Commanders Rookie OL Mason Brooks Showing 'Toughness', Positional Flexibility
Coming into the NFL as an undrafted free agent, players need to be able to put their best foot forward, and Washington Commanders rookie offensive lineman Mason Brooks is bringing a lot to the table.
With Washington on break as OTA's and minicamp being wrapped up, head coach Ron Rivera has liked what he has seen from the Ole Miss offensive lineman.
"He may not have started a lot, but he played a lot of football," Rivera said. "He’s shown some position flexibility more so anything else, that's always something that we always feel is an important thing. There was a general toughness that we liked and that we thought, this is a guy that could come in and help us out. If you can get a guy like that as a undrafted free agent, you gotta see and take a shot.”
Being able to play multiple positions could give Brooks the best chance at making Washington's 53-man roster, and with the Commanders taking a chance on the 6-6, 305-pound lineman, they might have just found the depth that was needed.
The Commanders offensive line gave up 48 sacks last season (ranked seventh worst in the NFL), and the franchise has made moves to solidify it for second-year quarterback Sam Howell.
Andrew Wylie and Nick Gates have been signed, along with draftees Ricky Stromberg and Braeden Daniels, coupled with Brooks showing some positive signs, Washington has some position flexibility to work with at training camp.
Of course, all of what Rivera has seen has been without pads on, so Brooks' true test will come in a few weeks, but for an undrafted free agent, he has to make himself stand out, and at the time of writing, Brooks has made the Washington coaching staff take notice, which is a big plus.
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