As many teams experience this time of year, the Washington Redskins are hurting.
In their Week 9 game against Seattle, the Redskins were missing four offensive linemen, and Kirk Cousins got sacked six times in the team’s 17-14 win against the Seahawks.
Each of Washington’s injured linemen are listed as questionable on the injury report, meaning the Redskins could again be leaning on a couple of backups whom Minnesotans might recognize.
Former Vikings tackle T.J. Clemmings has filled in the last two games at left tackle with injuries to Trent Williams and Ty Nsekhe. Clemmings was released by the Vikings when the roster was trimmed to 53 and picked up by Washington for depth.
The former fourth-round pick was thrown into the action quickly with the Redskins, just as he was with the Vikings. Clemmings started 30 of 32 games during his two years in Minnesota due to injured starters. In 2016, he was ranked 124th in pass blocking efficiency by Pro Football Focus and gave up nine sacks, tied for the league lead.
This year, Clemmings is 96th in pass blocking efficiency, though he’s only taken part in 91 pass-blocking snaps. Against the Seahawks, he surrendered two sacks to Dwight Freeney — one on an outside rush and another on an inside spin move. On Sunday, he may be facing off with the formidable Everson Griffen, who is listed as questionable but is likely to play with a foot injury.
Clemmings said he isn’t concerned about facing his former team.
“I ain’t gonna make it more than what it is,” Clemmings told The Washington Post. “It’s a game. I will just play and worry about what I gotta worry about. But I ain’t going to get into all that, whether they drafted me. It’s the same as the week before, week after. It’s just a game.”
Another familiar name could be playing for the Redskins at center. Burnsville High School alum Chase Roullier, a rookie, has started the last two games and performed admirably, allowing just two pressures in 103 pass-blocking snaps.
Roullier graduated from Burnsville in 2012, then went on to get All-Mountain West honors three times at Wyoming. He was a sixth-round pick in the 2017 draft.
While normal starting center Spencer Long may return from a knee injury, Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said that Long may play right guard instead if Brandon Scherff remains inactive with his own knee injury, meaning Roullier would stay at center.
Zimmer said the team has scouting reports on each player — the healthy, and the injured — and that they’ll be ready for whoever they face.
“They went in there,” said Zimmer, “and played their rear ends off last week against Seattle with a bunch of different guys.”
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