Cornelius Lucas

OL Notes: Bears, Commanders, Coleman, Fashanu, Jets, Lamm, Dolphins, Paul, Titans

In Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton, the Bears added two starter-caliber veterans along their interior O-line this offseason. They still may not be satisfied up front. Nate Davis did not live up to his three-year, $30MM contract last season, and the ex-Titans starter has missed time due to a groin injury in practice. Bates has guard experience, starting for most of the 2022 season in Buffalo (on a Bears-constructed contract to which he remains attached), and could be an option at RG as well. But the Bears should be expected to look into the trade market and closely monitor the waiver wire — as cuts come in later this month — for interior help, per ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. Chicago is set at left guard (Teven Jenkins) and seemingly would be prepared to make the loser of the Shelton-Bates center battle an interior swingman, but Davis’ health and shaky 2023 showing looks to have generated a bit of concern — for depth purposes at the very least.

Here is the latest from O-line situations around the league:

  • Brandon Coleman is moving closer to becoming a rookie tackle starter in Washington. The Commanders are giving the third-rounder first-team left tackle reps, per NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay, and The Athletic’s Ben Standig adds Coleman may be the safest bet to start at tackle to open Dan Quinn‘s tenure. Quinn said both Washington tackle jobs are open, and Standig adds 2023 free agency pickup Andrew Wylie and veteran Cornelius Lucas may be vying for the RT job (subscription required). Some evaluators viewed Coleman as a better guard in the pros, but the Commanders do not share that assessment. More of a spot starter than a full-timer, Lucas has still made 31 starts during his four-year Washington run. Wylie is attached to a three-year, $24MM deal.
  • The Jets devoted their top offseason resource to insurance on their O-line, but the Olu Fashanu pick will obviously matter more in the long term. Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses are in place at tackle in New York, but Fashanu looms as a post-2024 starter at one of the positions. The Penn State product has repped exclusively at left tackle during training camp, but the New York Post’s Brian Costello notes team will give him RT reps as well. Smith’s extensive injury history points to Fashanu needing to make LT starts as a rookie; both Smith and Morgan are on expiring contracts.
  • Although the Dolphins used a second-round pick on Patrick Paul, the former Houston tackle may be more of a project than a player the team would count on to fill in for Terron Armstead if/when the talented veteran misses time. Veteran swingman Kendall Lamm remains on track to hold that role this season, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. Armstead has missed 11 games since joining the Dolphins in 2022 and has missed more than two games in seven of the past nine seasons. Miami having chosen Paul 55th overall points to the prospect being given a chance early, and a June report suggested the rookie had a good chance to unseat Lamm. Though, Lamm — re-signed before the draft at one year and $2.5MM ($1.6MM guaranteed — represents quality insurance that would have the Dolphins carrying four tackles.
  • Elsewhere on Miami’s O-line, the team still has Isaiah Wynn on its active/PUP list. While Wynn is expected to eventually regain his starting LG job, Jackson notes Liam Eichenberg, Robert Jones and Jack Driscoll are vying for the two starting guard positions. The Dolphins lost Robert Hunt in free agency but re-signed Jones and added Driscoll. A former second-round pick who has played across Miami’s O-line, Eichenberg is in a contract year.
  • Prior to Saahdiq Charlessurprising retirement, Brian Callahan said (via ESPN.com’s Turron Davenport) the Titans free agency pickup and Dillon Radunz had been given near-equal time at right guard. No starter had been named, but Charles’ mid-camp exit certainly gives Radunz — a converted tackle in a contract year — a good chance to be the team’s guard opposite Peter Skoronski.

Latest On Commanders’ LT Situation

In 2023, quarterback Sam Howell was sacked a league-leading 65 times. That figure marked a franchise record for the Commanders, a team which has made a slew of changes on offense this season.

That includes second overall pick Jayden Daniels set to take over under center, along with multiple new faces up front. Washington added Tyler Biadasz and Nick Allegretti during free agency, and they are on track to start at center and left guard, respectively. Returnees Sam Cosmi and Andrew Wylie are set to reprise their respective positions on the right side of the line, but the left tackle spot remains wide open.

The Commanders released Charles Leno in March, ending his three-year run in the nation’s capital. The 32-year-old served as a full-time starter in 2021 and ’22, and he logged a first-team role when healthy last season. Washington used swing tackle Cornelius Lucas as his replacement for four games in 2023, and he is one of the candidates to take on blindside duties. Another is fellow veteran Trent Scott, who saw usage at right tackle in his debut Commanders season in 2023.

Washington waited until the third round of this year’s draft to select an offensive linemen, adding Brandon Coleman at No. 67. The TCU product saw time along the interior during his college tenure, but he also logged snaps at tackle. If he impresses this summer, he could get an extended look at the latter position. For now, though, nothing has been settled with respect to the competition for a first-team role.

“It’s still a little early to say how confident we are in anything,” offensive line coach Bobby Johnson said (via ESPN’s John Keim). “I’m pleased with the progress they’ve made. At this point, I don’t see any red flags that give me pause. But once again, it’s still early.”

Many positional battles along the offensive and defensive lines are, of course, not settled until padded practices in July and August take place alongside preseason action. For the Commanders, that will leave the left tackle spot undecided for at least a few more months. If a late-offseason free agent addition is deemed necessary, finances will not be an issue. Washington currently has $44.5MM in cap space, the second-most in the NFL.

Much of Daniels’ success at LSU (which included a Heisman-winning performance in 2023) was built on his mobility, and scrambling will no doubt be a consistent aspect of his play at the NFL level early on in particular. As Keim notes, Washington has also committed more to the run game than last season, and a running backs room now led by Austin Ekeler is in line to be notably involved as a result. Still, one of the team’s key questions over the summer will be the selection of a starting blindside protector for Daniels’ rookie campaign.

OL Notes: Guyton, Beebe, Cowboys, Commanders, LT, Raiders, Packers, Patriots

Tyler Smith delivering strong early returns at two positions — left tackle, left guard — gave the Cowboys options while constructing their draft board, and Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton became the team’s pick. The Guyton move points to Smith staying at guard. The Cowboys are set to give the ex-Sooners right tackle every opportunity to win the starting LT job, The Athletic’s Jon Machota notes (subscription required). Teams make the inverse move more often, with the college game’s top O-linemen most frequently coming from the left tackle spot. Guyton views himself as a more natural left tackle, however, and his development there will keep well-paid RT Terence Steele in place.

Trading down from No. 24 to 29, the Cowboys picked up an extra third-rounder (No. 73). Dallas used the latter pick on Kansas State’s Cooper Beebe, and Machota adds he profiles as the team’s Tyler Biadasz center replacement. Linked to Duke center prospect Graham Barton at No. 24, the Cowboys passed with the ex-Blue Devil on the board (Barton went to the Buccaneers at No. 26). Beebe vacillated between left tackle, right tackle and left guard with the Big 12 program. While Machota notes Beebe could be an eventual Zack Martin successor, he is on track to begin his career at center.

Here is the latest from O-lines around the league:

Commanders To Re-Sign T Cornelius Lucas

Cornelius Lucas is set to continue his time in the nation’s capital. The veteran offensive tackle has agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $4MM, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.

Lucas bounced around to four different teams during the first six years of his career. He played with the Lions, Rams, Saints and Bears between 2014-19, establishing himself as a spot-starter during that time. The 32-year-old primarily played at right tackle before arriving in Washington, but his Commanders spell has also included time on the blindside.

Playing on a two-year contract to begin his time in Washington, Lucas started eight games in 2020 and another seven the following season. He earned his two best PFF grades during that span (78.2 and 75,2), so it came as little surprise when the team re-upped him on another two-year pact. The former UDFA was used exclusively at right tackle in 2022, but last season he saw four starts on the left side (including the final three weeks of the season when he filled in for an injured Charles Leno).

The latter will not return to the Commanders this season, and the team has made a number of changes up front this offseason. That has included free agent deals with center Tyler Biadasz and guard Nick Allegrettibut this Lucas agreement represents the first move with respect to a tackle. A full-time starter on the blindside will likely be a priority during next month’s draft.

With Lucas still in the fold, though, the Commanders will have stability at the swing tackle spot. The Kansas State product has been charged with seven sacks allowed by PFF between the past two seasons, and as a result his overall grades have dipped compared over that time to his best showings. Still, Lucas will be in place as a familiar and experienced spot-start option for 2024.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/15/22

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

  • Waived: DE Carson Taylor

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

 Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions 

Green Bay Packers 

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts 

Jacksonville Jaguars 

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins 

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/22

Today’s minor NFL transactions, including a handful of notable names landing on the physically unable to perform list and the non-football injury list as teams open up camp:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

  • Released with NFI designation: WR Cody Core

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Commanders Re-Sign Cornelius Lucas

The Commanders are retaining some experienced depth along the offensive line. The team announced they have re-signed swing tackle Cornelius Lucas to a two-year, $8.2MM deal.

Lucas, 30, came to Washington in 2020. This new pact is the same length as the previous one, but it’s valued at just under $3MM more in terms of financial compensation. In his two years in the nation’s capital, Lucas has appeared in 29 contests, including 15 starts.

The six-foot-eight, 327-pound blocker started his career in Detroit as a UDFA. That was followed by one-year stints with the Rams, Saints and Bears. In Chicago, he started in eight games, which earned him the initial contract with Washington. Now, it appears that will become the home of his longest stay in any one NFL city.

In 587 snaps in 2021, Lucas committed one penalty and was credited with three sacks allowed. That led to a PFF grade of 75.2, which was actually slightly lower than his mark the previous year. Having established himself as a consistent presence capable of playing either tackle spot, Lucas had interest from other teams but will remain in Washington in his present role.

With Lucas back in the fold, the Commanders’ depth chart at the tackle spot remains intact from last season. Headed by Charles Leno, Saahdiq Charles and Sam Cosmi, Lucas is set to continue as a spot-starter when needed.

 

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/22/21

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list today. In some instances (including Christian McCaffrey and Travis Etienne), players activated from the list remain on IR:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Placed on list: T Le’Raven Clark

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Redskins To Sign OT Cornelius Lucas

The Redskins are signing Cornelius Lucas to a two-year, $5.3MM deal, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Lucas isn’t a world-beater, but he’ll offer the club valuable depth on the offensive line.

Lucas, 29 in July, spent the 2019 season with the Bears. He appeared in every game and started in half of those contests.

Before Chicago, Lucas spent time with the Lions, Rams, and Saints. If the Redskins find a team willing to give them for a second-round pick for Trent Williams, he might take on a larger-than-expected role in D.C.