Wes Martin can make his case for a starting job with Brandon Scherff out

The Washington Redskins are going to be without Brandon Scherff for the final two games of the 2019 regular season. This will give rookie fourth-round pick Wes Martin a chance to make his case for a starting job.

This offseason will be yet another important one for the Washington Redskins. Not only are they going to be deciding on a new head coach to lead the team, but they will be dealing with a number of key free agents. Four of their top offensive linemen are set to hit the open market, and that doesn’t include Trent Williams, who has vowed never to play for the team again.

The Redskins free agents on the O-Line include their two starting guards, Ereck Flowers and Brandon Scherff. Flowers has been a pleasant surprise at left guard for the team this year and the 25-year-old has made strides at his new position. Meanwhile, Scherff has continued to be one of the better guards in the league when healthy, but he will miss a total of five games this year, including the final two games of the season.

With Scherff out, the Redskins will be starting rookie guard Wes Martin, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, as they did in last week’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. And these next two games could be critical for the Redskins as they try to decide who to pay up front.

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Against Philly, Martin looked pretty good. He was strong at the point of attack and showcased solid athletic ability as well. If he can continue to build on that performance, there’s a chance that the Redskins would view him as a cost-effective starter at one of the guard positions, as Martin will have a cap hit of less than $1 million for the next three seasons.

Because of this fact, the final two games fo the season will be important for Martin. If he can continue to play well and show growth, the ‘Skins may be more comfortable letting Flowers or Scherff walk. Of course, it’s also worth noting that they could still bring both back even if Martin does succeed, but Martin will have an opportunity to prove himself nonetheless.

If Martin plays well, the team could also choose to slap Scherff with the franchise tag and offload him in a trade to accrue more draft capital. Ideally, they’d get a second-round pick in that type of trade, but they would have to get at least a third-round pick to want to move him; they’d likely get a third-round compensatory pick if he left in free agency.

At the moment, it still seems likely that Washington would want to retain their two free agent guard options. But if Martin can play well in the coming weeks, perhaps they’ll change their mind. Either way, Martin is a top player to watch as the Redskins continue to evaluate their young pieces on both sides of the ball.