One day after meeting with veteran offensive lineman Lucas Patrick, the Washington Commanders are signing him to their 53-man roster.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday morning the Commanders are adding Patrick. He will be eligible to play immediately as part of the team’s active roster.
“Veteran OL Lucas Patrick is signing with the Commanders 53-man roster, per sources,” wrote Pelissero on X.
“Patrick has 65 career starts over 10 NFL seasons, adding experienced depth for Washington.”
Most recently, Patrick was with the New York Giants during the offseason. The Giants parted ways with the lineman at the NFL’s roster deadline at the end of August.
Patrick’s regular season experience in the NFL has come with the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals. With those four teams, he started 65 games over 10 campaigns.
Patrick has also played significant snaps at all three interior offensive line positions. He officially stands at 6-foot-3 and 313 pounds.
The Commanders are adding the veteran offensive line depth just ahead of their showdown with the Dallas Cowboys. The Commanders will visit the Cowboys on Sunday, September 20.
Commanders Add Lineman Lucas Patrick: Report
According to the NFL transaction wire, the Commanders held tryouts for seven different players Tuesday. Patrick wasn’t one of those players, but the team did meet with him for a visit.
Washington could always still sign one of the players who participated in the tryouts. But of those eight free agents, Patrick is the first one joining the Commanders.
Patrick began his career as an undrafted free agent for the Packers in 2016. He earned a spot on the team’s practice squad as a rookie and then made his NFL regular season debut during his second campaign.
During his first three seasons, Patrick dressed for 40 games, making just six starts. He became a regular starter, mostly at right guard, in 2020.
In Chicago, Patrick was used at guard again in 2022. But then during 2023, he made 15 starts, all at center.
Since debuting in 2017, Patrick has played at least 1,088 snaps at left guard, center and right guard. With 2,009 snaps, he’s received the most playing time at center, but the Commanders could use him anywhere along the interior.
Patrick has three snaps of experience at left tackle and none at right tackle.
Center Nick Allegretti Back on Field for Washington
The Commanders are adding Patrick just one game into Allegretti’s transition to center.
Washington’s offensive line struggled throughout the preseason while Allegretti missed most of August because of injury. With Allegretti back at center in Week 1, the Commanders offensive line avoided the bottom of PFF’s grades for run blocking and pass protection. But the unit was still below average.
According to PFF, Allegretti struggled significantly, posting bad grades across the board versus the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Commanders shouldn’t have as tough of a test in Week 2 with the Cowboys up next. The Eagles might have the best defensive line in the entire league while the Cowboys showed again in Week 1 that their defense is a big work-in-progress.
But Patrick is with the Commanders at least as insurance. He could push Allegretti, who has mostly played left guard in his career, at center or support the new starting center at one of the guard spots.
Commanders Sign 313-Pound Veteran Starting Lineman Before Cowboys Game: Report