Riggo's Rag
FanSided

Redskins: T.J. Clemmings acquisition looms large after Ty Nsekhe injury

By Jacob Camenker

CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 01: Mitch Unrein #98 of the Chicago Bears blocks T.J. Clemmings #68 of the Minnesota Vikings in the third quarter at Soldier Field on November 1, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. The Minnesota Vikings defeat the Chicago Bears 23-20. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 01: Mitch Unrein #98 of the Chicago Bears blocks T.J. Clemmings #68 of the Minnesota Vikings in the third quarter at Soldier Field on November 1, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. The Minnesota Vikings defeat the Chicago Bears 23-20. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 07: Offensive coordinator Bill Callahan of the Dallas Cowboys during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at AT&T Stadium on September 7, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 07: Offensive coordinator Bill Callahan of the Dallas Cowboys during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at AT&T Stadium on September 7, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

How Clemmings will fit in on game day, and in the future

Realistically, Clemmings is not going to play much on offense unless there is an injury to one of the top linemen. Thus far in 2017, Nsekhe has only logged a total of 10 snaps, good for just under 5 percent of the team’s total on offense (per Pro Football Reference). On special teams, he has played about 15 percent of the snaps. That is a role that Clemmings will easily be able to fill and shouldn’t have too much trouble doing so.

This snap count is just the right amount for Clemmings. He will be able to get his feet wet with his new team, and the offensive staff will get a chance to evaluate how he looks with his new team. When he was drafted in 2015, some believed that he had the potential to be a starting left tackle in the league. But his development has been slow.

Building up Clemmings’ confidence and teaching him through mistakes with his new team will be crucial for the Redskins. With the Vikings, Clemmings struggled to contain faster edge rushers and wasn’t consistent enough in the ground game to warrant a roster spot. That will need to change in Washington.

More from Commanders News

The Redskins need to hope that Clemmings can become a quality swing tackle option, especially with Nsekhe set to hit the free agent market in March of 2018. Some team may pay a lot to get Nsekhe as a starter, so developing his replacement has to be on the Redskins’ agenda.

With all that said, there is always a chance that one of the Redskins linemen could get hurt. Morgan Moses has been nicked up in the early going of the 2017 season, so his health is something to keep an eye on moving forward. If Clemmings is forced to play too much too early with the team, he may not develop as quickly. That may seem counter-intuitive, but young players can often try to press if they feel like they are struggling. That can lead to bad fundamentals and ultimately require coaching staffs to go back to square one as they try to help the young player along.

Hopefully by now Clemmings is familiar with the new blocking scheme and ready to contribute, but nothing is guaranteed. The Redskins just have to stay healthy so that Clemmings can be brought along at a slower pace and really be given a chance to help out the team in a limited role.

Home/Commanders News