Redskins Training Camp Profile: C Chase Roullier

Jacob Camenker

GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 09: Center Chase Roullier #73 and offensive guard Shawn Lauvao #77 of the Washington Redskins during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Redskins defeated the Cardinals 24-6. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Chase Roullier stepped up last season for the Washington Redskins. Now, he will look to continue to grow during 2019 training camp.

During the 2017 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins needed to add a center. They had issues at the position with Kory Lichtensteiger regressing and Spencer Long being viewed as more of a backup/left guard option. And in the draft, the team selected one.

In the sixth round, the Redskins took a chance on a little-known prospect from the University of Wyoming. That was Chase Roullier.

Roullier was viewed as a late-round prospect because of his lack of length, but his strength was solid. He needed to refine his technique, but the more people learned about Roullier, the more they seemed to like him.

After playing just under half the team’s snaps as a rookie, Roullier was able to take over as the starter last year. And in that role, he was solid. Now entering his second year as the full-time starter, Roullier is looking to keep improving to ensure that he can hold onto the job long-term.

Here’s an in-depth look at Roullier’s goals and outlook heading into training camp, where he will look to continue to prove himself.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – NOVEMBER 19: Samaje Perine #32 of the Washington Redskins celebrates with Chase Roullier #73 of the Washington Redskins after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 19, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Roullier’s 2018 season

Last season, Roullier was one of the big wild card’s on the Redskins defensive line. The team had let their starting center from the previous year, Spencer Long, walk in free agency to clear the way for Roullier. While Roullier had taken over for the injured Long midway through his rookie season, it was important that he would make the leap in 2018 and help to solidify the middle of the offensive line.

And Roullier was able to do just that.

Roullier was the lone player on the Redskins last season to play 100 percent of the offensive snaps, seeing action in all 1,020 during the season. When on the field, he was a solid blocker and was able to improve his game. All told, he emerged as a fairly well-rounded blocker.

In all of his action, Roullier allowed just one sack and committed five penalties and graded out as the 17th best center in the league and 14th best pass blocker, per Pro Football Focus. It would be nice if he could clean up the penalties a bit, but it is worth noting that three of them came in Weeks 14 and 15 when Josh Johnson took over as the starting quarterback after being on the street for most of the season. So, if the team can find more stability at quarterback, maybe Roullier’s play will continue to improve.

Roullier is coming off a strong season, but he’ll need to continue to prove himself at training camp in order to continue his upward trajectory at the NFL level.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – OCTOBER 28: Adrian Peterson #26 of the Washington Redskins celebrates his touchdown in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants with teammate Chase Roullier #73 on October 28,2018 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

What Roullier must show at training camp

Roullier’s main job at training camp will be to show growth. He performed well in his first full season as a starter and the last thing he’ll want to do is plateau.

Roullier had some nice moments as a run blocker last year, including sealing the way for Adrian Peterson’s 90-yard touchdown run, but he could still stand to be a bit more physical and forceful to improve in this area and make up for his lacking length. Part of this will involve getting a bit quicker off the snap to generate more momentum, as he already has a thick frame. That will be his best chance of improving in this area.

Roullier also could benefit a bit more from having some top-notch help from the return of Brandon Scherff. With Scherff’s strong blocking on his right, that may give him a bit more leeway, so that will give him a chance to react quicker and not have to worry as much about having replacement-level players on both sides of him.

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The biggest area Roullier will want to try to clean up some of his penalties. As previously mentioned, those issues could have partially been due to working with a brand new quarterback for a couple of weeks, but the potential remains for there to be some switches at quarterback in 2019. Dwayne Haskins, Case Keenum, and Colt McCoy could all see action at some point, so Roullier will need to be ready to have chemistry with them to avoid committing penalties.

In training camp, Roullier should work hard to develop chemistry with each passer and ensure that no matter who is under center, he will be comfortable. If he can do that, and avoid false starts or going downfield too soon before a pass is thrown, it will help the offense to generate more positive momentum and avoid negative plays.

These tasks shouldn’t be too hard for Roullier to achieve and if he keeps putting in the work, he should be in good shape. And, the good news for Roullier is that he seems to have a stranglehold on the starting job, as the main competition at the center position figures to be for the backup spot.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 28: Offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher of Alabama speaks to the media during day one of interviews at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Roullier’s main competition

Roullier isn’t going to have competition for the starting center position. At this point in time, it would be a major surprise if anyone dethroned him from that.

That said, there will be a solid competition behind Roullier for the right to be his top backup. And at the moment, there a few options that the team could choose.

One is Ross Pierschbacher. The fifth-round rookie from Alabama is an experienced, versatile offensive lineman with excellent intelligence. He could end up emerging as the top backup and could be ready in case Roullier needs to take a snap or two off, even though that didn’t happen at all last season.

2019 outlook for Roullier

Roullier’s outlook is certainly rosy after last season. He looks like a potential iron-man who can hold the fort at one of the most important positions on the offensive side of the ball.

That said, it will be important for Roullier to show growth. He has the potential to be a bit better and if he can continue to grow and develop, he could soon develop into one of the steadier centers in the league. But conversely, if he takes a step back, the ‘Skins will have to reconsider whether or not he is, in fact, the long-term answer for them.

The Redskins would appreciate it if Roullier can just prove to be rock solid and reliable. Prior to last year, the team had dealt with some issues at center and given the injury issues that have surrounded their team particularly in each of the last two years, having Roullier available and playing at a high level would be fantastic. But even if he can prove to just be steady, they should be happy.

If Roullier can play like he did last year or even better, it will prove that the soon-to-be 26-year-old is a long-term building block for the Washington offensive line. It will certainly be interesting to see if he can maintain that level of play and if he can take the next step in his development.

Jacob Camenker