Much like the Washington Commanders as a team, rookie right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. has had an up-and-down year. The No. 29 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft has started every game for the Commanders at right tackle. After opening the season against pass rushers such as Brian Burns (Giants), Micah Parsons (Packers) and Maxx Crosby (Raiders), things settled down for Conerly.

One of the knocks on Conerly before the draft was his play strength. Having played three seasons at Oregon, all at left tackle, Conerly would learn a new position with the Commanders (right tackle), while getting stronger.

Conerly has recently earned rave reviews from coaches, including offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who has praised his work ethic and continued improvement.

In Sunday’s win over the New York Giants, Conerly allowed an early sack to Giants linebacker Abdul Carter. He also committed a pair of penalties. Overall, Pro Football Focus gave Conerly a 67.0 overall grade, but only a 55.8 pass blocking grade.

Former Washington coach Jay Gruden (2014-19) had a harsh assessment of Conerly’s rookie season in his weekly appearance on “Grant & Danny” of 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C.

“Well, he’s just had a tough year,” Gruden said. “He struggles in pass protection against powerful rushers and speed. I mean, he does some good things, don’t get me wrong, I just think as far as a starting right tackle, he’s below average this year for the Washington team. There’s a lot better right tackles out there that are bigger and stronger, especially in the running game. And those double-team blocks and all that good stuff you have to do for a right tackle. You want your right tackle to be powerful. Most of those guys do the inside zone, the double teams on the 3-technique, and all that good stuff. He’s just not quite there yet. I think his body will develop. He’ll get stronger in the weight room with (strength and conditioning coach) Chad (Englehart), and I think good things are in his future.”

Gruden wasn’t hopeless concerning Conerly. His concerns mirror what we heard in pre-draft evaluations of Conerly: he needed to get stronger.

If you’ve watched every Washington game this season, there’s no doubt that Conerly has made drastic improvements. He just turned 22 last month, so, as Gruden said, there’s plenty of time for Conerly to get stronger. Having five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil as his mentor has helped Conerly through his rookie season.