Commanders Sign Massive Offensive Tackle, UFL Champion

Getty Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Alex Taylor.

The Washington Commanders don’t have any clear answers at offensive tackle, so until they do a little experimentation is probably in the cards.

The Commanders took another swing at the position on Aug. 7, when they signed 6-foot-8, 301-pound offensive tackle Alex Taylor, who is on his fourth team in five seasons and coming off a UFL championship in the spring with the Birmingham Stallions.

The news was first reported by Commander Wire’s Bryan Manning.

“The 6-foot-8, 301-pound Taylor went undrafted in the 2020 NFL draft out of South Carolina State,” Manning wrote. “He began his career at Appalachian State but transferred after one season to play basketball. He played two seasons of basketball but returned to football and became an All-MEAC selection in each of his final two seasons.”

Taylor Still Waiting For Chance to Start in NFL

Taylor made the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and returned to the team for part of 2021 and part of 2022. He also spent time with the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys before his stint with the Stallions.

Taylor has only played in 4 games over the last 4 seasons but has yet to get a chance to start.

Two of Taylor’s uncles were college stars who went on to become Super Bowl champions. One of the uncles, defensive back Pierson Prioleau, played 12 seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints following the 2009 seasons.

Another of Taylor’s uncles, quarterback Joe Hamilton, won the Davey O’Brien Award in college at Georgia Tech and won a Super Bowl as a backup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the 2002 season.

Commanders Have Questions at Offensive Tackle

The Commanders were as bad in pass protection as any team in the NFL in 2023, when starter Sam Howell led the NFL in sacks taken (65) and interceptions (21) — the 65 sacks broke the previous single-season franchise record of 49 sacks.

Rookie Brandon Coleman was atop the first official depth chart on Aug. 7 at left offensive tackle after entering camp in a battle for the spot with veteran Cornelius Lucas. Coleman, 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds, was a third-round pick out of TCU in 2024 and could be counted on to protect rookie quarterback and No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels‘ blind side.

“One positive, outside of Daniels, is that rookie offensive tackle Brandon Coleman is atop the depth chart at left tackle,” Manning wrote. “This lines up with everything we’ve seen and heard about the third-round pick out of training camp.”

Veteran Andrew Wylie seems to have the other right tackle spot locked down after starting 15 games for the Commanders in 2023. Wylie came to the Commanders after spending five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and winning two Super Bowls — he started all 11 regular-season games he played in when the Chiefs won the Super Bowl following the 2019 season and all 17 games when they won it all in 2022.

Presumably, Taylor will have a chance to beat out either Lucas or Trent Scott for one of the backup tackle spots. Lucas only started 3 games for the Commanders in 2023 and Scott only started 2 games.