Riggo's Rag
FanSided

Breaking down the Washington Football Team’s position battles: Left Tackle

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 15: Geron Christian #74 of the Washington Redskins looks on during the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField on December 15, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 15: Geron Christian #74 of the Washington Redskins looks on during the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField on December 15, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
LANDOVER, MD – AUGUST 29: Geron Christian #74 of the Washington football team looks to block Jaylon Ferguson #45 of the Baltimore Ravens during the second half of a preseason game at FedExField on August 29, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – AUGUST 29: Geron Christian #74 of the Washington football team looks to block Jaylon Ferguson #45 of the Baltimore Ravens during the second half of a preseason game at FedExField on August 29, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Dark Horse: Geron Christian

Through two NFL seasons, Geron Christian has done little to inspire hope that he’ll ever be a quality tackle at the next level. And coming into the offseason, there were questions about whether or not he would even have a roster spot.

But for the time being, it seems like the new staff is willing to keep him around. Ron Rivera has repeatedly mentioned that he has been impressed with Christian so far at training camp.

Could that just be coachspeak trying to instill confidence in a young player? Sure. But given that there haven’t been any offseason activities, Christian could’ve improved his skills in an under-the-radar fashion.

More from Riggo's Rag

Perhaps he improved the mental aspect of his game during the time off and was able to translate that into quicker, more proactive movements at the tackle position. Or maybe he got in a lot of on-field work and has improved his footwork to make it easier for him to leverage his athleticism.

Either way, it will be interesting to see how Christian looks. Without the preseason, it will be hard to judge exactly how he’s doing. But if Rivera and offensive line coach John Matsko like what they’re seeing enough, they will offer him an opportunity to fight for a starting role at left tackle.

Still, Christian is behind Lucas and Charles in the battle for the starting job. Simply put, Lucas’ performance was better than Christian’s last year. And Charles is an excellent technician with solid athleticism. So, it may be hard for Christian to overtake them for a starting job.

Christian shouldn’t be counted out of the left tackle competition, but he’s more likely to factor into the swing tackle battle than to win a starting job. But stranger things have happened.

Home/Commanders News