Commanders already take care of situation that could've become a problem down the road

The Washington Commanders have one of the NFL's best guards in Sam Cosmi on its roster and now, he's around for the long haul.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Commanders inked Cosmi to a four-year extension on Wednesday. The former second-rounder was entering the final year of the rookie deal he signed back in 2021, but now he's locked up through the 2028 season, basically guaranteeing his prime years will be spent in Washington.

The other side of the coin was potentially allowing Cosmi to hit free agency after the season, where he could've found another home, for whatever reason. Right now, with Jayden Daniels at QB and questions on offense, it's the right call to lock up one of the best players on the roster.

"For him, not you know, to have to go through the season and into free agency and all that is a big deal for us," Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told reporters ahead of Wednesday's practice. "... Having that kind of ability inside the pocket, it's a big deal. So the stoutness is big and certainly for Jayden or for the quarterback, his ability to have space in the pocket, to step up. This an athlete that can pull and move, and in our system that's really important."

Cosmi has started 32 games over his first three seasons in the league and 2023 was his best, yet. Not only did he play a full season for the first time in his career, but he was just one of five guards to allow one sack or less among 30 qualifying players with at least 985 blocking snaps played in 2023. His pass blocking efficiency rating of 97.8 tied for seventh-best and finished with the fourth-best run blocking grade (80.9), per Pro Football Focus.

"For Adam and his staff to get that done prior to the season, that's a big deal," said Quinn. "This guy's a Commander, you know, through and through. He's tough, he plays square and he's strong. [We're] really fortunate that he'll be an anchor inside for years to come."

Here's an update on the contract details, per Adam Schefter of ESPN: