Manning: Scherff is a Cornerstone
Now that the Super Bowl is in the rearview mirror, we can officially take a look at free agency. Teams have already started the process of letting some veterans go and the countdown to begin franchising players begins in a little over two weeks on February 25.
The Washington Redskins have 13 players scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency next month. This group is headlined by Pro Bowl guard Brandon Scherff.
Scherff, 28, is a three-time Pro Bowl selection after entering the league as the No. 5 overall selection back in 2015. Scherff started all 16 games in both 2016 and 2017, before missing two games in 2017.
In 2018, Scherff suffered a torn pectoral muscle and was lost for the season after eight games. He returned to action in 2019, missing a total of five games with elbow and shoulder injuries, ending his second consecutive season on injured reserve.
If we go back to the regular season, it was tough imagining Scherff staying here beyond last season. Bruce Allen had reportedly made Scherff a priority, yet apparently low-balled him during his extension talks. Scherff’s camp decided to wait to until the offseason and that was the end of those discussions.
Well, Allen is longer here. Ron Rivera is in charge and he has publicly mentioned Scherff and Trent Williams as cornerstones for this offensive line. A former standout player and two-time coach of the year, Rivera is beloved by his players. While former coach Jay Gruden was well-liked by his players, he didn’t demand the same type of respect that Rivera does.
If Rivera wants Scherff—and it appears he does—applying the franchise tag is probably the best option to see if you can get a long-term deal worked out. Scherff has stated on more than one occasion he wants to stay in Washington. Was that true? When you are asked that in an interview what else are you going to say?
The key factor here, of course, is money. Some teams don’t like to invest heavily in guards and focus more on the tackle positions. And Scherff’s recent injury could cause some concern, too. In five seasons, he has played 65 of 80 games.
In assessing the market, Zack Martin of the Dallas Cowboys is the league’s highest-paid guard. Martin received a contract in total value of $84M. The key numbers, though, were total guarantees and AAV (average annual value). Martin received $40M in total guarantees, including $32M fully guaranteed, with an AAV of $14M per season. Brandon Brooks of the Eagles signed a new deal after Martin where his AAV is $14.05M, although his full guarantees are less.
While the Redskins will bring up Scherff’s recent injury history in negotiations—and rightfully so—he is still a premier player at the guard position. If the Redskins allow Scherff to hit unrestricted free agency, his AAV will end up at the top of the market and his guarantees will be close to Martin’s even though he isn’t quite the same player. Remember, it’s when you hit the market.
Scherff’s camp will certainly begin negotiations with a $14.5M AAV in mind and guarantees north of $40M. If he hits free agency, he will likely get that. His camp realizes this and the Redskins likely do, too. That’s why a tag is likely.
Don’t listen to those on social media who tell you Ereck Flowers was better in 2019. He wasn’t. While Flowers, also a free agent, proved to be a revelation at left guard, he wasn’t nearly as impactful as Scherff. Sure, Scherff had more penalties, but he is also a game-changer in the screen game and the running game. A healthy Scherff opens up possibilities in the screen game and we know new offensive coordinator Scott Turner likes the screen game.
In the next few weeks we will look at most of Washington’s free agents. But we begin with the one the Redskins must keep. While a long-term deal is tough to predict, expect Scherff to be back in 2020, at least.
All contract numbers courtesy of OverTheCap.com.
Bryan Manning has covered the NFL, MLB, NBA, college football and college basketball for almost 10 years for various outlets such as Bleacher Report, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today SMG, and others. Bryan has covered the Washington Redskins for different outlets and currently co-hosts a podcast on the Virginia Tech Hokies for SB Nation. For his day job, Bryan works in engineering for a major communications company.
