Washington Redskins: Not trading Trent Williams is senseless

Washington Redskins, 2020 NFL Draft (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Washington Redskins, 2020 NFL Draft (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The Washington Redskins are bottoming out, whether they mean to or not, which makes not trading Trent Williams completely incomprehensible.

After three weeks, the Washington Redskins have still not won a game in 2019. After three weeks, star left tackle Trent Williams has still not joined the Washington Redskins in 2019. And while his absence hasn’t helped matter, it’s safe to say that he would not have made too much of a difference.

Unlike what’s happening in Miami, the Redskins hoped they’d be competitive this season. But it’s clear through their 0-3 start that they aren’t. The defense has too many holes, particularly in the secondary, while the offense is just completely inconsistent and wholly lacking a rushing attack. It’s a bad situation.

Because of the hope that the team would be competitive, though, you can forgive Washington for not trading Williams as he expressed his desire to be released or traded this offseason. The hope that things would work themselves out and he would return made it worthwhile because he makes them a better team.

More from NFL Spin Zone

What’s become clear to start the 2019 season, though, is that this Redskins team isn’t going to be competitive, whether they have an All-Pro left tackle or not. Instead, this is a franchise that should be rebuilding, even if that wasn’t part of the plan. And that makes their decision to still have Trent Williams under contract all the more perplexing.

As the Dolphins were tearing things down coming into this season, they traded Laremy Tunsil for a king’s ransom, netting two first-round picks in addition to other draft capital. Williams may be older but he’s also a better and more proven offensive tackle in the NFL. They could’ve gotten at least something close to that coming into the year had they been able to identify the notion that they were going to be one of the worst teams in the NFL.

Williams’ trade value has undeniably dropped since then. He may still be able to bring Washington a first-round pick in a potential trade. But even if the price has dropped to a second- or third-round selection, you still have to do it at this point if you’re the Redskins.

This team isn’t a 31-year old left tackle away from competing. They need to build from the ground up around core pieces like Dwayne Haskins, Terry McLaurin, DaRon Payne, Landon Collins (maybe) and some others. Thus, future draft assets are worth far more to them than a player who isn’t even with the team right now.

At this point, the Redskins look like a franchise in complete denial, disregarding all sense and logic, by not trading Williams. You look around the league at teams like the Cleveland Browns or Los Angeles Chargers that have the pieces to be contenders but are lacking on the offensive line and have to wonder how Washington isn’t ready to make a deal.

If Washington doesn’t trade Trent Williams sooner rather than later, fans should be furious. This franchise is failing the future by not moving on from, again, a player who is just eating up salary cap and offering them nothing right now. This team is heading towards a top-five pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and, if they’re smart in any way, they’ll move Williams to get more selections that can actually help them build towards success moving forward.