Washington Football Team’s offensive line ranked third in NFL by site

The Washington Football Team’s offensive line has been the subject of intrigue this offseason, but many are high on the unit heading into 2021.

The switch from Bill Callahan to John Matsko was met with some uncertainty last offseason. Callahan was a proven offensive line developer who’d taught Washington Football Team players like Chase Roullier and Ereck Flowers most recently, among others.

Losing Callahan in the regime change hurt, but so far, the offensive line has picked up where it left off — and arguably gotten better — with John Matsko at the helm of the unit’s development. That’s evident not only in the unit’s 2020 performance, but in their standing ahead of 2021.

Recently, Pro Football Network writer Ben Rolfe ranked all 32 offensive lines in the NFL, using analytics to compile the list. There were some surprises, but none more so than Rolfe’s ranking of the Washington Football Team’s blocking unit.

Rolfe ranked the Washington Football Team’s offensive line third in the NFL, behind only the New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys. Here’s what he had to say about the line’s performance:

"The Washington Football Team will return four of their five starters in 2021. The only change is the addition of Charles Leno Jr., who replaces Morgan Moses. Leno has an opportunity to be an upgrade on Moses, which would make this an impressive line all the way across. Leno could slot in at the LT position he is familiar with and Cornelius Lucas switching to right tackle. Or Leno may make the switch to RT and leave Lucas on the left side.Playing at left tackle last season, Cornelius Lucas was impressive last season. He had just 8 blown blocks in over 500 snaps and was credited with just 2 sacks. In fact, the entire remainder of the line had a blown block rate below 2%. The quality of Brandon Scherff is well-known, while Chase Roullier has become one of the best centers in the league. Furthermore, Wes Schweitzer impressed in his first season in Washington, with just 16 blown blocks on 931 snaps."

Rolfe’s description highlights the surprisingly solid performance of two under-the-radar free agent acquisitions from last season: Cornelius Lucas and Wes Schweitzer. Lucas was unexpectedly thrust into starting action when Geron Christian became unavailable, and Lucas shined, especially as a pass protector.

Ultimately, Lucas’ performance was part of what gave Washington the confidence to move on from Morgan Moses. However, the signing of Charles Leno Jr. also played a part in that. With Leno and Lucas, the Washington Football Team has a strong tackle duo, at least for the immediate future, and they also have second-round pick Samuel Cosmi, who gives them high-upside depth.

Just like Lucas, Wes Schweitzer also came in as a low-priced free agent acquisition and ended up thriving at left guard with the Washington Football Team, quickly usurping the starting role from recent fourth-round pick Wes Martin. Schweitzer and Scherff project to form a formidable duo, but even there, Washington has depth, with players like Ereck Flowers and Saahdiq Charles also factoring into the equation.

All this is going on around the center position, where Chase Roullier is quietly becoming one of the best at his position. As Rolfe stated, few centers have been more productive than Roullier over his short span as the Washington Football Team’s anchor. The Wyoming product signed a four-year deal worth over $40 million earlier this offseason, to reflect his true value.

Overall, the Washington Football Team has a strong starting line, but they also have crucial depth, which is always important. They earned the second-highest ranking in the NFC East. The Cowboys ranked one spot above them in second, the Eagles ranked 19th, and the Giants ranked 28th.

Seeing the other divisional rankings, one can’t help but think about the Washington Football Team’s defensive line, and how much of a mismatch they might be against the division, especially if injuries hurt the Cowboys again.

But the more important development rests on the offensive side of the ball — a unit that struggled to put up points for Washington last season, and a unit that might have brighter days ahead, behind its offensive line.