Redskins sign veteran offensive lineman Mike Liedtke, per agent
The Washington Redskins signed veteran offensive lineman Mike Liedtke to a one-year deal according to his agent. Here’s what to know about the veteran.
One of the big goals of the Washington Redskins this offseason has been adding veteran depth and competition to some of their key positions on the roster. One of those has been the offensive line. The team has signed Cornelius Lucas, Wes Schweitzer, and Jeremy Vujnovich to short-term deals and see if they can help upgrade the team’s lacking depth on the unit.
And on Wednesday, they reportedly made another move to shore up the O-Line.
According to agent Brett Tessler, his client, offensive lineman Mike Liedtke, signed a one-year deal with the Redskins.
Just agreed to terms with the Washington Redskins on a 1-year deal for my client Mike Liedtke. 5-year vet has spent the last few seasons in Tampa Bay and can play every position on the offensive line.
— Brett Tessler (@TesslerSports) May 6, 2020
Liedtke had previously been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2016. He spent most of the ’16 and ’17 campaigns on the practice squad before suiting up for a career-high nine games in 2018. He played just 40 total snaps and three on offense. In 2019, he spent the entire season on IR.
There’s not a ton of upside for Liedtke at this point. He’s 28 and hasn’t been able to carve out much of a role at the NFL level. But if he can play all the positions on the offensive line as Tessler says, having him around to compete in camp won’t be a bad thing. Perhaps he’ll show improvement and will have a chance to challenge for a role as the ninth or tenth man along the offensive line.
Much like the Vujnovich signing, this isn’t inspiring. But it’s likely that this was a veteran-minimum contract. There is no risk and while Liedtke is almost certainly just a camp body to fill out the remaining five or six spots on the Redskins roster, you simply never know what might happen at the NFL level.
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The Redskins’ focus on the offensive line is duly noted, too. Perhaps if they aren’t confident in the tackle position when training camp rolls around, much like last year, they’ll consider signing one of the veterans remaining on the market. Kelvin Beachum, Cordy Glenn, Jason Peters, and Donald Penn are among the top veterans who could provide options for the team if the signings of guys like Liedtke, Vujnovich, and Lucas turn out fruitless.