Redskins: Analyzing the official 2019 53-man roster

Offensive Line (9)

Donald Penn, Ereck Flowers, Chase Roullier, Brandon Scherff, Morgan Moses, Tony Bergstrom, Wes Martin, Ross Pierschbacher, Geron Christian

Believe it or not, there was a time, not so long ago, when the Redskins offensive line was good enough to mount a bid for a “Hogs 2.0” moniker.

Truth is, the Redskins modern offensive line never came close to matching the dominance of the Hogs, but the current unit is a far cry from even the team’s 2015 lineup. The right side is solid, with Chase Roullier, Brandon Scherff, and Morgan Moses holding down the fort. But on the left side, there is less certainty to be had.

Veteran left tackle Donald Penn underwent some growth from Week 3 to Week 4 in preseason, and there’s reason to believe he could be a serviceable option in time. But he doesn’t have the quickness or the athleticism to recover the way Trent Williams could, and with Ereck Flowers blocking to his right, this duo could see its fair share of struggles.

Flowers has traits to like, but Bill Callahan seems intent on starting him at left guard, when Flowers might need more time to iron out major inconsistencies in his game. He brings good physicality with his hands, but his height proves to be an issue on a regular basis, as he doesn’t know how to shrink his frame and maximize leverage. This leads to him getting beat early by lower defenders, and he has to resort to holding to regain ground.

Flowers has a chance to be good, but for now, that’s only a theoretical. He has a long way to go, and if his struggles continue, sturdy fourth-round rookie Wes Martin could take the starting left guard job from him.

Martin brings good depth to the team’s blocking unit even if he doesn’t eventually start, but aside from him, there is a great deal of uncertainty. Tony Bergstrom was easy to move in preseason, and Geron Christian, the team’s only backup tackle, was arguably the team’s worst offensive lineman in the early slate. Ross Pierschbacher also needs more time to develop, and his lack of NFL-level power was evident at times. The Redskins starting line is only average, but if injuries hit, a collapse reminiscent of 2018 could occur.

It’s worth noting that the team kept Timon Parris on the practice squad. Parris, an offensive tackle, was promising in preseason; he strung together some consistency in his performances, and he displayed fundamental growth, to go with his athletic upside. It’s not far-fetched to think Parris could be elevated to the active roster at some point, especially if injuries hamper the unit as they have in the past.