Commanders identify Chase Roullier replacement in veteran Nick Martin

The full extent of Chase Roullier’s knee injury are unknown. What we do know is the Washington Commanders will be without the veteran center for a minimum of four weeks and he could potentially miss the rest of the season.

Roullier was on crutches after the game and doctors are reportedly looking at his kneecap and MCL, which is never a good sign. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler understands Roullier may require surgery and the 29-year-old is seeking a second opinion to see if he can avoid surgery and potentially return later this season.

This obviously leaves the Commanders in a bind at the center position, as backup Wes Schweitzer is dealing with his own hamstring injury that cost him Week 2. Even if Schweitzer returns for Sunday against the Eagles, Washington couldn’t justify not adding a reinforcement with Roullier shelved indefinitely.

On Tuesday, they signed Nick Martin to the 53-man roster.

The Commanders signed Nick Martin to replace the injured Chase Roullier.

Roullier is head to injured reserve, meaning the earliest he can return is Week 7 against Tennessee, but that feels like a pipe dream based on Ron Rivera’s tone and lack of optimism when he was filling in reporters on Roullier’s injury.

The Commanders’ penchant for signing inexperienced players to replace injured players is well-documented — they signed UDFA Donovan Jeter after Phidarian Mathis went down — but the Martin addition is a refreshing chance of pace.

A five-year NFL veteran, Martin is a former second-round pick of the Texans. He started 62 games for Houston and enjoyed a run of 46 consecutive starts. Martin joined the Raiders last season as a backup, but appeared in all 17 games, though most of his contributions came on special teams.

Schweitzer is probably Rivera’s first choice to replace Roullier given his familiarity with the position and system. Behind Schweitzer, Martin will compete with Wes Martin, practice squad stash Jon Toth and Saahdiq Charles, who’s played all over the offensive line with the exception of center since he was drafted.

Martin spent time with the Saints in training camp, but was released right before the season started on Sept. 10.

This signing won’t steal headlines, but we’ll take a lineman with 79 games and 62 starts under his belt over the Commanders trying to outsmart everyone by plucking some UDFA or second-year player off the street thinking they’ll make an impact only to be released when they find someone better.