A new twist in Washington can directly turn the Detroit Lions’ direction with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams, long the subject of trade rumors, has now officially demanded either a trade or an outright release from the Washington Redskins. The 31-year-old has been at odds with Washington management for some time and did not play in 2019 as a result of both a holdout and his recovery from skin cancer, a malady he strongly believes the team mistreated.
From Williams’ agent, Vince Taylor (via Mike Garafolo on Twitter),
Throughout the process, Williams has maintained his silence and not spoken negatively about the team nor has he pursued potential legal actions. This seems to not be a successful strategy. Players who are outwardly critical of the team do get traded.
Although Trent Williams will always love and respect Dan Snyder, his teammates, and the Washington Redskins’ fans, he wants to be traded or released. It’s time for the organization to act in a manner that is in both Williams’ and the team’s best interest.
Washington sits one spot above Detroit in the draft order. If Williams is gone, and it now appears that will be the case, it makes offensive tackle an urgent need for new head coach Ron Rivera and the Redskins. With premium talents like Andrew Thomas, Mekhi Becton and Tristan Wirfs all available, the chances of Washington taking an offensive tackle at No. 2 instead of Ohio State defensive wunderkind Chase Young increase exponentially with Williams out of the picture.
Alternately, it also makes the option for Washington to trade out of the No. 2 spot more appealing for the new regime. The Redskins do not currently have a second-round pick. They used their last three first-round picks (Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne, Montez Sweat) on defensive linemen, and have dire needs at OT (with Williams gone), CB, LB and WR to pair with Terry McLaurin.
The Williams drama makes it less likely that Washington would select Young. It also should leave them even more open to trading out of the No. 2 pick to acquire more selections later. For Detroit, it means they’ll either get a better shot at landing Young or at holding all the cards for any team that wants to trade up to No. 3 to land a quarterback.