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Redskins 53-man roster projection 1.0: Does Trent Williams’ holdout muddy the waters at tackle?

By Jacob Camenker

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 26: Trent Williams #71 of the Washington Redskins walks off the field at the end of the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles on December 26, 2015 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 26: Trent Williams #71 of the Washington Redskins walks off the field at the end of the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles on December 26, 2015 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 04: Trent Williams #71 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after beating the Philadelphia Eagles 23-20 at FedExField on October 4, 2015 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Evan Habeeb/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 04: Trent Williams #71 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after beating the Philadelphia Eagles 23-20 at FedExField on October 4, 2015 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Evan Habeeb/Getty Images) /

Offensive Tackles (4)

Trent Williams, Morgan Moses, Timon Parris, and Ereck Flowers

Obviously, Williams’ holdout could muddle things a bit here. But at the end of the day, I imagine that one of two things will happen.

The first option is that the Redskins could choose to give him a slight rise to ensure he’s back on the field ahead of training camp. This would be smart for them given how much they need him to have the left side of the offensive line hold up.

The other option would be to wait it out and see if he returns. Odds are that Williams won’t want to miss out on game checks, so he would likely return before the start of the season. That can’t be counted on, but I still have faith that one way or another, Williams will be on the field.

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Meanwhile, the only other roster notes here are who the backups will be. Moses is firmly entrenched as a starter, but behind him, there are questions. Geron Christian figures to be the swing tackle, but he is still recovering from a torn MCL he suffered last year. If he can’t get back up to speed to start the season, he may begin the year on the PUP list. So like Bryce Love, he wouldn’t take up a spot on the 53-man roster until he is ready to return.

Beyond Christian, there are (likely) three tackles that are fighting for one or two spots. Right now, I think that Ereck Flowers and Timon Parris have the edge over Tyler Catalina for the position. Parris has great size and upside, so if he shows improvement, he could be a great option as the fourth tackle.

Flowers has been awful during the spring and didn’t look good in minicamp, so keeping him may seem odd. However, the team is also looking to move him inside to guard. If he can learn the new position and show versatility, he may have a better chance to make the squad than many think. He has been a human turnstile at tackle, but he is the most experienced option on the roster. But if Christian is healthy enough to start the season, I would wager that Flowers won’t make the team. So, hopefully, Christian gets well soon.

The Redskins could certainly look to add depth at tackle as well. They were one of two teams that put in a waiver claim for Desmond Harrison after the Browns waived him and have been cycling through other back-end roster candidates. Don’t be surprised if they aren’t happy with the group and try to add a veteran via free agency or trade for one if a player becomes available.

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