Should the Washington Football Team re-sign Brandon Scherff?
After signing left tackle Charles Leno to a three-year extension, the Washington Football Team has four of its five starting offensive linemen locked in for 2022. The only one who is not is former All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff.
Scherff is on the second of two franchise tags. This one is worth $18M, up from $16M in 2020. To some, the argument is simple when discussing a possible extension for the former Hawkeye. It is a simple no. Paying a guard in the NFL $18M+ is seen as poor financial management.
Some believe that money could be better spent elsewhere. Others believe it would not exactly be the smartest maneuver to let one of your two Pro Bowlers hit free agency.
As is clear, the conversation surrounding potentially bringing back Brandon Scherff has nuance to it. There really is not a clear answer on either side of the coin. So, today I am here to provide both sides of the argument, as well as give my own personal opinion of what the Washington Football Team should do.
So instead of rambling on about other meaningless things, let’s dive in!
The argument for re-signing Brandon Scherff
This argument starts off pretty simply: Brandon Scherff is one of the best guards in the NFL. He is an elite road grader in the run game, he is stout in pass protection and he has grown into one of the game’s best interior linemen.
He also is a team captain, someone who the entire roster looks to for leadership. His leadership was particularly evident in the rookie right tackle, Sam Cosmi. After a shaky start in training camp and a rough Week 1 blocking Joey Bosa, Cosmi has greatly improved since then.
He, like Scherff, is a potent run blocker. While he sometimes overextends in pass protection and becomes off-balanced, he has shown quality pass protection reps at that position. While Cosmi certainly deserves most of the credit, Scherff has certainly helped him transition to the NFL.
Cosmi has had a much easier transition with passing off stunts and other things regarding communication with a veteran next to him.
Losing Scherff will hurt Cosmi most given how Scherff was able to help him out this year. But Schweitzer did play well when Scherff missed games this year & Charles has shown potential these last few games too. Doubt either reach Scherff’s level but they don’t necessarily need to https://t.co/7DvY1blTDX
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) January 6, 2022
If Washington were to not re-sign Scherff, Cosmi would have to become familiar with a new counterpart, potentially, if it is not Wes Schweitzer who takes Scherff’s spot. While Cosmi can certainly still perform well with a new right guard, it may just create a smoother process if some continuity is kept.
Speaking of continuity, if Washington were to indeed extend Scherff that would slate all five offensive linemen to return next year. One of the most important pieces to offensive line success is proper communication. Having such strong continuity on the line could prove vital for the potential new signal-caller in Washington.