The Washington Redskins seem to be set for the present and future at the offensive tackle position. Here’s a deeper dive into what their depth chart will look like.
Going into the 2018 offseason, the Washington Redskins had needs at many positions on the offensive side of the ball. Offensive tackle wasn’t one of them. Armed with a couple of bookends, a solid reserve tackle, and some potential based options as well, the position was one of their deeper ones overall.
Still, the team did elect to add some players to compete and act as future pieces for their line. Given how important quality offensive line play is, and particularly the left tackle position, it was encouraging to see the team build on a strength.
With that said, here’s a look at what the Redskins offensive tackle depth chart will look like, starting with who will be the top option at the offense’s most important position.
Starter: LT Trent Williams
This is pretty much a given. Trent Williams is arguably the best left tackle in the NFL. For years, he has been competing with Joe Thomas, Tyron Smith, and David Bakhtiari for that title, but regardless, he has been one of the best in the league during his career.
However, there was a little bit of doubt creeping in about Williams’ status because of a knee injury he dealt with last year. While he played through the issue for most of last season, he missed six games due to maintenance for the knee and ended the year on Injured Reserve. He had surgery late in the season, and that is going to keep him out for some time.
Still, it’s highly likely that Williams will be ready for the start of the season. Though he waited until later in the year to get the surgery, the recovery timetable is expected to be roughly six months. So, by getting it in December, he ensures that he should be ready to return by late June. And if he needs more time, he will have all of July and August to get healthy before the start of the 2018 season.
Injuries aside, there have been some who have stated that Williams could move inside to left guard and allow Ty Nsekhe to play left tackle. This would ensure that the team would have their best five linemen on the field, and Williams is a better fit at guard than Nsekhe. However, taking Williams off the left tackle position, which is the most important for protecting the quarterback, would be a mistake. Simply put, Williams is an elite left tackle. Why put him anywhere else?
There are limited concerns surrounding Williams. Yes, he is coming back from knee surgery, but he will have ample time to fully recover. He should continue to be the best player on the Redskins offense during the 2018 campaign.
Starter: RT Morgan Moses
Last season, only one of the Redskins opening day starters on the offensive line played all 16 games. That was right tackle Morgan Moses. The fourth year man out of Virginia has turned into an excellent pro and he is going to be a key player in the upcoming season.
Moses is a big bodied, 6-foot-6, 335 pound blocker who uses his size and power to win on the edge. He should continue to have success, but there are some areas that he could work his way into the class of elite right tackles at the NFL level.
Recently, Bleacher Report’s NFL1000 ranked Moses as the No. 13 right tackle in the NFL. Here’s what they said about his ability in that piece.
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"Moses showed tremendous range in pass protection with a strong anchor, but he ran into issues mirroring and changing directions with the ankle sprains. In the running game, Moses was still highly effective at winning the edge with footwork, hand placement and power. He showed the ability to work with his right guard to displace the point of attack on double-teams and was also effective blocking second-level defenders."
The issues of which the NFL1000 spoke are things that shouldn’t be a problem if he is fully healthy. However, Moses has seemed to deal with injuries constantly during his NFL career. While it hasn’t kept him from missing games (he’s played all 16 games in each of the past three seasons) it has hampered him at times. But, if he can get his ankles healthy this offseason, perhaps he will be able to improve.
Moses is still undoubtedly the starter, and the Redskins proved that they believe in him when they signed him to a five-year extension recently. He should be the long-term starter on the right side, and hopefully he will continue to improve.
Swing Tackle: Ty Nsekhe
There has been some talk this offseason about Ty Nsekhe moving to the left guard position. While that would be a potential option to get the Redskins best five linemen on the field, it probably wouldn’t end up being the best option for the team.
Nsekhe can definitely play left guard, but the fact of the matter is that the Redskins need him as a tackle. For the past couple of seasons, Nsekhe has been excellent at filling in for both Williams and Moses when the two have been out.
In fact, when Williams missed four games during the 2016 season after being suspended, Nsekhe played at such a high level that some had advocated keeping him there for the rest of the year. That never materialized, but the point is that Nsekhe would probably be a starter at left tackle for most NFL teams.
FanSided
So, here is the question that many will ask about this projection of keeping Nsekhe at tackle. Why not just play him inside at guard? In the event that the team needs help at either tackle position, he could just kick outside and that would solve the problem. Right? Not necessarily.
Playing Nsekhe at guard would require him to cross-train at guard and tackle, and that could cause his ability as a swing tackle to erode a bit, as he’ll need to hone his guard skills. If I’m the Redskins, I’m looking for a younger player to step up and take over at guard. Keeping the 32-year-old Nsekhe in the role that he has excelled in makes sense.
Furthermore, if the Redskins had truly wanted to play Nsekhe at guard, they probably would have done it before the 2017 season. They had almost the same exact group of players available, but opted to go with Shawn Lauvao as their starter anyway. Given that, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the Redskins cave and elect to move Nsekhe inside.
All that said, Nsekhe can continue to be one of the best swing tackles in the game. And in the event that the team thinks they really need him at guard, they can move him inside. But for now, he projects to continue to be a great swing tackle and should see action filling in if either Williams or Moses is hurt or needs rest.
Depth Tackle: Geron Christian
This is pretty much a given. Geron Christian was a third round pick by the Redskins in 2018. While he isn’t going to be ready to play a big role in the upcoming season, the team will give him a chance to develop on the active roster for the coming year.
Christian was seen as a raw athlete coming into the 2018 NFL Draft. While he has an excellent 6-foot-5, 298 pound frame with 35-inch arms, he still needs to keep working on his technique. He could also stand to add some more strength, especially if he wants to compete at tackle for the NFL level.
Despite his physical upside, Christian needs a lot of time to work on his abilities. Offensive line coach Bill Callahan will help him to do that, but it’s clear that Christian isn’t going to play a role in the offense until 2019 at the earliest. For that reason, he will find himself deeper down on the depth chart.
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For 2018, Christian will almost certainly be the fourth tackle on the Redskins. While that may seem like a high mark, he will be, in reality, the last player on the depth chart at the position. Sure, a backup guard who can swing to tackle may end up below him, but realistically, Christian will be the last tackle to be used.
This actually should work out well for Christian. After getting a year of experience, he should be ready to take over the swing tackle role. Then, he can eventually become a starter down the road after Williams elects to retire.
Christian is a roster lock, but don’t expect him to do much. He may end up getting the least action of the drafted rookies that make the roster, and it’s possible that he may not be active on game days at the start of the season. But for the future, he will be a key piece.
Missing the cut
There are a few notable players who are missing from this tackle depth chart. But the most notable would be T.J. Clemmings. The former fourth round pick by the Minnesota Vikings was the team’s fourth tackle last season, but I don’t have him playing that position this year. Still, there’s a chance that he could make the final roster.
I think that the Redskins may consider moving Clemmings to guard, given the weakness they have at left guard and the fact that they could use some depth there. Clemmings has some experience playing guard and while he has never really performed well during his NFL career, perhaps working full-time on the interior could change that.
Elsewhere, John Kling, a 6-foot-7, 315 player who played college ball at Buffalo, won’t make the roster either. He has nice size, but he simply doesn’t have the skill set needed to beat out the other options available. That said, Kling could be a practice squad candidate.
Finally, Timon Parris, a college free agent out of Stony Brook, is another intriguing option. He has a 6-foot-6 frame and blocked well in college. That said, he’s facing an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster, but one would imagine that the Redskins would love to retain him on the practice squad, especially if he shows solid ability during the preseason.
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So, to review, the Redskins depth chart at offensive tackle will look something like this.
- Trent Williams (LT)
- Morgan Moses (RT)
- Ty Nsekhe
- Geron Christian
Each player will have a chance to play a specific role, and it will be interesting to see how they all perform during the preseason.