The Commanders got a reality check in Detroit. Can they fix their O-line?

ASHBURN, Va. — Dan Quinn refused to call it a reaction to what he saw on Saturday. But it is hard to read it any other way.

After a dismal performance in Detroit — filled with pass protection problems, run game issues and gaffes — the Commanders’ head coach altered the training camp schedule. A walk-through on Monday became a full-blown practice.

Quinn said it wasn’t a punishment. But he used words like “disarray” to describe what he saw on tape.

“A lot of what I saw, that wasn’t us. And that bothered me,” he said. “And so today is our time to get to the truth.”

But the biggest reason for Quinn’s concern right now may not be helped by an extra practice. It could just be a personnel issue.

The offensive line, which has given Washington fits all training camp, continued to look shaky against the Lions. Starting quarterback Jayden Daniels played three snaps. He was pressured from the inside and the outside. He took a sack and threw the ball away before putting his helmet up for the day.

Washington already lost Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil to a torn tricep. That alone would be a massive hurdle to overcome. But now the Commanders are working through a center issue with Nick Allegretti nursing a calf strain.

And the backups don’t exactly have long résumés. Julian Good-Jones has played two total snaps in the NFL. The other option, Matt Gulbin, is a sixth-round rookie out of Michigan State.

So an extra practice may help set a tone. But it won’t change the experience.

“We still have work to do there, honestly,” Quinn said. “Between the three of them, we’re still in the process of evaluating what’s the best way for us to go. That’d be one of the spots that I’m still digging in on and still looking.”

This late in training camp, Quinn is scrambling to fill in the holes. He repeatedly said he believes the answer is on the roster. But Washington could make a trade at some point to get a more experienced center. After cuts on Sunday, they could also pick up somebody off waivers.

But for now, Quinn wants to get a final evaluation against the Ravens. Washington heads to Baltimore for a joint practice on Wednesday and a preseason game on Friday. Gulbin, who was working at guard for most of camp, will play exclusively at center this week to see if anything materializes.

Quinn believes the Ravens, with their more exotic blitz packages, will provide a good evaluation.

“I wanna see really good protection in the middle of the line, especially blitz stunts, and we’ll get a good look at that. Our defense does it. Baltimore does it,” he said. “So, between Wednesday and Friday, those are two more nice chances to get some good looks.”

A major shift

One area where Washington is already making moves is safety. The Commanders had six players for just five spots.

And for a while, it looked like Will Harris would be safely in the mix. He was a seven-year veteran who started nine games last year before getting injured.

But the roster math shifted last week. Two other safeties, Tyler Owens and Percy Butler, started to make plays on defense. They were already contributors on special teams, while Harris wasn’t.

Plus, fellow safety Quan Martin has been a standout in training camp. He has two interceptions in two games, and Quinn said he’s been the most impressive player of camp.

Harris was released by the team on Tuesday. It looks like the safety position is now settled with Nick Cross, Jeremy Reaves, Martin, Owens and Butler.