3 insane stats that show how much Commanders will miss Brandon Scherff
By Jerry Trotta
The Washington Commanders‘ start to free agency hasn’t been memorable, but it also hasn’t been all that surprising, either.
On one hand, losing Brandon Scherff, JD McKissic and Tim Settle isn’t too devastating. After all, we’re talking about a guard position that isn’t valued nearly as high as left or right tackle, a third-down running back, which are interchangeable to begin with, and a fourth-string defensive tackle who’s played 24.5% of the snaps in four years.
On the other hand, you could argue that Scherff and McKissic are two of Washington’s most valuable players. When on the field, the offense actually looked functional. Take them off the field, though, and the unit malfunctioned.
In other words, we’re fearful to think how the Commanders will perform without Scherff and McKissic. While both players are huge losses, Scherff’s impact will surely be felt more given he was with the team for seven seasons.
With that in mind, let’s dive into some nutty stats from Scherff’s career that encapsulate his importance to Washington.
3 stats that prove Brandon Scherff’s importance to Commanders
3. OL’s Pressure Rate Without Scherff
We know, we know, the guard position isn’t held in the same regard as left or right tackle. Some analytics apologists would even tell you center is more important given the position touches the football on every single snap.
But when a team has a top-five guard, you can’t understate his importance to the offensive line’s fluidity and overall efficiency. That’s exactly what Scherff meant to the Commanders’ offensive line since he entered the league in 2015.
That notion was punctuated this past season. While the OL was ravaged by injuries and didn’t always have its starters in the lineup, the unit was markedly less effective in pass protection when Scherff was sidelined due to injury.
When on the field, the line allowed a 26.5% pressure rate over 340 dropbacks. When off the field, that percentage ballooned to 32.8%. We’re not sure what the numbers look like in Scherff’s other six seasons in Ashburn, but it’s probably a safe bet to say there was a similar drop-off when he was unable to suit up.