Trent Williams and the Washington Redskins’ relationship is fractured. Maybe not to the level described in a Jason La Canfora report, but to the level that is keeping the cornerstone left tackle away from the team.
Multiple reports have pointed to Williams being upset with the way the team’s medical staff handled a growth that developed on his head, and was later removed during the off-season. However, Williams relationship with the Redskins began to strain, from Williams perspective, when the team drafted tackle Geron Christian in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, according to Jerry Brewer of the Washington Post.
The fracturing began about 15 months ago with what seemed like the most innocuous decision. On April 27, 2018, the Redskins used a third-round pick to draft tackle Geron Christian No. 74 overall. Christian has turned out to be a raw prospect, one probably drafted too high, but this is where Williams started to stray mentally.
According to Brewer’s sources, Williams felt the Redskins had a more urgent need at left guard with Morgan Moses locked at right tackle, and he at left tackle. The drafting of Christian perplexed Williams into wondering if Christian was drafted to replace him. Washington just made a five-year commitment to Moses and right guard Brandon Scherff is due a large payday after this season.
Williams, who is 31 years of age, has dealt with multiple injuries of the course of the past three seasons
Then the medical issue with the growth on his scalp occurred, in which he felt the team mishandled. Williams asked for a trade and a new deal for financial security beyond 2020 when his current $68 million deal expires.
While Washington has denied a CBS Sports report that the relationship between the Redskins and Williams is “totally fractured” they’ve operated, as a team should, with the thoughts that Williams won’t return, signing veteran left tackle Donald Penn to a one-year deal to join Christian for depth.
Penn told reporters Wednesday, he signed with the thoughts of starting after he spoke with Williams.
An NFL Network report suggested Williams’ holdout has “no end in sight” and with each passing day, a solution to resolving the issue is more complex.
Multiple reports have suggested that the Redskins have had discussions with other teams about trading Trent Williams, putting more doubt into him returning to the Redskins.
