Left guard has long been a weakness for the Washington Redskins. Can Wes Martin fix that?
The Washington Redskins have had a pretty strong offensive line over the course of the past few seasons. However, there has been one problem spot that has never been fixed. And that was the left guard position.
Shawn Lauvao was the primary starter at the position for the Redskins in each of the past five years. During the 2017 and 2018 offseasons, there was an echo from ‘Skins fans surrounding Lauvao. “It’s time to replace him”; “Guard is a big need”; “They could draft a guard early and cut Lauvao”. However, it never happened. And the team even re-signed him after the 2018 NFL Draft when they failed to find a replacement for him.
But now, Lauvao is officially gone after an injury-plagued and below-average half-decade in Washington. Now, the team will finally replace him and they did draft an option who could do that, Indiana’s Wes Martin.
Martin comes to the Redskins as a fourth-round pick, and he will have a chance to make an impact on the team. He’s going to be involved in one of the team’s key position battles, and his chance to get ahead in that will begin in training camp. Here’s an in-depth look at everything Martin is looking to prove in that time.
Martin’s 2018 season
In 2018, Martin continued to fly under the radar at Indiana. He finished up his third year as a starter at guard and generally played well, blasting open running lanes for the Hoosiers. And after finishing up his career at Indiana, he declared for the draft.
In college, Martin mostly played left guard, starting 30 games at the position while playing 13 games at left tackle as a sophomore. Early on, Indiana realized that his better fit was at guard, so that gives him a lot of seasoning that should ready him for the next level.
Still, Martin was unheralded during the draft process, but he showed well at his pro day and threw up a whopping 38 reps on the bench press as he continued to demonstrate his strength and compact build. Despite this, he only earned a Round 5-6 grade from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, who gave this analysis of Martin.
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"Three-year starter and two-time team captain who combines brains and brawn at his left guard spot. Like most Indiana blockers, he’s well-schooled and ahead of the game from a technique standpoint. He has functional athleticism but is better suited firing out that pulling or playing in space. He has NFL strength, but he plays with a lack of kneed bend that can limit his ability to anchor in both run and pass blocking. Martin offers plus value on Day 3 as a good backup with eventual starter’s potential."
Ironically, Zierlein compared Martin to Shawn Lauvao, who he will likely be replacing with the Redskins. But the differences between the two in terms of age, strength, and injury history is certainly wide, but the comparison to Lauvao is likely based on the early stages of the guard’s career and his playing style.
And despite Zierlein’s grade, the ‘Skins took a chance on Martin in the fourth round, so obviously, they like what he can bring to the team. They’ll be looking for him to step up, and his first chance to do so will come in training camp.
What Martin must show at training camp
Martin has a few things that he needs to show at training camp. First of all, he has to demonstrate his main strength which is his functional strength.
At Indiana, Martin proved to be able to repeatedly stonewall his opponents at the line of scrimmage. He was strong against the run and the 6-foot-3, 311-pound man should have similar success at the next level.
Martin also has a gritty style and toughness to him that is evident when watching him on film. If he can prove to be a mauler in training camp and the preseason, that should do a lot to help him earn a shot at the starting job.
While Martin’s run blocking has been better than his pass protection, that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t been solid in that aspect. Still, he’ll need to show that he can hold up and anchor better against strong opponents and ensure that he doesn’t frequently get beaten by speed on the interior. The former will be easier for him to accomplish because of his stout frame.
The other aspect of his game that will be important to showcase is his intelligence. Martin is a heady player with plenty of starting experience in college, so if he can show a strong understanding of the position, that could give him an upper hand in the left guard battle.
The other players competing for the left guard spot have mostly converted from other positions or are more natural fits at center. Let’s take a look at them.
Martin’s main competition
The good news for Martin is that the guard position has long been a weakness for the Redskins. So, there are only a few options on the roster that could make a push to unseat him.
At the moment, the biggest challenger appears to be Ereck Flowers. The free-agent signing has been a poor left tackle during his NFL days, but the Redskins signed him with the notion of moving him to guard. He has had to operate at tackle during minicamp due to a dearth of options at tackle, but the ultimate plan is to have him move inside.
Flowers is big and athletic and if he can put everything together while not having to worry about his technique on the edge, that could turn him into a quality player. Bill Callahan clearly saw something that he liked in him and at the moment, Flowers appears to be Martin’s biggest competition. That said, switching positions isn’t always easy, so Flowers isn’t a sure bet.
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Elsewhere, the team did bring in another rookie offensive lineman in the fifth round in Ross Pierschbacher. The Alabama product comes with a boatload of experience and if he proves to be technically sound and steady, he could challenge Martin as well. Pierschbacher looks more like a top interior backup, but he can’t be counted out.
The Redskins have a few other veterans on the roster as well who could get reps at the position. Notably, Casey Dunn and Tony Bergstrom may be players that get to prove themselves, and the two were decent backups last season. Still, they figure to be depth options for the squad and shouldn’t really push Martin for the starting job.
Martin’s path seems pretty clear at the moment. Barring a surprise resurgence from Flowers, he figures to be the day one starter at guard. And thanks to his big body and mauling style, he could fit in well right away and help patch what had previously been one of the team’s biggest weaknesses.
2019 outlook for Martin
Martin was not a well-known pick at the time he was drafted in the fourth round by Washington. But there’s a chance that he could be one of their most impactful additions. Left guard has long been a problem spot for the team, and Martin could plug the hole.
There will be some competition for Martin, especially from Flowers, as the team looks to get him opportunities to play on the interior. However, until Trent Williams returns, Flowers may be forced to move between tackle and guard. And that could give Martin a chance to get a leg up in the guard battle.
If Martin can win the starting job as a fourth-round rookie, that would be a major win for him. He is expected to come in and compete for the job and if he can win it, he could have a chance to outplay his draft stock early in his career. And either way, it seems that he will be a much-needed upgrade for the Redskins as a starter or as top-caliber interior depth.
We’ll soon get a chance to see what Martin can do on the field. And if he can play the guard position well, that could turn the Redskins’ offensive line into a very solid starting unit with minimal weaknesses when healthy.