Breaking down the Redskins’ offensive line for the 2020 season

Offensive Tackles

On Roster: Paul Adams, Saahdiq Charles, Geron Christian Sr., Cornelius Lucas, Morgan Moses, Timon Parris

Projected Starters: Moses, Charles

I am listing Charles as the projected starter at left tackle because I believe that is what the team is hoping for. But if I were betting on this, I would say that if Charles is a starter on Day 1, it is just as likely he will be starting at left guard as left tackle. Asking a 21-year old rookie to take over at left tackle is a tall order under any circumstance (And Charles doesn’t even turn 21 until about a month before the opener). Asking him to do it with the diminished practice schedule we are likely to see is an even bigger hurdle.

Aside from QB, no one needs repetition and coaching more than an offensive lineman. And that is especially true for offensive tackles, who play on an island. Interior linemen can hide deficiencies. Deficiencies at tackle put your QB in the hospital.

Charles has great potential. He is still growing, and so his power should only get better. He is athletic and, for such a young man, has good experience playing at a high level. His arms are slightly shorter than optimum for a tackle, and the team moved Brandon Scherff inside in part for that very reason. But Charles is a different player. He is not as powerful as Scherff, but at this point, he shows the ability to move better to take on outside speed rushers. He should be a mainstay for the next decade, but I don’t know how quickly he will be ready.

Many fans are down on Morgan Moses, but a lot of the line’s success in 2020 depends on him regaining his form. Injuries clearly played a part in his regression last year. I’m about 300 credits shy of my psychology degree, but I suspect that the Trent Williams turmoil also affected him in 2019. I am hopeful that a healthy Morgan Moses can put anything like that in the past and return to being a solid right tackle this year. If he can’t, the Redskins are in big trouble.

It’s not that they don’t have other options. In fact, veteran free agent Cornelius Lucas could probably step right in and play better than Moses did in 2019. But that would almost certainly force Charles to sink or swim at left tackle. I currently envision Lucas beginning the year as the starter at left tackle (And, yes, I will get to other free agents and trade possibilities in a minute, but for now, I’m focusing on who is actually in the “virtual” house). If he plays like I think he can, Lucas will end up being among the most important free agent acquisitions of the 2020 offseason, capable of starting or backing up both tackle spots.

The other three tackles are marginal players. If the team were better, none would be on the final 53. Both Christian and Parris are in the NFL because they look like prototype tackles. Both are tall and athletic, and both can seem promising for brief periods. But neither appears to have the pure power necessary to play tackle in the NFL.

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In moving from a developmental player to a quality pro, a player can’t simply have a good play, or a good series, or even a good game. He needs to play at a consistently high level. That’s why you’re not choosing John Daly for your scramble when money is on the line. That’s why Dave Kingman isn’t in the Hall of Fame. That’s why Timmy Smith isn’t – wait, who was Timmy Smith again? Neither Christian nor Parris has shown such consistency. And Adams is an even bigger question mark. I know very little about him, but in looking at his measurables and his record from his senior year at Missouri, he does not offer much promise as an NFL tackle.

Okay – now to the player-to-be-named-later option. A lot of Redskins fans seem convinced that the team has to bring in another tackle, either via trade or free agency. I’m going to leave the trade option alone for now. It simply is not likely to happen at this point in the offseason. A free agent signing, on the other hand, is a definite possibility.

The player most fans have set their eyes on is former Eagles standout Jason Peters. Peters is in fact the only tackle currently available who would constitute a significant upgrade. Peters is 38 and coming off injury, and you have to be concerned about whether he can remain healthy. But he is clearly the best option available.

I believe the biggest problem with signing Peters is convincing him to come to D.C. The Redskins are not the only team in need of a left tackle, and several of the others project to have a much better 2020 season. If you’re Jason Peters at the end of your career, why would you sign with Washington when teams like Tampa or the Chargers might come calling, and one preseason injury could open up many other possibilities?

As for other free agents, they all strike me as “grass is always greener” options. I don’t think any of them – Demar Dotson, Cordy Glenn, Kelvin Beachum, Marshall Newhouse – or the Redskins 2019 emergency fill-in Donald Penn, constitute an upgrade from the Moses/Lucas/Charles corps. But, all of these players have substantial starting experience, and given just how precarious the tackle situation is, I would expect one of them to be on the roster at some point this season.