4 biggest positions of need for Commanders after first wave of free agency
By Jerry Trotta
3. Offensive Line
It’s weird to think offensive line is a position (group) of need for Washington give next season’s starting lineup is basically set in stone.
- LT: Charles Leno
- LG: Andrew Norwell
- C: Chase Roullier
- RG: Wes Schweitzer
- RT: Sam Cosmi
That’s a solid core and one that should build off an impressive 2021 in which they finished among the best OLs in pass protection. With that said, Schweitzer, for all the good work he’s done as a backup, is not a like-for-like replacement for Brandon Scherff, who signed a $30 million guaranteed contract with the Jaguars.
As things stand, Saahdiq Charles, who enjoyed a fantastic finish to last season, is Washington’s only reliable backup guard and swing tackle. We’re high on the 2020 fourth-rounder’s potential, but it goes without saying the Commanders could use another guard (could be found through the draft) and swing tackle.
While the draft is the most likely solution for the guard spot, Washington re-signing Cornelius Lucas has become a must at this point. The 30-year-old vet is currently testing the market, but hasn’t — to the best of our knowledge — taken any visits.
This usually results in players re-signing with their former teams, and the Commanders better make sure that’s the case with Lucas, because losing him would be a crushing blow to the team’s depth in the trenches.
If not for that same depth last season when the group was ravaged by injuries, the team would’ve struggled to win seven games.