4 Brandon Scherff replacements Washington can sign in free agency

1. Laken Tomlinson

Laken Tomlinson has quietly become one of the best guards in the NFL under Kyle Shanahan, but don’t go think he’s a system-dependent player. Sure, Shanahan’s scheme will make any offensive lineman look good, but Tomlinson was a solid player before he arrived in San Francisco back in 2017.

Across 1,094 snaps with the 49ers, the seven-year pro allowed just two sacks and 24 total pressures while committing just five penalties, per Pro Football Focus. He also surrendered a pressure on just 3.8% of his pass-rushing snaps, which was one of the best marks among guards who played at least 200 snaps.

Bottom line? Tomlinson has developed into a high-end starting guard and there are no signs he’s going to lose that mantle. He’s been injury-free in his career outside of a torn MCL suffered in 2017. He’s only missed one game in his career and has played at least 1,000 snaps every year dating back to 2017.

If Washington would rather sign an established veteran over drafting a prospect/giving Wes Schweitzer or Saahdiq Charles a chance to prove themselves, Tomlinson should be the pick.

Other than Scherff, he’s the top guard hitting free agency and he’ll be extremely affordable, according to PFF’s contract projection of three years for $27 million ($9M per year, $16.5 million total guaranteed).

Compare that with the notion that Scherff is expected to demand $20 million annually, and you’ll warm up to the idea of adding Tomlinson pretty quickly.