Washington Football Team giving Saahdiq Charles reps at left guard

Left guard has been a position of concern for the Washington Football Team in the early goings of 2020, but it looks like they might be making a change there.

The Washington Football Team came into the 2020 regular season with second-year offensive lineman Wes Martin listed as the starting left guard, and despite the belief that a battle would decide that spot, Martin earned the left guard job with fairly little resistance.

Despite Martin’s easy claim of the starting job, however, his performance in 2020 has not matched that early endorsement. For five games, Martin has largely been a replacement-level lineman, and in Week 5, he contributed to Aaron Donald’s four-sack outing.

Ron Rivera has been vocal about the need to stick with young players, but it looks like his patience for Martin may be running thin. Per reports from Matthew Paras of the Washington Times, the Washington Football Team tried out rookie lineman Saahdiq Charles at left guard during Wednesday’s practice.

Charles, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, is naturally a tackle, but he has some traits that are potentially conducive to guard at the NFL level, and Rivera mentioned over the course of the offseason that Charles was a player who could get a look at guard if things fell that way.

Charles likely would have gotten a look earlier, but a calf injury has prevented him from being a full participant in football activities, dating all the way back to training camp. Now, however, Charles appears to be healthy, and Rivera confirmed at his press conference on Wednesday that Charles “did a lot” at practice, and that there could be an opportunity for him against the Giants in Week 6.

Charles, standing at around 6-foot-4, 321, has the natural athleticism and density that interior linemen can thrive with. He also displayed a natural feel for fundamentals as a college tackle, and although there may be a transition as he takes reps at guard, Charles has the talent to be a position-diverse player, which is presumably one reason why Rivera and Kyle Smith drafted him.