Washington football: Six essential players the team can least afford to lose
By Jonathan Eig
No. 6 – OT Cornelius Lucas
It may seem odd to include a free agent signee who has only started 16 games in his six-year career on an essential players list. But face it: Washington is an odd team. Especially when it comes to their offensive line. They recently traded away a likely Hall of Fame left tackle still flirting with his prime for a fifth-round draft pick (and a third in 2021), and failed to lock up their only other Pro Bowl-caliber lineman with a long-term deal, thus risking losing him next offseason. This is a line in transition.
Returning right tackle Morgan Moses is coming off a very disappointing 2019, and rookie left tackle Saahdiq Charles just turned old enough to legally drink a beer and is totally unproven. Cornelius Lucas, a mammoth tackle who played well for Chicago last season, can line up on either side. At the very least, he becomes a valuable swing tackle behind two rather large question marks.
Much in the way Ty Nsekhe became such a vital cog in the line back in 2015-16, Lucas at a minimum is the steadiest tackle on the roster. At a maximum, he takes over one of the two starting jobs — I’m guessing on the left side given all the uncertainty about how a diminished preseason will affect rookies this year — and becomes an essential part of the offense.