Washington Redskins: Offensive line close to top 10 in NFL

Pro Football Focus ranked the Washington Redskins offensive line at No.11 in the NFL. That’s not bad.

The Washington Redskins offensive line has been an overall strong and stable unit for the team in recent years. And heading into the 2017 season, the group was credited for their consistency up front.

In their 2017 offensive line ranking Pro Football Focus ranked the Redskins unit 11th in the league. As part of the explanation, they offered this about Washington:

"They bring back the same starting five from a season ago and a line that had four of the same five starters in 2015. Understanding what the man next to you is going to do isn’t necessarily something we can capture in a grading system, but it certainly is important to an offensive line’s effectiveness."

Who was No. 1? The Philadelphia Eagles, a team the Redskins will play Week 1 of the 2017 NFL season.

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The Redskins offensive line was a topic of concern in years past because of the number of sacks the quarterbacks would take. However, Kirk Cousins was sacked 23 times last season, only three less than the 2015 season.

When Robert Griffin III was at the helm, he was sacked on average 30 times a season. It would be unfair to place complete blame on the offensive line, though. A lot of factors go into their performance marks. If the quarterback is slow at getting rid of that ball, or the running back is not following his blocking, the O-line can’t be held responsible.

PFF also ranked the Redskins offensive line at No. 4 in how they run their gap scheme. The Redskins run game averaged 2.3 yards before contact on gap scheme runs, gaining 4.81 yards overall per carry.

This is what happens when you can maintain a healthy, consistent bunch up front to the best of your ability. Also, let’s not forget the Redskins have Trent Williams, one of the NFL’s premier left tackles

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I think what also helps is having someone under center that the line can respect and work with. No shade thrown, but it’s a different feel to the offense. Cousins should take some credit for how those guys up front are playing.