Report: Redskins having trade discussions involving Trent Williams
According to a report, the Redskins are having trade discussions involving Trent Williams.
The Redskins have been addressing the offensive line in recent days to bolster the unit. Since last Friday, the team has added Donald Penn, Corey Robinson, and Hugh Thornton to the unit while parting ways with Tyler Catalina and Casey Dunn. This makes a lot of sense given that Trent Williams has been holding out of Redskins camp.
With Williams out, the team had been forced to use Ereck Flowers and Geron Christian (who was limited to start camp) as their primary left tackles. Thus came the decision to add Penn, an experienced left tackle with 174 career starts.
However, it appears that adding Penn may not have just been a temporary move or one to address depth. According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the Redskins are having trade discussions centered on Williams. Here’s what Howe said about the rumor on Twitter.
The Redskins are having trade discussions regarding tackle Trent Williams, according to a source. Unclear what type of compensation they'd require in a trade. There's a feeling around the league the Patriots would be involved due to depth issues at the position.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) July 31, 2019
Given that there have been reports that Williams won’t play for the Redskins moving forward, this makes sense. While the Redskins could really use Williams’ presence at left tackle — he is, arguably, the best at the position in the league — he may not want to play for them anymore.
And even if he does return, does a 31-year-old who has missed 13 games over the last three season while dealing with knee injuries fit their timeline? The answer to that is twofold. Yes, Williams could improve their blocking and protection which will be crucial as the team looks to develop Dwayne Haskins. But also, no. The team isn’t likely to be a contender while Williams is in his prime. So, offloading him for future assets could be sensible.
It’s worth noting that trading Williams couldn’t have been a consideration before signing Penn. The former Oakland Raider is a perfect stopgap option to get the team through the season while they gauge the development of Christian. And if they deem Christian can’t be a starter or is better served as a swing tackle, they can invest draft capital in a long-term solution during the 2020 NFL Draft, which appears to be loaded at the offensive tackle position.
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We’ll see if anything comes of this rumor. This could just be the Redskins doing their due diligence in case Williams truly won’t play for the squad. But at this point in time, it is at least possible that the team could move him. We’ll see if anything changes in the coming days.