Washington Left Tackle Concerns: What's The Best Fix?
Ron Rivera's new front-office lieutenants Martin Mayhew and Marty Hurney understand the value of a quarterback. They both used a top selection to change their former respective franchises with the man drafted under center.
That will be the case entering their first offseason with the Washington Football Team. However, the best way to protect that QB is with names in the trenches. .... and the WFT needs one.
Bruce Allen spent four seasons hauling in defensive players with first-round picks. Since 2017, four of the five Day 1 selections have been used to fix the defensive line. And it's worked.
However, since the start of the 2000's, only three picks have been used to fix the offensive line.
It's time to go to work here.
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WFT will enter a contract year with All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff. He spent the better half of the past two seasons building a rapport with Morgan Moses. The two worked well, meaning a payday is on the horizon for Scherff by either Washington or elsewhere.
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Teams are only as strong as their weakest link. For years, the left tackle position never was a worry since Trent Williams fit the bill. After a falling out prior to the Ron Rivera-era, Williams was done with D.C.
He was traded last offseason to the San Francisco 49ers.
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WFT must decide if they'll trust Geron Christian or give 2020 fourth-round pick Saahdiq Charles a chance to play. Drafted out of LSU, the 108th pick missed most of his rookie season with lower-body injuries, the verdict is still out on him.
It also must be mentioned that Rivera played him at left guard as well, believing that could be his full-time role moving forward.
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Should they move off Charles and Christian, the attention turns to the draft and free agency. Washington will select 19th this April, and the top three tackles all are expected to land in the top 15.
Would WFT be willing to package a mid-round pick to move up?
If Washington elects to draft in free agency, the top name that would come to mind is Talyor Moton. The former Panthers left tackle played well under Rivera in Carolina and has a working relationship with Hurney.
However, will Carolina franchise tag him?
WFT could find a gem on Day 2 if they remain patient. A trade-up for NDSU's Dillion Radunz might suffice, as would waiting to take Cincinnati's James Hudson. Stanford's Walker Little, who played in just 13 games at the college level, might be the biggest boom-or-bust prospect of all-time.
Washington has multiple holes to fill this offseason. The chance to remain as the top team in the NFC East is theirs for the taking. Every signing is a risk, but there's a significant reward when things pan out. That effort to "pan out'' starts next month and along with QB, for the WFT, it now truly begins in the trenches.
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