Riggo's Rag
FanSided

Answering the biggest questions about Redskins potentially trading Trent Williams

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - JANUARY 10: Tight end Jordan Reed #86 of the Washington Redskins celebrates with teammate tackle Trent Williams #71 after scoring a second-quarter touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at FedExField on January 10, 2016 in Landover, Maryland.(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - JANUARY 10: Tight end Jordan Reed #86 of the Washington Redskins celebrates with teammate tackle Trent Williams #71 after scoring a second-quarter touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at FedExField on January 10, 2016 in Landover, Maryland.(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 11: Trent Williams #71 of the Washington Redskins reacts after Robert Alford #23 of the Atlanta Falcons returned an interception for a touchdown in their 25-19 loss at Georgia Dome on October 11, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 11: Trent Williams #71 of the Washington Redskins reacts after Robert Alford #23 of the Atlanta Falcons returned an interception for a touchdown in their 25-19 loss at Georgia Dome on October 11, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

What could the Redskins get for him?

So, let’s take a breath and contextualize things before we jump to conclusions. Williams is one of the best left tackles in the NFL — if not, the best — so he should fetch a solid return. However, there are some concerns with him that need to be monitored.

The first is that Williams has dealt with injuries over the course of the past few seasons. And last year, he dealt with a knee issue for a second consecutive season. That said, Williams has been able to play through the injury, so it appears to be a pain management issue. Still, he has missed 13 games over the course of the last three seasons, so the injury concerns are there.

Additionally, Williams is entering his age-31 season. While he still could have a handful of great years left in the tank, he is at the age where he could begin to fall off. This is especially worrisome when coupled with the injury issues, so that could drive down his price a bit.

More from Riggo's Rag

Okay, so those are the negatives. Now, the positives. Williams is still one of the better blocking left tackles in the league. When on the field, he has been a force for the Redskins and he should be able to succeed elsewhere. In a league where offensive line performance is key and developing younger players is difficult, Williams could represent the perfect veteran upgrade for an offensive line-needy contender.

The last time a franchise left tackle was traded came when the Houston Texans traded Dwayne Brown to the Seattle Seahawks. Brown isn’t quite as talented as Williams, but he is as solid as they come. Brown was sent to Seattle along with a fifth-round pick in exchange for second and third-round selections. Williams could fetch something similar as a high-end estimate. But, his medicals could come into play. Still, the team should get at least a Day 2 pick in exchange for Williams and likely, more.

Williams won’t quite fetch a first-round pick in a deal unless several teams got into a bidding war. But recouping the second-round pick the Redskins lost in the Montez Sweat trade would certainly be nice. Now, it’s just a matter of finding the right trade partner. That shouldn’t be too hard, given the number of teams that could use offensive line help.

Home/Commanders News