Shawn Lauvao was supposed to leave the Washington Redskins during the 2018 offseason. That didn’t happen and now he is in town for another training camp.
He’s back.
Those are two words that many Redskins fans didn’t want to hear about Shawn Lauvao. After four years of seeing the Arizona State product put up below-average play at the left guard position, the Washington faithful wanted a literal changing of the guard. Lauvao was a free agent, and they wanted to see a new player be given a chance to fill in the weak spot on the offensive line.
Well, that never happened. The Redskins elected not to draft a guard in the 2018 NFL Draft, and they ended up bringing back Lauvao on a one-year deal shortly after that. It wasn’t an inspiring move at all, but the sad truth is that Lauvao was a slight upgrade over what the team already had at the position.
The outlook at left guard is momentarily bleak, but things can change rapidly in the NFL. And training camp is where many of those new-season storylines will start to rear their heads. Here’s Lauvao’s outlook for training camp.
Lauvao’s 2017 season
For the season time in his four-year Redskins career, Lauvao missed a lot of time with an injury. The 2017 season saw Lauvao fare poorly as a starter before hitting the Injured Reserve due to a neck injury. He suffered a stinger against the Cowboys and missed the final seven games of the season.
When on the field, Lauvao was his typical self. He was fine in the run game but struggled in pass protection. Lauvao does have a bit of athletic upside, but at 31, time seems to have run out for him regarding his potential.
What Lauvao must show at training camp
Lauvao returned to the Redskins to bring a veteran presence at the guard position. He wasn’t the most inspiring option the Redskins could have added, but his experience was something that the team didn’t have elsewhere on the line.
At camp, Lauvao has to show that this experience matters in the battle for the starting guard spot on the offensive line. The Redskins have a lot of candidates who could take over for him if they show any glimmer of upside. Lauvao needs to prove steady enough that the Redskins won’t want to try a rookie or second-year player at the position.
Additionally, Lauvao has to back up some comments that offensive line coach Bill Callahan recently made about him. Here’s what Callahan said when asked about Lauvao’s skill set, per Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post.
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"It’s not what I like [about him], it’s [what] I love. I love him. He’s a warrior, he’s a veteran. He’s well prepared. More than that, in the room, in the locker room, in the weight room, you watch him practice and he’s a very contentious pro. He’s a pro’s pro. He’s a consummate pro in that respect. He does everything you want him to do. He works hard. He studies. He knows the game. He can teach the young guys. We really benefited from him coming back."
This is strong praise from one of the better offensive line coaches in the NFL. Perhaps if Lauvao is healthy, he can turn into a solid starter with Callahan’s tutelage. But still, it would definitely help Lauvao to continue to show these other intangibles, leadership, mentorship, and professionalism, in order to guarantee that he sticks around as one of the leaders on the offensive line.
Showing functional ability and leadership might be important, but it still might not be enough to guarantee Lauvao a spot on the roster.
Lauvao’s main competition
The battle for the final starting position on the offensive line looks like it’s going to be a free for all. While it seems probable that Lauvao will end up being the starter, anything can change at a moment’s notice in training camp.
The options aren’t too inspiring behind Lauvao for the left guard position. In terms of true interior offensive linemen, the top names are as follows: Tony Bergstrom, Kyle Kalis, Casey Dunn, and Tyler Catalina (though he can play tackle a bit too). The first option is a journeyman who ended up with the Redskins due to a boatload of injuries at the center position. The other three are all young and inexperienced, but Kalis and Catalina both had major troubles when in the lineup last year for the Colts and Redskins respectively. Perhaps with another offseason of work for the duo, they will improve.
Dunn is a favorite of mine, and there’s a chance that the undrafted man from Auburn could sneak onto the final roster as a backup center. But, starting him at guard would be a major stretch, and he is going to need to put on some weight before he can be an effective option at the NFL level.
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The place where the Redskins can find a potential replacement for Lauvao is at offensive tackle. And no, I’m not one of the “move Trent Williams inside and play Ty Nsekhe at guard” people. But, getting Nsekhe into the starting lineup would make sense, as he is arguably the fifth-best offensive lineman on the Redskins. He has a 6-foot-8 frame that is better suited to play outside, but he could probably get by as an interior starter if needed. Still, he seems more likely to stay at swing tackle.
The other options to convert are rookie Geron Christian and third-year man T.J. Clemmings. I really like the idea of moving Clemmings to guard, considering the issues he has had at tackle during his career, so that is something to watch in camp. If Clemmings does move and can figure out the new position quickly, Lauvao could find himself facing tough competition.
As for Christian, he needs time to develop and is probably a future swing tackle. Playing him at guard wouldn’t make sense unless he shows very good ability during training camp.
With as many as seven legitimate candidates available to take his job, Lauvao has to be motivated to succeed. If any player gives the coaching staff more confidence than Lauvao, he could be moved to bench duty or cut before the start of the season. That said, he still is at the top of the pecking order, at least for now.
2018 outlook for Lauvao
Lauvao’s spot on the roster isn’t guaranteed, but for now, he still looks like the starter. He has the widest range of any player on the roster, as he could turn into an average starter or he could be borderline unplayable. We just don’t know at the moment.
Given Lavuao’s spotty injury history (23 missed games since joining the Redskins) and lack of production, the Redskins have to hope that someone will step up and replace him. Though the team had a solid draft class, they made a mistake by not adding a guard to the mix to compete. And for that reason, left guard remains a weakness for the squad.
Callahan’s love letter to Lauvao is nice, but it doesn’t do enough to inspire any confidence in him. Since coming to Washington, he hasn’t been worth what they have paid him for, and he hasn’t been a good starter either. He could surprise everyone and change that, but it just seems very unlikely at this point.
Next: Jonathan Allen training camp profile
Lauvao is getting his last chance with the Redskins. He has to prove that he belongs. Keep a close eye on him in training camp, as he is the top projected starter that seems to be in danger of losing his job.