Redskins lose O-Linemen Jonathan Cooper, Tony Bergstrom to injury

The Washington Redskins have been snake-bitten by injuries this year. That continued when they lost Jonathan Cooper and Tony Bergstrom to injuries.

It’s unbelievable just how bad the Redskins’ luck has been with injuries the past two seasons. While the team had bad issues all across the squad last year, the maladies this year have taken more of a targeted approach. And as a result, the team is on their third-string starter at quarterback, and it seems that they will be reaching the same level with their guard positions.

Against the Eagles on Monday night, the Redskins lost Jonathan Cooper and Tony Bergstrom to injuries. Initial reports indicate that Cooper, the starting left guard, suffered a torn bicep tendon last week. If that is true, as all indications are pointing to, he will be out for the season.

Meanwhile, Tony Bergstrom, the starter at right guard and the team’s backup center, is dealing with a high-ankle sprain. According to ESPN’s John Keim, he will be out “a bit.” High ankle sprains usually keep guys out for a couple of weeks, so that doesn’t bode well for getting Bergstrom back in the immediate future.

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So, the question now becomes, what will the ‘Skins do at guard? They had already lost both Shawn Lauvao and Brandon Scherff to season-ending injuries, so they have no depth at the position. In fact, the only interior linemen left on the roster are starting center Spencer Roullier and backup guard Luke Bowanko.

One option for the Redskins will be to slide Ty Nsekhe inside to guard for the remainder of the season. Nsekhe has been much better on the left side of the line during his career so in an ideal scenario, he would play left guard with Bowanko at right guard. However, Nsekhe played on the right side in emergency detail against the Eagles, so it’s unclear exactly how that would work out. It’s also unclear if Washington will have him switch positions, especially given that Trent Williams and Morgan Moses have been dinged-up this year.

The other option for the team is to foray into the free agent market and try to scrounge up some candidates to help them block a bit as the season draws to an end. There isn’t much out there, but there are some guys with starting experience available. Perhaps a guy like Luke Joeckel could get some consideration. He hasn’t been good during his career, but he was a top-five pick and does have experience starting. Other than that though, the team will be dealing mostly with washed-up guys or young players that they have to take a chance on.

Internally, perhaps Casey Dunn would be an option to get some playing time. Dunn was on the active roster until these injuries struck. Since then, he has been on the practice squad. If the ‘Skins can’t find a good enough veteran, getting Dunn some seasoning wouldn’t hurt — unless they truly feel that he isn’t ready or strong enough yet to play in the NFL. That’s the big thing to watch there.

Next. Redskins sign former first-round pick Marcus Smith. dark

No matter what, these injuries with further deplete the team. Expect them to add some offensive linemen in the coming days. Once those players sign, we’ll be able to fully assess just how bad the situation is. But right now, the interior line is in dire straits.

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