What the Najee Toran signing tells us about the Washington Football Team’s O-Line

Zone blocking suits Najee Toran well

Najee Toran is a zone-blocking type of player. So is Keith Ismael, another 2020 draft pick. So is Beau Benzschawel, another recent free-agent pickup, who is more athletic and less powerful than you might expect given his size.

Geron Christian fit this profile as well, and in hindsight, it doesn’t seem so surprising that Rivera and Turner gave him the first shot at grabbing the starting left tackle spot in 2020. But Christian was never able to translate his raw athleticism into on-field production. The team has moved on.

The Washington Football Team also brought back guard Ereck Flowers, presumably to compete with 2020 surprise Wes Scwheitzer at left guard. Though Flowers does not exactly fit the mold I have been describing, he has always moved rather well for a big man.

With some uncertainty surrounding the future of right guard Brandon Scherff, I assume Washington felt comfortable adding an experienced starting guard who at 27, could stick around for a while.

Barring a spate of injuries, I assume that players like Wes Martin and David Sharpe will be released at some point this offseason. They are bigger, slower blockers who have never been particularly productive in their roles. With this trend toward more mobile athletic linemen, it seems unlikely they will have a place on the roster.

And I really don’t think Najee Toran will have a place either. But his arrival is another clear sign of the type of offense – particularly the type of running game – that the Washington Football Team would like to employ under Rivera and Turner.

Several years back, under Jay Gruden, Washington rarely used zone blocking schemes, and they were not very effective when they did. I don’t know if that was Gruden’s preference, or whether roster deficiencies forced his hand.

But I do know that the current regime values speed, mobility, versatility, and acumen across the board. You can see it in every move they make. Even in the signing of under-the-radar players like Najee Toran.