The Washington Redskins have several holes on its roster, but perhaps none more glaring than the offensive line. Washington allowed the second most sacks in the NFL (58) last year and finished 15th in yards-per-carry average (4.2). Specifically, the left guard, right guard and right tackle positions were big areas of weakness.
For this reason, new General Manager Scot McCloughan is targeting offensive linemen in free agency and next month's NFL draft. While McCloughan says the team's plans aren't solely based on need, he did say that the O-Line will be a point of emphasis going forward.
"Again, and any position, I didn't go into this thing saying we're going to sign five defensive guys - three defensive linemen, a corner" and safety, McCloughan said on Tuesday. "I don't narrow it down. You can more so in free agency than the draft to need. But I was like, 'Let's get some good football players for the right price.' We're not going to go out and sign one or two guys and think that we're that close to being a playoff contending team. We're not. We've got to start building and building and building. ... We're not done with free agency yet, of course, the draft is coming. But it's not narrowed down, 'We have to draft an offensive lineman because we don't have enough.' It's not that way. Now, if all of a sudden we get down to the fifth, sixth, seventh round, things might change, and we might say, 'We did draft another defensive lineman. We've got some depth there. So, you know, maybe then we can go offense for sure.'
"But we've still got some things we're working in free agency, and I understand, there's holes still left to be filled, and we're working on it," McCloughan continued. "It's not an overnight fix, but we made steps in the right direction, to help us get better."
Quarterback Robert Griffin III is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Given the immense draft capital surrendered for the right to draft RGIII in 2012, the Redskins desperately want him to succeed (at least the front office does, maybe not head coach Jay Gruden). For this to happen, Griffin will have to improve in all facets of the game, but the Redskins will also have to better protect him.
"I want to get it better no matter what," McCloughan said. "I don't care if we're coming off of a 12-4 season, I'm always trying to improve every position. There's guys that are working their tails off this offseason that are under contract for the Redskins, and I respect that. But again, I need to see these guys in person. I can do tape after tape, which I do for college stuff. But I don't really get to know them until I can see them in person, see the body language, see how they react on the field, see how they react in games, and then get a feel for who can and can't play."
Although there may not be a tackle worth drafting with the fifth overall pick, this year's class does have a good crop of O-Linemen. McCloughan and offensive line coach Bill Callahan will meet in the coming weeks to review prospects that fit the team.
"We have a very similar philosophy about big guys, smart guys, tough guys, being able to run the football, being able to pound the ball and get that D-line to really want to quit," McCloughan said. "Understand, you play the Washington Redskins, we're coming at you. We're coming at you no matter what, and so I'm interested in seeing how those [draft planning] meetings play out with the coaches."