Washington Football Team: Return of Ereck Flowers underrated

Ereck Flowers returning to the Washington Football Team is a severely underrated move that should help the offense reach its potential.

The Washington Football Team made plenty of moves this offseason. They signed a new quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick. They also got him some new weapons, signing Curtis Samuel and drafting Dyami Brown. Meanwhile, the defense was bolstered with veteran additions of William Jackson III and Bobby McCain. Rookies were also brought in through the draft to help the defense, such as first-round pick Jamin Davis.

One move that went by with little fanfare, though, was reacquiring offensive lineman Ereck Flowers.

Flowers was drafted by the NFC East division rival New York Giants with the ninth overall pick back in 2015. He looked utterly lost though, the offensive tackle quickly got a reputation as a major bust. After 3.5 seasons, his time with the Giants was over. Flowers then spent half a season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In 2019, he joined the Washington Football Team. A move that made zero waves other than fans of other teams in the division laughing at the acquisition. Flowers was basically seen as a turnstile, a backup at best that you probably didn’t want seeing the field.

Washington saw something in him, though, and moved him inside to a guard position. There, Flowers dominated. He was absolutely fantastic, a brick wall. Starting in all 16 games (played in 100 percent of the team’s offensive snaps), not only was he amazing in the run game, but his pass blocking had improved dramatically. The move inside clearly helped to highlight all the positives of his game.

Now, if you weren’t a fan of Washington, you probably didn’t realize just how good Flowers was doing. After all, offensive linemen don’t usually get all that much hype unless it’s negative if we’re being honest. If they’re doing their job right, they won’t be talked about outside of the organization and its fans. Barring the occasional massive pancake or a great block downfield, ESPN and other news sources aren’t going to be showing highlights of an offensive guard anytime soon.

That’s why it was so surprising to see Washington let Flowers leave after the 2019 season. He signed a three-year contract with the Miami Dolphins in the offseason. In 2020, Flowers continued his strong play. He started 14 games and got another fanbase to realize he’s no longer that bust that looked lost on the field.

Then this offseason, Washington traded with Miami to get their offensive guard back. They didn’t even have to give up much; in fact, you could argue it was a steal. Washington gave up just a seventh-round draft pick and, in return, got Flowers and a seventh-round draft pick back. This is massive for Washington. They didn’t exactly have a superstar offensive line in 2020. Flowers fills a hole.

You could argue it was a strange move for the Dolphins. Maybe Flowers wasn’t as good as they were hoping though and they felt the price tag was too much. Washington has seen what he could do though.

There’s a strong case to be made that in 2019, Flowers was one of the best offensive guards in the NFL. He was certainly one of the best offensive lineman on the Washington roster that year. Now they’ve got him back, and for an absurdly cheap price on the trade.

Flowers gives them a veteran presence. He’s someone that has proven he can play in Washington and gives the team a reason to trust him.

At the very least, Ereck Flowers has been a reliable guard for the last two seasons, and has been able to stay healthy for a hefty majority of his career. He is an immediate upgrade for the Washington Football Team – filling one of the few holes that they really even have anymore.

This is one of those moves that won’t get much fanfare because not only is it an offensive lineman (extremely important position but never the flashy move/trade/draft pick/etc.), but one that isn’t seen as a star.

However, Flowers might be the piece that secures a playoff spot for the Washington Football Team. Protecting Fitzpatrick and stud young running back Antonio Gibson is vital to this team’s success in 2021. Flowers can do that.