Redskins should keep an eye on Ravens guard Alex Lewis amid reported release

The Baltimore Ravens are reportedly parting ways with offensive guard Alex Lewis. If that’s the case, the Redskins should show some interest in him.

The Washington Redskins have long had issues at the left guard position. For the past five seasons, Shawn Lauvao has served as their Week 1 starter while dealing with quite a few injury issues. The team finally decided to move on from him this offseason and has added a couple of candidates to replace him.

First, the team signed former Giants and Jaguars offensive tackle, Ereck Flowers, in free agency. The plan for the squad was to move him to the guard position and try to get the most out of his athletic ability there. The team followed up that signing by adding Indiana’s Wes Martin in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Martin is a big, mauling guard who should eventually have a chance to emerge as a starter if the Flowers experiment doesn’t work.

However, despite the two additions, the team is still looking for depth. They signed former Colts third-round pick Hugh Thornton late last week despite the fact that he hasn’t played an NFL snap since 2015. The team could use some experienced depth just to ensure that they have options if they encounter any issues in the preseason.

That’s why targeting Ravens guard Alex Lewis might make sense. The Ravens are reportedly going to move on from Lewis. The only question is about how that will happen. As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport outlined, the team could choose to release him or trade him if there is enough interest on the open market.

Trading for Lewis may not be the best move for the Redskins unless they can offload a player that they’re unlikely to use or a conditional seventh-round pick. But if he’s released, he’s the type of high-upside candidate that could provide solid depth and starting experience at guard.

Lewis was drafted in 2016 by the Ravens and quickly became the starter at left guard. As a rookie, he saw action in 10 games, eight starts, and was generally solid. However, late in the season, he suffered an ankle injury, and that was the start of his injury issues at the next level.

Lewis would miss the entire 2017 campaign with a shoulder injury before missing time with a neck injury in 2018. All told, he has played just 20 of a possible 48 games during his first three NFL seasons. Still, when on the field, Lewis has proven to be a decent starter and should be, at the very least, high-quality depth.

There is inherent risk in adding an injury-prone player to any roster. And given the Redskins’ injury situation in the past couple of seasons, it would certainly be a risk for them. But Lewis’ upside could outweigh the negatives. If the Redskins can get him on the cheap, either for a minimum contract if released or a conditional seventh-rounder in a trade, taking a chance on him may be worth it. After all, he is still just 27 years old, so he has time to improve.

If Lewis can stay healthy, the 6-foot-6, 315-pounder would provide the Redskins with needed experience at guard. He could help challenge Flowers and Martin as starters and could be a top backup on the bench if he can’t win the starting job. If the team was willing to add Thornton to the roster, adding Lewis would also be a sensible addition. We’ll see if they try to make a move on him or if they’re happy with the talent they have at the position.

UPDATE (2:55 p.m.): According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, Lewis is being traded to the Jets for a conditional seventh-round pick. So, Lewis is no longer available.