Jim Zorn jokingly said Monday that the mandate for his fill-in offensive linemen is to stay healthy for the Washington Redskins’ final three regular-season games.
“They can’t get hurt,” he said of Stephon Heyer, Jason Fabini and Chad Rinehart, the trio who will fill in for Chris Samuels and possibly Jon Jansen at offensive tackle Sunday in Cincinnati.
Here’s a mandate that isn’t a joke: The Redskins’ sole priority in the marquee section of next spring’s draft and the discount aisle of the free-agent market should be linemen. Period.
The Redskins need young offensive linemen so they don’t have to scramble like they have this week, when injuries hit a group in which every starter last week was north of age 30.
The Redskins need young defensive linemen who can rush the passer from the edge, push the pocket from the tackle spot and be every-down players to spell and eventually take over for Cornelius Griffin (32) and Jason Taylor (34).
But unless the philosophy radically changes inside the walls of Redskin Park, the team will continue to focus on drafting skilled players on Day 1 of the draft and reaching for linemen - or not selecting them at all - on Day 2.
Drafting linemen in the first three rounds has not been a priority in the Dan Snyder era. Since 2000, only 14 of the team’s 57 picks have been linemen and just three - Samuels, Rinehart and Derrick Dockery - were chosen in the first three rounds. The focus has been flashy playmakers, not the brawlers who block for them.
The Redskins have tried to build their lines through free agency and trades. They spent draft picks during the preseason the past two years to acquire Pete Kendall and Taylor. They spent major free-agent dollars on Griffin, Randy Thomas and Andre Carter. They paid veteran backup money - not minimum salary to youngsters - to acquire Fabini and Demetric Evans.
Of the 65 starts on the offensive line this year, only 22 - 10 by Jansen and 12 by Samuels - were made by players drafted by the Redskins. Among the 52 starts on the defensive line, only 14 - 11 by Kedric Golston and three by Anthony Montgomery - came from players the team drafted and developed.
When the Redskins drafted Rinehart 96th overall in April, it was their highest offensive line pick since Dockery went 81st in 2003. Rinehart, who played at Northern Iowa, has yet to be active for a game.
“I don’t know if I’ve been led to believe that he’s going to come and just be exactly what we want, because there’s a lot to learn,” Zorn said.
The Redskins project Rinehart as a future starter but won’t know that until he plays. If he does develop into a starter, he would be the exception to the rule. Since 2004, the Redskins used second-day picks on Jim Molinaro, Mark Wilson and Kili Lefotu. They combined for one start.
Among the offensive linemen who started against the Ravens on Sunday, all but center Casey Rabach started as rookies. He treated 2001 in Baltimore as a redshirt year and sees Rinehart doing the same.
“It paid off in the long run,” Rabach said. “Chad’s coming along. You never know until you actually get into the fire. He’s a smart, hard-working kid.”
Since most of the current coaching staff was hired in 2004, the Redskins have drafted only three defensive linemen. Tackles Anthony Montgomery and Kedric Golston were nice finds in 2006, and Rob Jackson made the team this year as a seventh-round pick. Montgomery and Golston could form a decent 1-2 combo inside but need to be complemented by a space-eater in the mold of Cleveland’s Shaun Rogers.
Where the Redskins need to get younger - and, since they rank 29th in sack percentage, better - is defensive end. This remains a defense that often needs to send more than four rushers or rely on its secondary to post coverage sacks.
With 10 picks last year, a huge number by this organization’s standards, the Redskins tried to address every position group except defensive line and linebacker. Next spring, the Redskins are already without second-, fourth- and seventh-round picks. The remaining four picks shouldn’t be used in a package for Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin or Cincinnati receiver Chad Johnson. As many as 10 offensive tackles could get first-round grades. On Day 2, Washington should take a couple gigantic defensive tackles who can be developed.
The Redskins need to shore up the offensive line so Jason Campbell can throw to the players picked last year. And the defensive line needs to be strengthened so a training camp injury doesn’t cost the team two draft picks.
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