The Washington Redskins have a hole at the left guard position. They are going to need to fill it somehow, and the internal options are looking fairly bleak.
When the dust settled following the 2018 offseason, the Washington Redskins had filled almost all of their needs. They plugged in the holes they had on the defensive line, added a true three-down player at the running back position, and added depth to their secondary. The one thing that they didn’t do was add help at left guard.
Following the NFL Draft, the Redskins re-signed Shawn Lauvao, their four-year starter at left guard who hadn’t done very well in recent seasons. Lauvao inspired little hope in Redskins fans, and they were more excited about the potential of Arie Kouandjio and undrafted free agent Sean Welsh.
However, over the course of the past couple of weeks, the Redskins have been dealt bad news regarding those candidates. Kouandjio reportedly tore his quad and will miss the 2018 season. Meanwhile, Welsh elected to retire on the first day of rookie mini-camp in what was a surprising move. So, neither will be an option moving forward.
While the Redskins still have some options in Lauvao, Tyler Catalina, T.J. Clemmings, Kyle Kalis, Tony Bergstrom, and maybe even Ty Nsekhe. But, the team should still consider adding some competition with better potential or experience, especially since Nsekhe should stay at tackle. So, here’s a look at five players the Redskins could target via free agency, trades, or via cuts before the season occurs.
When Zane Beadles was released by the San Francisco 49ers after the 2018 NFL Draft, Redskins fans were calling for the team to sign him to compete for the starting guard position. After all, many remember Beadles from his days as a solid starter in Denver, but since his first couple seasons with the Broncos, he has regressed.
Since signing a big contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Beadles has only been a marginal player. He got by as a starter for some time, but the Jaguars eventually decided to upgrade him after just two seasons.
Beadles would go on to join the 49ers and he started there for a single season. He started 16 games in 2016, and generally he was a decent starter at guard. However, in 2017, the 49ers elected to let some younger players take over for Beadles and he moved into a backup role. He played in 16 games and started five, seeing time at left guard and right tackle. He didn’t perform well at tackle, but he was certainly a serviceable guard.
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Despite Beadles’ high level of experience (128 games and 115 starts), the Redskins may not want to go and sign him. Frankly, he’s not much of an upgrade over Lauvao. His days as a starter are most likely numbered and while it’s possible that he could be an upgrade over what the Redskins currently have, it wouldn’t be enough to make a significant difference.
The Redskins may decide to meet with Beadles, and they could even bring him in for a workout. But for now, it doesn’t make sense to bring him to the squad, unless they want another mediocre veteran to try and plug in on the offensive line.
At this point in his career, Luke Joeckel is more of a name than an actual starting option. The former No. 2 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars has been a major bust since coming out in the historically bad 2013 NFL Draft. He probably will get one more chance to prove himself in the NFL, but his time is certainly running out.
Last season, Joeckel played for the Seattle Seahawks, who were starved for talent on the offensive line. Joeckel played primarily at the left guard position after being a tackle for the better part of his career. He didn’t do particularly well and struggled to open up holes in the run game and wasn’t great in pass protection either. Further compounding his poor play was his inability to stay healthy, as he missed five games throughout the season.
Health has previously been a problem for Joeckel as well. In his fourth year, he missed 12 games after suffering a major knee injury that he had to have surgery on. It was an unfortunate development and that spelled the end of his time in Jacksonville. So, the health concerns coupled with his poor play make Joeckel a seriously risky option for any team that is interested in him.
The Redskins could see Joeckel as a potential reclamation project. He is still just 26, and Bill Callahan is one of the better offensive line coaches in the league. If Callahan could work with Joeckel and get him to get a bit stronger, he could turn into a serviceable starter. For that reason, Washington might consider him.
Still, Joeckel probably isn’t a big upgrade over Lauvao, if he’s an upgrade at all. He does have more potential, but with five seasons of sub-par production under his belt, he might not be worth the risk. But if he can come on a very short, cheap deal, the Redskins could consider him.
If the Redskins are looking to acquire a player who is already on a team’s roster, J.R. Sweezy might be the easiest to get. And, he has a lot of talent as well.
Sweezy has played in 73 games in his career making 63 starts with the Seahawks and the Buccaneers. Sweezy was the starter at right guard during the Seahawks’ runs to the Super Bowl, and he generally blocked well for Russell Wilson. However, in Tampa Bay, he has struggled to stay healthy.
In two years in Tampa Bay, Sweezy has only appeared in 14 games. He missed his first season after undergoing back surgery. He played well at times in 2017, but he isn’t as athletic as he once was due to his back injury. Also, he suffered a foot injury at the end of the season, and it’s unclear whether or not he will be ready for the start of the season. That, coupled with other factors, are potentially pushing him down the depth chart in Tampa Bay.
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In a recent piece by Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, Sweezy was outlined as a player who could potentially be cut by the Buccaneers. Here’s what Knox said in that article.
"Sweezy is set to earn more than $7 million this season and may not even have a legitimate shot at starting. The Buccaneers have Ali Marpet, Evan Smith and rookie third-round pick Alex Cappa at guard. Sweezy ended last season with a foot injury and may be unable to compete with these three early in the offseason."
This could lead the Buccaneers to either cut Sweezy or look to trade him. In the event that the Redskins have interest in Sweezy, in spite of his injury issues, the team could opt to try and acquire him. It wouldn’t cost much to get him in a trade, and the team could choose to offer a conditional seventh round pick. Or, they could wait until the Bucs eventually cut him, which seems like a strong possibility.
Despite his semi-concerning injury in the past couple of seasons, Sweezy can be a solid starter. And he could help the Redskins out, provided that he can be acquired cheap and might be willing to rework his contract if traded. Either way, Sweezy would probably be an upgrade over Lauvao, if he can stay healthy.
Of all the options on this list, Quinton Spain may be the most unrealistic. After all, Spain has been the starter for the better part of the last two and a half seasons for the Titans. That said, the team did do some things this offseason that made it seem like the team wanted some competition for Spain.
During the offseason, the Titans tendered Spain as a restricted free agent. However, they did so at the “original round level.” This means that if a team signed Spain to a deal and if the Titans elected not to match, they wouldn’t receive any compensation, as Spain originally was an undrafted free agent. They could have opted to tender him at a first or second round tender and their reluctance to do so seems to communicate that they view him as replaceable.
Furthermore, the Titans added two players to compete at guard during the 2018 offseason. They signed Xavier Su’a-Filo, a former second-rounder of the Houston Texans, and Kevin Pamphile, who started a majority of the past two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both only signed one-year deals, but both came at cheaper levels than Spain (Pamphile made $1.4 million and Su’a-Filo at $880K). So, if they perform equally to Spain, they could have a chance to overtake him.
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It’s worth noting that Pamphile has experience playing right tackle as well. That versatility could come into play for the Titans, as stud right tackle Jack Conklin tore his ACL during the team’s playoff loss to the Patriots and may not be ready for the 2018 season. That could make him more valuable, and that may push Spain closer to the bubble.
Also, the Titans re-signed starting right guard Josh Kline to a four-year deal. They have confidence that he will continue to play well at the right guard position, so that is one less spot that Spain could win.
While Spain should be favored to win the starting job as of now, the Titans may try to move him if they like what they see out of the other guards they signed. In the event that Spain becomes available, he could probably be had for a sixth round pick. And that might be a price that the Redskins are willing to pay.
There’s no guarantee that Spain will become available. But if he somehow does, the Redskins should be highly interested in going after him. He’s a solid player and he would certainly be an experienced, younger upgrade over Lauvao. And given that he’s on a one-year deal, the team could easily part with him if he doesn’t pan out.
Some may not like the idea of adding a 34-year-old as a stopgap option on the offensive line. Some will say that Jahri Evans, who turns 35 before the start of the 2018 season, is too old to be a productive player and that he could decline at any time. However, I think that Evans should be a top potential add for the Redskins.
Throughout Evans’ storied career, he has started 183 games and made the Pro Bowl six times from 2009-2014. Most of his action came over 11 years with the Saints, but he spent 2017 with the Packers. And he put forth a solid season. Evans was ranked as the No. 30 guard in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, and though he graded out as an average player, the rankings for guards tend to be lower. Ranking 30th in the league still ranks him in the top half of starters, as there are 64 starting guards in the NFL.
But, I digress. Despite his age, Evans is still a solid, powerful guard. He may not have a lot of time left in the NFL, but taking a one-year flyer on him may be a smart move. The Redskins could have him compete for the starting job with Lauvao, and at the very worst, Evans would be cut just before the season. Regardless, bringing him in to compete would be a good move.
With Evans in the fold, the Redskins would suddenly have a truly strong, veteran option who knows what it takes to be one of the best in the game. And additionally, Evans has only missed nine games during his whole 12-year career, so that would be an upgrade over the constantly banged up Lauvao.
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In short, adding Evans to compete with Lauvao, Bergstrom, and Clemmings would be a smart move. He could have a shot to win the starting job, and he would come at a lower price. Adding him if he wants to come to Washington would be a no-brainer. The Redskins made a similar move a couple years ago when they signed Cullen Jenkins, so maybe they will give Evans a call as they see more out of their candidates to start at left guard.