The Washington Football Team applied the franchise tag on guard Brandon Scherff for the second consecutive year because they realize he is one of the top interior linemen in the NFL.
Despite missing a lot of time with injuries since he entered the NFL in 2015, Scherff has maintained a high level of play, which resulted in a first-team All-Pro bid in 2020.
ESPN recently ranked its version of the top 10 interior offensive linemen in the NFL, and the question wasn’t if Scherff would be ranked, but where would he be ranked?
Scherff comes in at No. 3 on ESPN’s list behind Quenton Nelson and Zack Martin.
Scherff played 13 games last season — his most since 2017 — and shined in the run game with a 75.7% block win rate. One of the game’s premier guards is going on his second franchise tag and will be tough for Washington to re-sign because of his immense value and leverage.
“Great puller and very good in the run game,” an NFL coordinator said. “I’d probably put him behind those two [Nelson and Martin] in pass pro.”
Scherff did have 13 run-block whiffs, tied for most in this group. But teams are generally OK with a little overaggression here if it fuels the player’s edge.
With the deadline looming for franchise players to sign long-term deals with their current clubs, it appears unlikely Washington and Scherff will agree on a new long-term pact.
That means the 2021 season is likely Scherff’s last one in Washington. If he can stay healthy, don’t be surprised if Scherff is even better in 2021.
Leave a Reply