What the Redskins should do with their free agent offensive linemen
C/G Tony Bergstrom
Tony Bergstrom’s career with the Redskins has spanned two and a half seasons. And in some ways, that has been a surprise.
Bergstrom was always a favorite of Jay Gruden and that’s part of the reason he hung around so long. He served mostly as the team’s backup center and filled in amid injuries during the 2017 season. He was decent in that action, and that warranted him to be re-signed in 2018.
However, during that season, Bergstrom wasn’t nearly as good as he had been the previous year. Bergstrom was mediocre when filling in for Chase Roullier and it established that he was a less-than-stellar backup player with no upside because of his age (33). Many assumed that he wouldn’t be back in 2019, but the team did elect to re-sign him.
So far in 2019, Bergstrom has continued to be a mediocre-at-best backup. He has versatility across the line, but that’s about the only thing he brings to the table. He has had to start four games and has had issues blocking and has committed two penalties and has allowed a sack despite playing in just 168 offensive snaps. Now 34, his most effective days are behind him.
Moving forward, the Redskins are better off finding a better backup center option. Or at least one with more upside than Bergstrom. Perhaps Ross Pierschbacher could be that guy but if not, the team could elect to target a center in the 2020 NFL Draft or sign another veteran in free agency.
But either way, their plans shouldn’t include Bergstrom.