Washington At Left Tackle: Quietly, The 'Best'?

When Geron Christian was playing, he was adequate at best. Since he's been hurt, Cornelius Lucas has replaced him & has been quietly terrific at left tackle for Washington

ASHBURN, Va. - From late 2014 until he started at that position for the Washington Football Team against the Dallas Cowboys a few weeks ago, Cornelius Lucas has played two games at left tackle.

Two. 

He played more at right tackle, but who are we kidding? Really, there wasn't a lot to go on there, either. 

But now, a quiet revelation: In the last two games for the WFT, the journeyman Lucas has played 122 snaps at the position, per ProFootballFocus.com (PFF). In his entire career, he's only played 154 at the position, a number he should easily exceed this Sunday in Detroit. 

But that's not the jaw-dropping number. This is: In 74 pass-blocking snaps, Lucas has allowed zeroes across the board. No sacks, no hits, no hurries. Nothing, per PFF. 

Lucas was therefore graded by PFF as the best offensive tackle in the NFL in Week 9. 

Washington OT Cornelius Lucas finished Week 9 with an overall grade of 86.1, the highest of any tackle in the NFL per @PFF.

— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) November 9, 2020

Wait, what?

If you had watched Lucas in training camp, you might find that to be a shocking development. But "development'' is the right word. ... and sure, that can happen, even for a 29-year-old with six seasons as a pro.

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Remember, the 6-8, 327-pound Lucas - undrafted in 2014 - had played two snaps at the position in games in six years. 

The Giants lack a dynamic pass rusher off the edge so that helped Lucas' survival. ... but Dallas had Aldon Smith and Demarcus Lawrence in their game. And "survival'' became "success.''

Want another stunning number? Per PFF, Lucas has an 87.5 pass-blocking grade and Trent Williams, the former Washington stud at left tackle, is slightly lower at 86.7. Williams is the superior player and has played many more snaps - but that's still incredible production from Lucas in two games. 

The wonderful absurdity continues: Lucas is the only offensive tackle in the NFL with over 45 snaps played who hasn't allowed a pressure. 

Where can it go from here? Maybe Cornelius Lucas has hit his peak. Maybe it'll be difficult to maintain. But he deserves some loud attention for a quietly-well-done job for Washington.