Redskins should consider signing Nick Mangold after Spencer Long’s injury

Spencer Long recently had a knee scope done and is set to miss two weeks. The Washington Redskins should add veteran insurance for their center by signing Nick Mangold.

Just when it looked like things couldn’t get worse for the Washington Redskins offensive line, they did get worse. After a couple of poor performances in the 2017 preseason, the Redskins lost their starting center Spencer Long for two weeks due to a minor knee scope. Long was a solid option on the line who was able to help the unit hold together fairly well.

After taking over for Kory Lichtensteiger as the starter last year, Long played well and really anchored the middle of the line. While he is clearly the fourth most talented on the line of five, he is a jack of all trades who does everything well. He has no glaring weaknesses, and that was valuable to the Redskins front.

Now, with Long out for two weeks, the struggling offensive line is going to be forced to regroup with a rookie center in charge. Sure, Chase Roullier is a fine candidate to man the job and he does have upside. But the fact is that he is merely a sixth round rookie and the Redskins are in a make-or-break campaign with the future of Kirk Cousins in the air. If Long’s knee turns into a problem for the team, relying on Roullier would be a risky proposition.

The job of the center is to make line calls, have a good relationship with the quarterback, and be a competent blocker. Of course, it also helps if the player has some form of confidence as well. It remains to be seen if Roullier will be up to the task.

Even if the Redskins choose to roll with Roullier for the next couple of weeks as the starter, they have to consider adding some veteran depth along the interior line. If they do choose to do that, their top candidate should be former New York Jets center Nick Mangold.

Mangold would be an excellent fit as a member of the Redskins for a few different reasons.