Redskins should definitely be interested in signing Larry Warford

The Washington Redskins have added a lot of depth to the offensive line this offseason. But that shouldn’t stop them from signing the recently released Larry Warford.

This offseason, Ron Rivera has been a man on a mission for the Redskins. And his goal appears to be one thing: add depth to key positions on both sides of the ball.

The Redskins largely eschewed big-name players in free agency. Instead, they added potential role players to their roster. The offensive line has been a place where they have had a particular investment in adding veteran help. Between Wes Schweitzer, Cornelius Lucas, Jeremy Vujnovich, and Mike Liedtke, the ‘Skins have wanted to add players with NFL experience to ensure to create competition for backup roles and the starting positions on the left side of the line.

That said, a potential answer for the hole the team has at left guard may have just come available. The New Orleans Saints elected to cut Larry Warford on Friday to give first-round pick Cesar Ruiz a chance to start as a rookie and create some salary cap space. And while Warford has played on the right side for his whole career, he could still make sense for Washington.

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Warford has been in the NFL since 2013 after being a third-round pick by the Detroit Lions in what was a weak draft class. He should’ve gone much earlier and has proven to be a rock-solid pro. He has started 101 career games and made three consecutive Pro Bowls after joining the New Orleans Saints as a free agent in 2017.

Warford is a well-built 6-3, 317-pound player with road-grading toughness as a run blocker. He was Pro Football Focus’ 11th-ranked guard for 2019 and he allowed just two sacks. He would help to open up lanes for Adrian Peterson, Derrius Guice, and Antonio Gibson to run through and could do a lot to help solidify the team’s offensive line.

There are some concerns with Warford’s potential fit in Washington. He did commit six penalties last year, so he’ll need to clean that up a bit to be more effective. Additionally, he has exclusively played right guard at the NFL level. The Redskins already have Brandon Scherff at that position so they’d need to flip one to the left side. That should be doable for either, but once a player gets used to technique on one side of the line, sometimes, switching is a bit harder to pull off.

Still, Warford only turns 29 in June, and guards can play well into their mid-30s. He’s a strong overall blocker, is well-rounded, and would certainly be an upgrade if the fit is right. And given that the Redskins are armed with the second-most cap space in the league, they have the resources needed to add a player like Warford to the fold.

The ‘Skins will likely have competition for Warford if they get involved in the sweepstakes for him. And if Warford wants to continue to play for a contender or continue to play on the right side, he’ll probably go elsewhere. But Rivera knows Warford’s skill set well after coaching in the same division as him these past three seasons. So, perhaps if he likes Warford enough, he’ll want to pursue him to create a potentially powerful long-term guard tandem along with Scherff.

It is worth noting that Rivera’s guard play in Carolina was good, especially in recent seasons (Trai Turner, Andrew Norwell, Greg Van Roten). So, perhaps he’ll be willing to spend more resources to ensure that that interior pass rushers don’t get to Dwayne Haskins often this season.

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We’ll see what ends up happening. But Warford is definitely a player that the Redskins should consider signing if the price is right.

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