Redskins should strongly consider moving T.J. Clemmings to guard

The Washington Redskins picked up T.J. Clemmings off waivers just before the start of the 2017 season. They should consider moving the former tackle to the guard position this offseason.

When T.J. Clemmings joined the Washington Redskins prior to the 2017 NFL season, there was reason for some optimism. After all, Clemmings had been a fourth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and he had started 30 games during his two seasons in Minnesota. Though Clemmings had struggled as a starter, he was a young player coming to the team with experience. And with Bill Callahan in the fold, the Redskins would be a good chance for him to develop.

During Clemmings’ first season, that didn’t really materialize. Because of injuries to Trent Williams and Ty Nsekhe, Clemmings was frequently forced into action for the Redskins early in the season. He ended up making two starts at left tackle, and he struggled badly to contain opposing edge rushers. This wasn’t exactly a surprise, as Clemmings lacked the technique coming out of college to be an effective starter without development time. And he obviously hasn’t gotten that yet at the NFL level.

That said, Clemmings still has great athletic ability. And while he is raw in terms of technique, he has the upside to be an effective NFL player. However, it doesn’t seem like that will be at the tackle position. Because of this, the Redskins should consider moving Clemmings inside to guard.

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The reason for this is simple. Clemmings hasn’t fared well in pass protection on the outside as it requires him to move backwards into a lot of space quickly. While he has the athleticism needed to do that, he lacks the footwork to mirror opposing edge rushers. That is what keeps him from being a potential starting tackle, and even a top backup. At the guard position, this wouldn’t be something that Clemmings would have to do.

Playing inside, Clemmings would be able to focus on getting off the ball and executing his block right away. He won’t have to work too much backpedaling, and he won’t have to move as far laterally, which will benefit him. He’s still a great athlete, and he has the ability needed to succeed as a pulling guard. In fact, it would probably be the best way for him to use the combination of speed and power that he has.

Of course, moving positions won’t necessarily be easy for Clemmings. He only has been playing the offensive tackle position since his junior year of college after converting over from the defensive line. So, learning an entirely new position could be difficult. Still, given that he already knows how to play tackle and the defensive line, perhaps he can quickly pick up the guard position.

For the Redskins, moving Clemmings to guard would be ideal. They still don’t have an answer at the left guard position, and it appears that it is going to be Shawn Lauvao vs. the field to man the position. Clemmings would join the competition alongside Tony Bergstrom, Casey Dunn, Tyler Catalina, and Kyle Kalis to try and dethrone Lauvao. And given that Clemmings is the best athlete of the bunch, he could have a chance to win the spot.

Next: Analyzing the Redskins offensive tackle depth

Moving Clemmings just seems like the right thing to do. In the event that the doesn’t pan out, the team doesn’t lose anything. As it stands, he’s probably fifth on the offensive tackle depth chart anyway thanks to the addition of Geron Christian. At this point, it seems like the only way Clemmings might make the roster is as a guard. So trying him out at the position seems like a necessity for both the squad and the player.

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