ASHBURN, Va. – Washington Commanders offensive lineman Sam Cosmi couldn’t sleep for the first month following the injury he suffered to his knee in the 2024 NFC Divisional Round Playoffs game against the Detroit Lions.
“I was in the basement. I remember I just could not sleep at all. I was so sleep-deprived. Coming in, working, doing all that first month was terrible for me, and for that reason,” he told reporters ahead of the Commanders’ Week 16 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Believe it or not, we weren’t just interested in having Cosmi relive one of the worst moments of his life. The point of the conversation, in fact, is to illustrate just what he overcame during his rehab in order to return to the field for Washington, becoming this year’s winner of the team’s Ed Block Courage Award.
It’s an opportunity to praise Cosmi for the achievement that even returning to the field is after such a devastating injury, and also a chance to really understand what happens after the cart leaves the field.
Sep 29, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Washington Commanders guard Sam Cosmi (76) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Cosmi reveals unseen suffering
“You see guys in the league that have (suffered torn ACLs). [Kansas City Chiefs quarterback] Patrick Mahomes, [Green Bay Packers edge] Micah Parsons, all these big name guys and you’re like, ‘Okay, when they’re going to come back, this, that, and other, the timeline and stuff like that.’ [But] there’s so much work that goes into that that is unseen, so much, and suffering, that is unseen.”
The Ed Block Courage Award is given annually to a player “who displays extraordinary courage in the face of adversity,” according to the team. Previous recipients like safety Jeremy Reaves in 2024 who came back from his own ACL injury and running back Brian Robinson Jr. who recovered from a gunshot wound to become the team’s leading rusher are examples that all can pull from to find strength and the will to overcome very serious obstacles both in football and in life.
Teammates vote on honor
What makes it even more important is that its an award voted on by the players on the roster, and nobody else.
Cosmi called receiving the award an honor and expressed his appreciation for his teammates not just recognizing the struggles, but supporting him throughout the process. “I think each and every day I come in to work and I try to put my best foot forward and I try to put my hardest at everything I do. And for them to see that and to recognize that that’s all you ask for being a teammate is just being able to look at that guy and be like, that guy works his ass off for the guys around him,” he says.
“I remember him going down in the Lions game. That was devastating for all of us, and I know it was for him, but the way he attacked his rehab, I was in here in the off-season. He was in here every single day, just finding little ways to get better,” receiver Terry McLaurin said about Cosmi.
“So him and I definitely had a lot of conversations while we were both hurt, and he encouraged me, and I was encouraging him too. So to have him back and seeing him smile again and having fun, it is great for not only him but our team.”
Sep 29, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Washington Commanders center Tyler Biadasz (63) with guard Sam Cosmi (76) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Return boosts offensive line
Since returning in Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season, Cosmi has started each of the past eight games, looking more and more like himself along the way. He’s once again become an anchor on an offensive line that has helped the Commanders put forth the league’s fourth-best rushing attack this year, averaging just under 140 yards per game on the ground.
Cosmi has been incredibly transparent about his experience, including the bad days, but also how the entire ordeal helped him reconnect with the game and find a new level of love for it as well.
He’s been through adversity, of course, but nothing like this, and “you’re not going to know exactly what it’s like unless you really go through it. I didn’t know,” he admitted.
“I think the biggest thing with just injuries in general, there’s going to be bad days, going to be good days. Just keep fighting, be blessed for those good days. And in those bad days, those are going to make you the strongest. So just keep pushing, keep fighting, and all those days will stack up, and you get to a point where you’re here like me, and you’re healthy, and you’re back in the groove, and you’re back in it, and all that hard work paid off.”
That’s not just lip service. Cosmi lived it, adopted that attitude, persevered through the bad days, and while Washington will label this season as one of the least successful in franchise history, for the Ed Block Courage Award winner this year, it’s all one big win on the path toward even bigger and better things to come.
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