a strong first preseason showing for Gulbin,” Hughes stated.
Dann Quinn praised Gulbin’s ability, stating, “I thought Matt had a nice practice, had a nice game. He was clean. He can get to the second level. Pass protection was strong.”
The rookie clearly caught the head coach’s attention, which could play a role moving forward, especially if Allegretti struggles in any way.
Washington will need to establish the winner of this competition soon so that chemistry can continue to be built between the starting unit.
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