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Washington Commanders offensive lineman Sam Cosmi.

If you are looking for reasons why the Washington Commanders might be better in 2026, one of the main ones might be having a healthy Sam Cosmi on the offensive line.

Cosmi, 6-foot-7 and 309 pounds, tore his ACL in an AFC Divisional Round upset of the Detroit Lions following the 2024 season. He only played 9 games in 2025 due to injuries and recovering from the previous year’s injury and closed out the season on injured reserve with a concussion as the Commanders stumbled to a 5-12 record.

Now, headed into 2026, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski called Cosmi 1 of the NFL’s “Best Kept Secrets” headed into a new season — mostly because teams may have forgotten exactly how dominant he can be.

“Sam Cosmi looked like a star in the making along the Washington Commanders’ offensive line,” Sobleski wrote. “Then, injuries took their toll. A healthy Cosmi found a home at guard in 2023, where he looked like a future Pro Bowl performer. He simply needs to stay on the field … between those two (injuries), Cosmi played well and provided stability alongside first-round right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. With Cosmi cleared, the Commanders will feature the same starting five as last year. Continuity is an important, albeit overlooked, aspect of offensive line performance. Washington can benefit greatly from having its best interior blocker in the lineup every week.”

Commanders Paid Big Money for Sam Cosmi in 2024

The Commanders showed Cosmi exactly what they thought of him when they dropped a 4-year, $74 million contract extension on the 2021 2nd round pick (No. 51 overall) in September 2024.

Cosmi’s deal included a whopping $45 million in guaranteed money.

“Cosmi is a good story of persistence, development and finding the right fit,” NFL.com’s Kevin Patra wrote after the signing was announced. “A second-round pick out of Texas in 2021, Cosmi struggled his first two years as a right tackle, getting burned and never looking comfortable. He was moved to right guard in 2023 and his play took off.”

Injuries Have Dogged Sam Cosmi in Past

It’s hard not to see injuries continuing to be an issue for Cosmi. He missed a total of 11 games in 2021 and 2022 with injuries before switching positions.

According to PFF, Cosmi graded out among the best right guards in the NFL while starting all 17 games for the Commanders in 2023.

Cosmi finished the season with an 80.6 percent grade in 1,103 snaps. While former Commanders starting quarterback Sam Howell led the NFL in sacks taken (65), Cosmi only allowed 1 sack.

In June, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz listed signing Cosmi to a long-term contract extension as what should be the franchise’s No. 1 priority before training camp.

“(The Commanders) do need to start looking at their 2025 roster, and it would be a good idea to lock up Cosmi long term,” Schatz wrote. “Cosmi was 14th in pass block win rate among guards last season and also above average in run block win rate. He’s the best player on the Commanders’ offensive line, and his contract is up after this year.”

Cosmi was headed into the final year of the 4-year, $6.2 million contract he signed after earning All-American honors at Texas in 2020.