One of the most questioned units in 2020 is the Washington Football Team’s offensive line. Washington has three returning starters and two new starters, both on the left side. There will be heavy competition up until the first week of the season. You know what you’re getting from guys like Brandon Scherff and Chase Roullier, meanwhile, the team hopes they can get the Morgan Moses of 2015-16 instead of the Morgan Moses of late. They also have a number of players that are competing for the starting left tackle and guard spot. What are the expectations for the offensive line, and who will come out of training camp as the starting Washington offensive line?
Washington Offensive Line 2020
Who’s on the roster?
- Chase Roullier
- Brandon Scherff
- Morgan Moses
- Wes Martin
- Michael Liedtke
- Wes Schweitzer
- Saahdiq Charles
- Geron Christian Sr.
- Cornelius Lucas
- Kevin Pamphile
- Timon Parris
- Keith Ismael
- Ross Pierschbacher
Definite starters
Arguably the best player on the team, Scherff is an obvious lock to be the starting right guard. When healthy, Scherff is one of the top guards in the NFL. A top-10 talent who is dominant at the point of attack, and one of the nastiest run blockers in the NFL. He’s an above-average pass protector and he’s playing on the franchise tag. If Washington is smart they’ll give him an extension as soon as possible. The offensive line is already a wreck and losing Scherff could be catastrophic.
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At the center spot, you can expect Chase Roullier to remain the starter, as he’s been one of the more underrated starting centers in the NFL. He’s as consistent as they come and is the second-best player on the line this year. He’s a strong player in both pass protection and as a run blocker and should be a quality starter for Washington this year. Roullier is also in a contract year, so retaining him should be a big priority.
The final definite starter and I hesitantly say definite, is Moses. Moses has been a very good right tackle in his career but he’s also been a complete liability at times. Many Washington fans would like to see Moses lose his job this training camp, but I just don’t think it’s likely given the shape of the remainder of the roster. Expect Moses to be the starting right tackle for the upcoming season.
Competing for a starting job
The left tackle and left guard spot are completely up for grabs over the next couple of weeks. Whoever performs the best in training camp will be the starters come Week 1. Washington has multiple young players that will battle to win the starting spot, with a few veterans sprinkled in that will compete but I feel have the worst chances of starting.
So far, Geron Christian and Wes Martin have been the starters on the offensive line. Christian was drafted out of Louisville in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He was viewed as a project when he was drafted, but NFL talent evaluators thought he had the physical tools to develop into a quality starting left tackle. Christian has seemed to impress the coaches so far, but he has struggled when he’s seen real NFL action. Christian taking the next step in his development would be a massive boost for this Washington team, but he must show that he’s better than the film he’s produced so far in the NFL.
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Right now the favorite for the starting left guard spot is the sophomore Martin. In his rookie season last year, Martin filled in for Scherff when he was injured and did a solid job. He showed the ability to be a quality NFL starter and gave the coaching staff some film to go off. Martin has spent the first few days of training camp as the starting LG, but the coaching staff has made it clear that nothing is set in stone on the left side of the line.
The other two potential starters for left tackle are Saahdiq Charles are Cornelius Lucas. Charles was one of the top left tackles in the nation last year as he anchored down the blindside for LSU. That same LSU line won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s top offensive line. In contrast, Lucas has been a spot starter in his career, playing quality football but has never found a place to be a full-time starter.
The other player that could be viewed as a potential starter at left guard is Wes Schweitzer, a former Atlanta Falcon. He spent four years with the Falcons, starting 36 games. He was an average starter and would project as such for Washington. If Martin struggles as the starter, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team fall back on the veteran experience of Schweitzer.
Depth pieces
Washington has invested many day three draft selections on offensive lineman over the past few seasons, and that has helped them create quality depth on the line. Recent draft picks like Keith Ismael and Ross Pierschbacher will battle it out for the back-up center position, while the other will act as a utility player playing all around the interior.
For the tackles, the only player I see with a chance of making the roster outside of Christian, Charles, Moses, and Lucas is Timon Parris. Parris has appeared in four games for Washington over the past two years. Paris would be a solid piece to round out the Washington offensive line in 2020.
Roster Prediction
- Left Tackle: Geron Christian Sr.
- Left Guard: Wes Martin
- Center: Chase Roullier
- Right Guard: Brandon Scherff
- Right Tackle: Morgan Moses
- Reserve OT: Saahdiq Charles
- Reserve OT: Cornelius Lucas
- Reserve OT: Timon Parris
- Reserve iOL: Wes Schweitzer
- Reserve iOL: Keith Ismael
- Reserve iOL: Ross Pierschbacher
A solid foundation but with work still to be done
The 2020 Washington offensive line is a work in progress. The team has done a really good job building a foundation. They have a surplus of quality, young talent along the offensive line. However, major questions about the left side of the line exist, especially for the coming season. Whichever players have the strongest training camp will be the Week 1 starters, and the team can only hope they perform well during the season.