Redskins sign interior offensive lineman Hugh Thornton to roster

The Redskins are making some roster moves in the second week of training camp action.

Earlier this morning, it was reported that the Washington Redskins had waived reserve interior offensive lineman Tyler Catalina. Catalina was entering his third year with the franchise, and was on the outside looking in with Wes Martin and Ross Pierschbacher now on the active roster.

That said, while the Redskins had players ahead of Catalina on the 2019 depth chart, they still felt the need to supplement the interior with another player, in the wake of Catalina’s release. Thus, in a coinciding move with the waiving of Catalina, the Redskins have signed interior lineman Hugh Thornton to a deal, per Brian McNally of NBC Sports Washington. The Redskins hosted Thornton on a visit yesterday, and now, he’s inked for 2019.

Thornton is an intriguing player for Washington at this stage. A third-round pick for the Indianapolis Colts in the 2013 NFL Draft (a selection made by the infamous Ryan Grigson), Thornton played at both left and right guard for the Colts, starting 32 out of 37 games played from 2013 to 2015. Pro Football Focus’ stats indicate that he was a decent run blocker, and a below-average pass blocker.

Thornton spent the last year of his rookie contract on injured reserve, and in 2017, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons. Shortly after, however, Thornton retired from the NFL due to nagging ankle injuries. In 2019, however, he rescinded his retirement temporarily to suit up for the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football. After that league folded, he became a free agent again, and now, he has a home, for the time being.

Thornton doesn’t have a particularly impressive athletic profile, and in his time with the Colts, while he did start over 30 games, he was primarily an average to below-average starter in his time there. The good thing for Thornton? He’s now healthy, just 28 years old, and he won’t necessarily be asked to start for Washington. He provides valuable experience and versatile guard depth, if nothing else.