The Redskins have manufactured a situation where they need to take a risk on somebody at the tackle position.
“Hey Ian, why are you guys only writing about offensive tackles today, kind of like when you used an entire day for Trey Quinn last year?”
First off, Trey Quinn deserves a day for himself. And second off, I don’t know what you’re talking about. But while we’re on the topic, let’s talk about the battle for the Washington Redskins fourth tackle spot; an epic standoff that’s been brewing for decades.
Okay, it’s not quite as epic as I made it sound. But it is important, for a team with an uncertain offensive tackle situation, to have depth at that position. And the Redskins’ depth is very unproven.
Behind Trent Williams, the 31-year old whose hold out has received no updates, and Morgan Moses, the middle-of-the-road starter who led the league in penalties last year, the Redskins have Geron Christian and their choice of three project players: Timon Parris, Brian Wallace, and Blake Hance. Ereck Flowers could factor into the tackle situation, but the team reportedly wants to try him out at guard as well. And either way, he’s not good. Tyler Catalina, meanwhile, has college experience there, but he shouldn’t be counted on as tackle depth at this level.
There is opportunity for Parris, Wallace, and Hance to claim the final tackle spot, but they’ll need to build upon their best traits, and stand out from the pack. What does each reserve tackle bring to the table, and how can they rise to the occasion? Have a look.
Redskins OT Timon Parris
With all of these tackles, you’ll find that size is one of their immediately eye-catching traits. Timon Parris leads the pack with his size, as he stands at around 6-foot-6, 315, with arms ranging toward 34 inches in length.
A four-year starter at Stony Brook, Parris utilized his length well with the Sea Wolves, accumulating snaps at both left and right tackle. He showed good foot quickness for his size, and he’s a solid athlete at his position, offering good mobility and enhanced developmental potential at the NFL level.
That said, Parris can drastically improve with his hands, in terms of timing, placement, and strength, and stronger opponents will take advantage of his lack of balance. Like all young undrafted free agents, Parris is a project, but he has some enticing traits that could set him apart in this battle.
On top of his athleticism, Parris also has the experience edge over both Brian Wallace and Blake Hance. Granted, Parris only has one year of NFL experience, and he only played six snaps for the Redskins, all inline snaps in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans, per Pro Football Focus. But one full year in a team’s system, learning from the team’s offensive line coach and from their experienced veterans, is a lot more than zero years, and in 2019, Parris can use that foundation to cultivate separation in the race for the fourth tackle spot.
Redskins OT Brian Wallace
The Redskins seem to like size in their offensive tackles, and with good reason; it’s one of the things you can’t teach. While nuance, blocking angle awareness, and leverage are all traits with varying degrees of intangible foundation, size literally cannot be taught. And it’s one thing that makes Brian Wallace intriguing in this position battle.
Wallace, an undrafted free agent who played his college ball with the Arkansas Razorbacks of the SEC, measures out to around 6-foot-5, 326, and with 35.5-inch arms and a wingspan eclipsing seven feet, he has the length to force contact on opposing defensive linemen. He moves fairly well for his size, and with a year and a half of starting experience at right tackle, his cupboard isn’t entirely bare, but also offers exciting room for improvement.
That said, Wallace has some irreconcilable disadvantages to remedy before he can be considered a viable roster inclusion. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein highlighted Wallace’s lack of play strength at length in Wallace’s draft profile. Among other things, he said that Wallace’s punches “had no pop”, that Wallace’s wide hands “diminished power at the point of attack”, and that Wallace “doesn’t have enough feel for positioning as a blocker”.
Despite his size and length, Wallace isn’t yet the heavy-handed blocker who can eliminate opponents with his anchor. He has developmental upside, but if he didn’t have adequate play strength in college, it will be tough for him to close the gap as he now makes a leap to even stronger competition in the NFL. If Wallace’s raw traits do enough for him in training camp, he could convince the Redskins to keep him around a little longer. But he needs to strengthen his process, as well as his arms.
Redskins OT Blake Hance
The Redskins signed Blake Hance on June 3, after churning through names like Chidi Okeke, Adam Bisnowaty, and Jylan Ware. Hance will soon have lasted longer than all three of them combined, but whether he makes it past preseason is not entirely up to him.
Hance has some competition. We’ve talked about that. And he’s also an undrafted rookie, so he won’t have as much seasoning as a second-year player like Timon Parris. But luckily for Hance, his traits stack up well to combat that perception.
Hance’s best trait, in fact, might be his college experience. With the Northwestern Wildcats, he started 46 games at left tackle, and appeared in an additional four games as a left guard. At 6-foot-5, 310, he has good size for the tackle position, but he’s not very mobile, despite his background as a high school tight end. He earned lackluster marks at his pro day with his mobility, and logged 27 bench reps, encapsulating average to above-average strength for a lineman.
If Hance has accumulated enough skill and nuance in the process of starting 50 collegiate games, then perhaps his experience can win out against less process-oriented players. But he’ll need to get stronger, and show that his mobility issues won’t be a liability in the NFL, because he doesn’t quite have the strength to compensate.
Competition rankings for Redskins fourth OT spot
The competition rankings between these three players are prone to modulation in the coming weeks, but for now, Timon Parris looks to have a leg up on the competition. He has the college experience, the professional experience, the size, and the athleticism.
Parris’ profile checks the most boxes, compared to Wallace and Hance. Wallace lacks the polish and the play strength, while Hance has only average strength, and is lacking in terms of mobility and athleticism.
All three players will need to use training camp snaps to their advantage if they want to separate themselves as the player to keep for the Washington Redskins. Parris holds the top spot for now, but a lot can change in August.