The 10 best offensive linemen in Washington Commanders franchise history

No franchise in the NFL is as synonymous with legendary offensive line play as the Washington Commanders. The iterations of the famed 'Hogs' formed the bedrock of multiple Super Bowl-winning teams, but there were plenty of greats before and after those who wore the nickname proudly.

They include Pro Football Hall of Famers, multi-time Pro Bowlers, and those who toiled in relative obscurity but still excelled by making others look good during lean years for the franchise. History this rich has made many big-bodied blockers who called the trenches home iconic figures for the Burgundy and Gold.

That unique prestige makes choosing the 10 greatest offensive linemen in franchise history a daunting task. It means some quality linemen didn't make the grade. These include 'Hogs' originals Mark May, George Starke, and Jeff Bostic.

Cutting this list down to 10 required tough choices and a straightforward approach.

Criteria for selection

Durability, championships, and sustained excellence qualify players for this list. The first two are easy enough to quantify, but the third demands more of a judgment call.

Tallying Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections is one way to judge. So is looking at the success of those around the linemen in question.

This is an important point because the protection represents the engine room of the offense. The place where tough, unfashionable but vital work is done. No running backs, quarterbacks, and by extension wide receivers, thrive without stout blocking up front.

The 10 best offensive linemen in Washington Commanders franchise history

10. Brandon Scherff

Selecting Brandon Scherff at No. 5 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft was one of the few things the franchise got right when Scot McCloughan was general manager. The former Iowa star handled converting from left tackle to right guard with ease and proceeded to dominate.

His dominance was measured by earning first-team All-Pro honors and going to five Pro Bowls. The Commanders were a playoff team twice when Scherff was doing the tough sledding, during his rookie year and in 2020.

On both occasions, Scherff kept quarterbacks clean. He helped Kirk Cousins throw for 4,166 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2015. Five years later, the likes of Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen, Alex Smith, and Taylor Heinicke all stayed upright behind his blocking.

It's easy to look at the dire state of Washington's offensive line today and rate letting Scherff join the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022 free agency as one of the worst decisions of the Ron Rivera era.

9. Mark Schlereth

If you were putting together a list of the best draft finds in franchise history, Mark Schlereth's name would certainly be on it. A 10th-round pick in 1989, the lineman bided his time for two years before becoming a full-time starter on the 1991 Super Bowl team.

Schlereth was a lynchpin of a line arguably better than the original vintage of 'The Hogs'. The latter group built a cult following and has John Riggins' iconic playoff and Super Bowl performances to permanently illustrate its greatness, but the 1991 front five did more with less.

The 1990s group helped Mark Rypien - yes, Mark Rypien - become NFL and Super Bowl MVP. They helped an aging Earnest Byner rush for 1,000 yards. They also knocked open enough holes for Ricky Ervins and Gerald Riggs to impress in niche roles.

Schlereth was rewarded with a Pro Bowl nod as the best guard in football that year. Although he was gone after the 1994 season, he underscored his greatness by winning two more Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos as a key cog in the zone-blocking schemes that made Terrell Davis a Pro Football Hall of Fame running back.

Had he played longer in Washington, Schlereth would rank higher.

8. Ray Brown

He may be the most underrated offensive lineman in NFL history, but Ray Brown's career CV more than justifies his spot on this lst. A 20-year veteran who did two tours in Washington, Brown's presence at guard was almost a cast-iron guarantee of a 1,000-yard rushing season.

Brown missed the franchise's last tango with glory in '91 because of injury, but he played every game the next four years. During that time, Reggie Brooks topped 1,000 yards rushing in 1993, while Terry Allen followed suit two years later.

Two rounds of free agency came next, when Brown played for both the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions. He helped Garrison Hearst, Charlie Garner and James Stewart all break the 1,000-yard mark on the ground.

Brown returned to Washington in 2004 and promptly helped Clinton Portis gain 1,315 yards. Portis cemented his status as a franchise great with 1,516 yards in '05 when, not coincidentally, Brown appeared in 15 games.

Not a bad track record for a journeyman road-grader.

7. Len Hauss

The phrase immovable object aptly depicts Len Hauss, who started 194 games from 1964 to 1977. The cerebral center earned trips to five Pro Bowls. His presence over the ball helped quarterbacks Sonny Jurgensen and Billy Kilmer, as well as running back Larry Brown, become stars.

Hauss' final Pro Bowl distinction was given in 1972. This came after he had anchored the offensive line that powered Brown's league MVP campaign.

Washington made the Super Bowl, but Hauss and company struggled to get to grips with defensive tackle Manny Fernandez and the rest of the 'No-Name' defense against the undefeated Miami Dolphins. That was a rare low point for the best pivotman in franchise history.

Hauss was otherwise unbreakable and consistent, routinely delivering at least an eight out of 10 performance every week.

6. Chris Samuels

Trading up to acquire the No. 3 overall pick in 2000 proved a masterstroke when Washington used the choice to select Chris Samuels. He justified the trade by instantly becoming one of the most accomplished left tackles in franchise history.

Savvy and technically proficient, Samuels had the perfect trait of a standout left tackle. Namely, the art of anonymity. You barely noticed him or heard his name called on gamedays because he quietly locked down his side of the line with the minimum of fuss.

No. 60's no-frills approach to his position yielded six trips to the Pro Bowl. This quote from legendary line guru Joe Bugel summed up Samuel's greatness:

"Excellent athlete, good run man and pass blocker, and can run like a deer. We isolate him one on one like we did with Lachey and leave him on the same guy the whole game"

- Joe Bugel

Samuels was trusted to handle the premier pass-rushers of his era. He also helped Stephen Davis and Clinton Portis maintain their sequences of 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

Only a lack of titles prevents Samuels from ranking higher.

5. 'Turk' Edwards

He's the only player on this list who dates back to the inception of the franchise and its early days in Boston. Yet, Albert Glen 'Turk' Edwards doesn't merit a mention as a mere tribute to football's early days.

Instead, Edwards belongs in the top five because he was named All-NFL four times. Because he played two ways but was one of the dominant tackles of his day.

The 1937 NFL Championship is also on Edwards' CV. His was the big body that cleared rushing lanes for bruising running back Cliff Battles and kept ahead-of-his-time passer Sammy Baugh protected.

Edwards "provided a shield for Battles to lead the NFL in rushing yards (874), and for Baugh to throw for an NFL-high 1,127 yards and set a league record for completions (91)," according to Michael Richman of The Coffin Corner.

That season represented the career high point for Edwards. The low point came when his playing days were ended in a bizarre fashion:

"Almost unbelievably, the seemingly indestructible Edwards was injured at a coin-tossing ceremony prior to a game against the New York Giants in the 1940 season. After calling the coin toss and shaking hands with the opposing team captain, Edwards attempted to pivot around to head back to his sideline. However, his cleats caught in the grass and his oft-injured knee gave way, bringing his season and career to an unusual end"

- Pro Football Hall of Fame

It's a testament to his greatness that Edwards' accomplishments far overshadowed the crazy footnote to a decorated career.

4. Trent Williams

Mike Shanahan's first draft pick in Washington proved to be his best. Trent Williams more than justified being the fourth player selected, two spots ahead of fellow left tackle Russell Okung, who was more revered by many pre-draft prognosticators.

Shanahan knew what he had in Williams. Namely, a broad-backed and nimble-footed powerhouse with a genuine nasty streak.

Williams made sure the vaunted Shanahan zone-running game successfully transitioned to Washington. He later helped Cousins throw for over 4,000 passing yards in three straight seasons. Those accomplishments garnered the blindside force seven Pro Bowl berths.

Continued excellence has been maintained with the San Francisco 49ers after Williams' situation was managed terribly. However, losing two Super Bowls leaves a sting.

3. Joe Jacoby

It may be sacrilege for some that Joe Jacoby doesn't own the top spot on this list. Yes, he's Pro Football Hall of Fame worthy - although the wait for enshrinement goes on - but I don't endorse his case as the greatest because of one factor.

The Lawrence Taylor factor.

Taylor was a phenomenon who made far less capable offensive tackles than Jacoby look foolish. Yet, it would be better if there wasn't so much NFL Films footage of No. 56 toying with him. It's a minor gripe, but it's there.

The Taylor problem aside, Jacoby still belongs in the pantheon of Washington greats because he went from undrafted defensive tackle to three-time Super Bowl-winning offensive lineman. His brute force made Joe Gibbs' dominant counter-trey run work.

Whenever No. 66 pulled around the corner with a running back in hot pursuit, all was right with the world.

2. Jim Lachey

There's a spot among the greatest trades in franchise history for Jim Lachey. He joined the then-Los Angeles Raiders from the San Diego Chargers in 1988, played one game for the Silver and Black, then wound up in Washington, with malcontent quarterback Jay Schroeder going the other way.

Washington fleeced the Raiders because Lachey was perhaps the most gifted tackle of his era and by extension, in franchise history. What separated him from Jacoby is another element of the Taylor factor.

Go back and watch any Giants-Washington game from Lachey's tenure. You'll see something odd. Start with the 1989 regular-season opener, and you'll see New York defensive coordinator Bill Belichick moving Taylor around. Moving him away from the edge protector.

Taylor almost always rushed over left tackle, but there were times when he wanted no part of No. 79. His reticence was understandable because three-time first-team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler Lachey was a formidable technician with the footwork of a ballerina and upper-body power of an Olympic strongman.

Lachey's finest moment wasn't any individual rep against Taylor. Rather, the entire 1991 season summed up his greatness. He anchored a line that allowed a mere nine sacks and powered arguably the most dominant Super Bowl champions in NFL history.

If that's not enough to convince you, consider Washington once passed on the chance to acquire John Elway because it meant trading Lachey. General manager Charley Casserly explained to The Washington Post:

"It would have been ’91, the Super Bowl year. And they did not say no; they said, ‘Let’s think about it.’ They came back and said, ‘Jim Lachey.’ Jack Kent Cooke said, ‘We’re not trading Lachey.’ So there was never any discussions, serious discussion, on our side. And they then the next day said no on it."

- Charley Casserly

Injuries soon laid Lachey low after his signature campaign. If he'd stayed healthy for longer, it would have been very difficult to leave him off the top spot.

1. Russ Grimm

Difficult, but not impossible. Not when Russ Grimm's name is in the mix. Four first-team All-Pro honors, as many Pro Bowl trips and three Vince Lombardi Trophies make for an impressive roll call.

Grimm earned the accolades thanks to a hard-nosed brand of football that made Washington dominant throughout the ultra-physical 1980s. This was also during the rough and tumble days of the NFC East's greatest era.

Jacoby is often more remembered, but Grimm was the focal point of 'The Hogs'. He led the way on all those counters. He bludgeoned Randy White and many other elite defensive tackles at the heart of the meat grinder along the line of scrimmage.

He could have manned any spot up front and been one of the greats, but Grimm was at his best as a guard. No player ever did more to embody Washington's affinity with legendary offensive line play.

The 10 best offensive linemen in Washington Commanders franchise history by Approximate Value (AV)

Approximate value is a metric put together by Pro Football Reference that attaches a number to every player since 1960, highlighting their overall influence during their time with the franchise.

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