Trent Williams has reportedly asked the Redskins to be traded or released. If true, here’s a look at a few teams that could trade him.
The Washington Redskins are facing a conundrum at the tackle position. They already have very little depth on the offensive line, but now, they may lose arguably their best player on the unit.
Left tackle Trent Williams is holding out from Redskins minicamp. While it initially appeared that Williams was just looking for a raise, he has reportedly asked the Redskins to be traded or released from his contract as a result of how the team dealt with a medical issue he had this offseason. Of course, it’s just a rumor for the moment, but it could have a massive impact on the team if Williams refuses to play for them.
If the situation with Williams is untenable, the Redskins are going to have a decision to make. They will need to pull the trigger on a trade for him even despite the complete lack of depth they have at tackle. Luckily for Washington, there are a handful of contenders that could use some help at tackle and despite Williams’ age (31 in July), they may be able to squeeze a Day 2 pick out of one.
With that said, here’s a look at a few teams that could realistically try to trade for Williams. All salary cap numbers used in this piece come from OverTheCap.com.
3. Minnesota Vikings
After making Kirk Cousins the highest paid quarterback in the NFL over the course of three years, the Vikings are certainly in win-now mode. But after missing the playoffs last year, they had to focus on fixing one of their biggest issues.
In 2018, the Vikings’ offensive line was not good at all. They added Josh Kline to play right guard and Garrett Bradbury at center while shifting Pat Elflein to guard. They also drafted Dru Samia in the fourth round to provide depth at guard. In theory, that should fix the interior line.
However, the tackle play is still suspect. Riley Reiff has proven to be a decent left tackle, but he could be better on the right side. And that would give the team more time to develop the raw but athletic Brian O’Neill in the swing tackle position.
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Williams would come in for Minnesota and be the starter at left tackle right away. The line would almost certainly be solidified by that move. And reuniting Cousins with his long-time blindside protector might be a good move for the offense as well, as Williams could help to bring out the best in Cousins.
While Williams makes sense as a target for the Vikings, they would certainly have trouble bringing him onto the roster. The team has only $1.1 million in cap space, so they would have to part with some other players to make up the room needed to get Williams. They could try to trade CB Trae Waynes or TE Kyle Rudolph while looking to part with a guy like reserve tackle Rashod Hill (due an unguaranteed $2.025 million in 2019).
Still, it might be difficult for the Vikings to pull this off which is why they come in at No. 3 on this list.
2. Cleveland Browns
John Dorsey has made some big trades during his time with the Browns and most recently, he pulled off a move to get Odell Beckham Jr. However, despite his shrewd maneuvering, the Browns do have a slight weakness on the offensive line.
In the Beckham trade, the Browns got rid of Kevin Zeitler, one of the best interior linemen in the league. His replacement, Austin Corbett, is an unproven former second-round pick. This wouldn’t be as much of a problem if the Browns weren’t already merely decent at best at the tackle position.
Left tackle Greg Robinson and right tackle Chris Hubbard have been fine for the Browns. Robinson only allowed one sack last year in eight starts, but he gave up 10 penalties. Meanwhile, Hubbard allowed six sacks but committed just three penalties. Again, both are serviceable, but Williams would be an upgrade.
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Williams is coming off a down year in which he posted a sack and 12 penalties in 13 starts. However, he blocked better than Robinson, dealt with a knee injury, and gave up 7-of-13 penalties when Mark Sanchez and Josh Johnson were starting at quarterback. The unfamiliarity with the signal callers there could have had an impact. Williams would be an upgrade over Robinson as the starting left tackle and push Robinson into the swing role, which would be an upgrade for the Browns.
That also would give the team three solid tackles, and that’s something that they are lacking in wake of waiving promising former undrafted free agent, Desmond Harrison (for more on Harrison, check out why the Redskins could target him on the waiver wire).
The Browns would have no trouble bringing Williams onto their roster. They have $32 million in cap space and Dorsey has shown a tendency for being aggressive in trades. If Dorsey thinks Williams is an upgrade over Robinson, he will probably pull the trigger.
1. Houston Texans
This is the biggest no-brainer on this list. The Texans have had horrible offensive line play for the last few years. Since they traded left tackle Duane Brown to the Seattle Seahawks, they have had immense trouble blocking for their passers. In fact, last season, Deshaun Watson got sacked 62 times. Houston can’t let that happen again.
Considering that Watson was reportedly dealing with a partially collapsed lung last season and was coming off an ACL tear from the previous year, the Texans can’t afford to let him get hit a lot. However, in the 2019 NFL Draft, they whiffed on the top tackle candidates that they were targeting, and they were crushed when the Eagles moved in front of them to select Andre Dillard.
Houston did take Tytus Howard in the first round and Max Scharping in Round 2, but Howard was considered a reach and is raw for the next level. Why they didn’t take Jawaan Taylor, a potential top-15 pick who fell due to minor knee concerns, was a major talking point. If they want to give their new prospects time to develop, trading for Williams would make sense.
Williams would lock down the left tackle position for the Texans for the next couple of seasons. Sure, he hasn’t played a full 16-game slate since 2013, but even if Houston got half a season out of Williams, it could make a massive difference. Last year’s left tackle, Julie’n Davenport, allowed four sacks but committed a whopping 15 penalties. Needless to say, Williams would be a massive upgrade over him and would give Davenport, Howard, and Scharping a chance to develop.
If Bill O’Brien and the Houston Texans want a chance to make the playoffs and win a game, something they couldn’t do last year, making this type of move would be sensible. And given that they have over $40 million cap space, they could almost certainly find a way to make this work.