Redskins sign former Jaguars and Giants tackle Ereck Flowers
By Ian Cummings
The Redskins have made an addition to their offensive line.
Over the weekend, reports surfaced that the Washington Redskins were interested in signing former Jaguars and Giants offensive tackle Ereck Flowers. The team hosted the former first-round pick on a visit, but until now, there were no updates pertaining to his status.
Now, it appears as if the Redskins have made a decision. Per Redskins ESPN reporter John Keim, Washington has agreed to terms with Flowers. The deal is a one-year deal worth up to $4 million.
The Redskins have signed Ereck Flowers per source.
— John Keim (@john_keim) March 18, 2019
The addition of Flowers, at the very least, brings depth. It’s a low-risk signing, but there’s no guarantee the reward is any greater than the presumptive risk.
Flowers, still yet to turn 25 years old, was drafted No. 9 overall by the New York Giants in the 2015 NFL Draft. He did little more than flirt with the team’s starting tackle job, and midway through the 2018 season, he was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars. There, he rounded out the season as an average to below-average starter at left tackle. Now, he’s back in the NFC East.
Flowers, with a looming 6-foot-6, 330-pound frame, could be a candidate to replace Ty Nsekhe as the team’s swing tackle and emergency guard, but the two players are very far apart, in terms of quality. Nsekhe is heading to Buffalo at the age of 34 to take a starting job. Flowers comes to D.C. as a reject, hoping to resurrect his ill-fated career.
Can Bill Callahan develop Flowers into a respectable player? For now, the Redskins will work to answer that question. Flowers has the size, and he’s strong, but he’s undergone very little development in four years. A move to guard can’t be ruled out, but moving a below-average player to a different position, in hopes that he performs better, is far from a solid strategy.
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Expect the Redskins to weigh their options, pertaining to Flowers’ future. While they deliberate, Flowers is on the roster for, at the very least, the offseason of 2019. Whether he lasts beyond that remains to be seen.