Redskins: Riggo’s Rag Mailbag: QB depth chart, preseason, and more

Bonus – Interior offensive line issues

There’s been a lot of commotion surrounding the Redskins’ left guard situation, and it’s easy to see why. There aren’t a lot of glaring holes on the team’s roster. Thus, the team’s lingering uncertainty on the interior of the offensive line stands out.

A lot.

Before training camp and preseason, any statement regarding the team’s left guard situation is full of subjectivity, but here’s my two cents:

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Shawn Lauvao is the starter. There’s a 99.5 percent chance he remains the starter all the way to Week 1 of the regular season. Health permitting, he won’t lose the job beyond that point.

I wasn’t a fan of the Redskins re-signing Lauvao, but when the news of Arie Kouandjio’s season-ending injury surfaced, the move made sense. Behind Lauvao, the Redskins have a number of unproven players, and little else. Tony Bergstrom is the best of the bunch, but he may be viewed as the backup center first, and a spot-starter at left guard second. He filled in well when he needed to at center last year, and he’s likely the team’s backup plan to Chase Roullier, if Roullier were to go down with an injury.

Tyler Catalina and Kyle Kalis fall in behind him. Both have decent traits, but until proven otherwise, both are undrafted free agents with some catching up to do. Catalina was afforded starting experience with the Redskins last year, and while he had his good moments, particularly as a run blocker, he looked exactly as an undrafted offensive lineman would be expected to look: Flustered and ill-prepared for the NFL stage.

That’s not a slight to Catalina. Kalis’ rookie season went a similar way with the Colts. Both players can make a leap this offseason, but until there’s concrete information on either’s evolution, neither should pose a threat to Lauvao’s job security.

Personally, I think we make too much out of the Redskins’ left guard situation. It would have been nice to add a higher-caliber guard this offseason. Looking back, I would have swapped out the Troy Apke pick for an offensive lineman. But that’s in the past. The stage is set. There are options on the free agent market at left guard, but you could say the same about free agent kickers, and it wouldn’t mean anything more. No one brought in via free agency is going to provide more security than Lauvao, and many would provide less.

The Redskins could opt to fish around the trade market, but such an aggressive move would be considered unlikely at this stage, while the rosters are taking shape, and anyone available in a trade, at this point, might have just as many question marks as Shawn Lauvao. Joshua Garnett in San Francisco comes to mind as an example. He lost the starting job to Laken Tomlinson, another former early-round bust. If the 49ers were willing, the Redskins could find a way to make a deal, but there’s no guarantee he’d stay healthy and beat out Lauvao.

Lauvao is the Redskins starter, and whether we like it or not, they’re comfortable with him. He’s likely to have a rapport with the rest of the line, which will have three of their four Week 1 starters returning from last season. That familiarity gives him an edge, and many options on the free agent market have the same problems that Lauvao is known for: They’re aging, they have injury concerns, and they’re inconsistent.

It’s nice to think about how we might be able to improve, but right now, it looks like there won’t be any change. Maybe preseason cuts will bring someone else onto the market. But to say they’d automatically take Lauvao’s job is a bit premature. Lauvao is a favorite of Bill Callahan’s. Perhaps there’s a reason for that.

Yes, Lauvao is a below-average starter. When healthy, he’s a decent run blocker. Lately, his good health has been a lot to ask for. But the Redskins don’t have many other options. They put themselves in this situation. They seem ready to roll with it. “Complicit” might be a better word.

Next: Projecting the Redskins' starters ahead of training camp

Thanks to all who participated in the latest Riggo’s Rag Mailbag! If you have any possible questions for our next one, feel free to ask, as well as express your thoughts on this week’s questions, in the comments section below!