Redskins should kick the tires on recently released guard J.R. Sweezy

The Washington Redskins still don’t have an answer at left guard. With J.R. Sweezy now on the market, the Redskins should at least consider the former Buccaneer as an option.

One of the only remaining weaknesses on the Redskins roster is the left guard position. Shawn Lauvao was the underwhelming starter for the team for the past four seasons. He has dealt with injuries and has been largely ineffective when asked to take the field. Still, the Redskins opted to bring him back for another season and didn’t add much competition for him.

As it stands, the Redskins have very few players to compete with Lauvao at the guard position. Some have argued that Ty Nsekhe could man the spot, but keeping him at tackle seems like the more likely option. Elsewhere, Tony Bergstrom, Kyle Kalis, Tyler Catalina, and Casey Dunn will all get a chance to unseat Lauvao. T.J. Clemmings could also convert to guard from tackle, but it still seems like the Redskins are content to roll with Lauvao as the starter.

Still, the team should look into investigating some other options to compete with Lauvao. A proven candidate would be nice, solely because the backups behind Lauvao are either inexperienced or mediocre. With that said, the Redskins should kick the tires on J.R. Sweezy, who was recently released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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On the surface, this assertion may not make much sense. After all, doesn’t Sweezy have the same problems as Lauvao? He’s missed 18 games over the past two seasons due to injuries and he has rarely been at 100 percent since signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That sounds awfully similar to Lauvao, who was signed to a hefty contract after proving to be just a serviceable starter in his previous location.

So, why should the Redskins consider Sweezy? Well, the odds are that he will come cheap. He just got cut from a five-year, $32.5 million contract that he didn’t live up to. It seems likely that he will have to sign a one-year, “prove it” deal and that will carry very little risk for the Skins. So, signing him could make sense.

Beyond that, Sweezy has a wealth of experience at guard, making 59 appearances and 49 starts during his NFL career. That veteran presence would be a welcome addition to the group of backups, as they have combined for just 11 starts during their careers (excluding Clemmings, who has 32 starts that have mostly come at the tackle position).

Finally, the fact is that Lauvao is likely a below average starter. And while Sweezy hasn’t proven to be much better, he could be added just to provide depth and compete with Lauvao. And if that doesn’t pay off, they can part with Sweezy, as they would likely sign him to a deal with very low guarantees.

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The Redskins don’t have to sign Sweezy. But bringing him in for a workout and doing their due diligence can’t hurt. He’s far from the Band-Aid that Washington needs at the position, but he could prove to be an upgrade over Lauvao. And at the very least, he could provide depth.

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