With the whole Trent Williams saga occuring, the Redskins needed to fill a major void at left tackle on the offensive line if Williams was not going to return. Well, they may have found their answer as they have signed free agent Donald Penn. Penn should be the starter for the Burgundy and Gold this season, but if Williams was to return from his holdout, Penn would be a quality backup.
Penn has had a very good NFL career as he has been a three time Pro Bowler (2010, 2016, 2017) in his 12-year career. He went undrafted in 2006 and then signed with the Minnesota Vikings. When Minnesota released him later that season, he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played with them through 2013. Penn would later sign with the Oakland Raiders in 2014 and played for them through 2018 before being released this offseason.
The Redskins do have a good offensive line, but losing Williams does hurt a lot. That being said, while Penn is 36 years old, he still should be able to provide some quality play there with his experience and while he might not be as good as Williams, he should be decent enough. However, if Williams theoretically does come back, Penn would be a useful backup if anyone was to get injured or could be used as a swing tackle on certain plays, something that was needed after Ty Nsekhe left this offseason. This signing is a win-win for the team.
While it would be better off for the Redskins to try and work out the Williams contract situation, they at least can feel comfortable enough that Penn could still play decently enough. While he is not likely to return for 2020, he might be a nice stop gap. However, this was an excellent signing for the club and might help pave the way for Geron Christian to become a starter.
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