ASHBURN, Va. — Plans changed shortly after the Washington Commanders returned from Detroit. Coach Dan Quinn scrapped his team’s planned walkthrough for Monday afternoon and scheduled a more intense workout with live drills. To call it a full-fledged practice would be misleading; players didn’t wear pads or shells, and the session lasted only an hour.But instead of reviewing their concepts, Quinn sought another chance to compete.“… A lot of what I saw (in Detroit), that wasn’t us,” he said before the session. “And that bothered me. And so today is our time to get to the truth — what, why? … I went through a lot of plays and I didn’t feel like we played complementary football. … That felt in disarray.”Quinn assured the schedule change wasn’t “a knee-jerk reaction” to his team’s performance in a 17-13 preseason loss. But it was, perhaps, a reaction to an alarming issue: At a time when the Commanders should have more clarity about their roster and identity, they seem to instead have unanswered questions.The biggest one has loomed for six months now: They need a proven and healthy center.Commanders camp takeaways: Jaden Daniels locked-in; injuries mountNicki JhabvalaThe Commanders released center Tyler Biadasz in February, clearly believing they could upgrade the position while trying to fill a number of other key spots across the roster. The move saved the team about $8 million in cash, but the financial benefit became less relevant when Washington pursued Tyler Linderbaum, who ultimately fetched nearly $30 million a year from the Las Vegas Raiders.The Commanders have invested heavily in their O-line in recent years, trading for (and later extending) left tackle Laremy Tunsil, then drafting right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round in 2025. But the self-inflicted wound at center has created a troubling ripple effect.Washington’s offensive line began the year projected as one of its most consistent positional groups. It’s now the shakiest, without a (healthy) starter or depth at center, with up-and-down play at left guard and without a five-time Pro Bowl left tackle to mask some of its deficiencies, after Tunsil tore his left triceps earlier this month.Nick Allegretti was Washington’s only in-house veteran with at least some experience at center, having played in college, but has been almost exclusively a guard in the NFL. When he suffered a calf injury during the first week of training camp, the Commanders’ shortcomings at the position were exposed — and then compounded by the loss of Tunsil.Julian Good-Jones has played only two regular-season offensive snaps in his six-year NFL career, but he’s been Allegretti’s primary replacement. The team drafted Matt Gulbin in the sixth round, but he was initially viewed as more of a developmental player.Good-Jones’ inexperience has shown repeatedly in practice and was highlighted again Saturday in his first game reps with quarterback Jayden Daniels.The plan was to play Daniels for one drive against the Lions. That drive lasted only three plays because of the trouble up front. Linebacker Devin White slipped past Good-Jones on the opening snap, forcing Daniels to throw the ball away to avoid a sack. But he couldn’t avoid it on the next play; D.J. Wonnum beat tight end John Bates on the left side of the line to take down the quarterback. A third-down handoff to rookie running back Kaytron Allen concluded Daniels’ preseason.Good-Jones has allowed three pressures in 24 pass-blocking snaps this preseason for a rate of 12.5 percent, the highest among centers with at least 10 pass-blocking snaps, according to TruMedia. Gulbin has allowed only one pressure in 32 pass-blocking snaps.“We’ve got work to do to figure out where we want to get to at center,” Quinn admitted, while praising the play of left guard Sam Cosmi and the development of Conerly.But how and when they will figure that out remains unclear. When asked on Monday if the team has the talent to improve at center, Quinn reiterated his confidence in Washington’s trio of Allegretti, Good-Jones and Gulbin.“We do, but 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.”Allegretti doesn’t have a clear timetable to return, though Quinn did say he will be out for the remainder of the preseason.Gulbin, who worked at guard a bit last week in practice and in Detroit, will move back to center this week. He and Jones each took reps with the starters in Monday’s workout and the rookie is slated to get more time in Friday’s preseason finale in Baltimore.If neither is ready, Washington’s options would be limited to veteran free agents — the pool of players waived when rosters are trimmed on Sunday — or a potential trade.Barring a surprise veteran cut, finding a starting center at this time of year will be difficult. But a handful of teams have open competitions at the position, which will inevitably leave one or two searching for a new job.The Buffalo Bills could be a team to watch given their depth on the offensive line. Although starting center Connor McGovern is nursing a leg injury, Lloyd Cushenberry is Buffalo’s top backup, leaving third-year player Sedrick Van Pran-Granger on the bubble.The Tennessee Titans also have depth at the position, which could lead to more candidates coming available in the next week.But until then, Washington will hope the next week provides reassurance.“So, with both (Good-Jones and Gulbin), I feel good (about their) knowledge of the system of where they’re at,” Quinn said. “… I want to 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. So, between Wednesday and Friday, those are two more nice chances to get some good looks.He added: “With Nick being, not set back but injured, we’ll work him back in when we can. But this week will be kind of devoted to Matt and Julian as we’re working through those two spots.”