The Washington Redskins are still holding out hope that cornerstone left tackle Trent Williams will end his holdout and report to the team. However, the team could look to trade Williams in late August if they are convinced Williams will not return, according to ESPN’s John Keim.
Washington believes that’s when teams will be more desperate to find a offensive tackle.
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden told reporters Saturday he “seriously doubts” the team would trade Williams and is optimistic he will return to the team.
Williams has told friends that he is willing to sit out the entire 2019 season, if he is not traded and has continued to contend he will not play for the franchise again.
Considering the variables surrounding his absence, it’s hard to imagine what it will take to get Williams to report to camp and return to the Redskins.
The team’s medical staff misdiagnosing a growth on his head that a doctor later found serious enough to surgically remove it, is being described as the last straw that caused the strain between Williams and the team. According to a Washington Post report, Washington drafted offensive tackle Geron Christian in 2018 is where the strain began. Also, Trent Williams was not too keen on the medical staff’s handling of his thumb and knee injuries he suffered over the past two seasons.
He requested a trade on June 1, according to the Post, but the Redskins denied it. They also denied his request for a new contract with two years remaining on his $68 million deal he signed in 2015.
As there is reportedly “no end in sight” of Williams’ holdout, Washington is hoping they fines they can levy on him will force him to return. All indications, for now, show that won’t work. If push becomes shove, the Redskins may grant him his wish towards the end of the preseason.
