The Washington Redskins lost more than just the game Sunday versus the Atlanta Falcons. They announced on Monday that three of their offensive starters, right guard Brandon Scherff, left guard Shawn Lauvao and wide receiver Paul Richardson, are now on the injured reserve list and will miss the rest of the season. Washington signed guards Luke Boawanko and Jonathan Cooper and offensive tackle Austin Howard to fill the holes left behind by the injured linemen.
The Redskins announced the injury news on Twitter
Gruden says G Brandon Scherff (torn pectoral), G Shawn Lauvao (torn ACL) and WR Paul Richardson Jr. (AC joint) will all have surgery and miss the remainder of the 2018 season.
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) November 5, 2018
They announced the signings soon thereafter
#Redskins sign G Luke Bowanko, G John Cooper and T Austin Howard.
In a corresponding move, they place G Shawn Lauvao, WR Paul Richardson Jr. and G Brandon Scherff onto Injured Reserve. https://t.co/J0KRQZtQCt pic.twitter.com/5qcRquXxGL
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) November 5, 2018
Right guard Brandon Scherff tore his left pectoral muscle. The two-time pro-bowler has started all but two games since getting drafted 5th overall in 2015 by Washington. On the other side of the line, starting left guard Shawn Lauvao tore his ACL. Lauvao started five games this season missing some time due to a calf injury. The line was already missing their pro bowl tackle Trent Williams, who was out for the game with an injured thumb.
Washington signed three linemen in hopes to pick up the slack left behind by the injuries. Guards Luke Bowanko and Jonathan Cooper and tackle Austin Howard were all free agents cut by teams at the end of training camps this season. Jonathan Cooper started 13 games with the Dallas Cowboys last season while Austin Howard started all 16 games for the Baltimore Ravens. Luke Bowanko started only one game for the Ravens last year. Replacing the two injured linemen at the halfway point of the year will be a herculean task. Doing so while the status of your pro bowl tackle is still up in the air may be impossible.
As if the deteriorating health of the offensive line wasn’t enough, the Redskins also placed their starting wide receiver Paul Richardson on IR with an AC Joint injury in his shoulder. Richardson leads the Skins receivers in yards and team in receiving touchdowns. But his numbers aren’t gaudy by any means with 262 yards and 2 touchdowns on the year. It can be argued that the tight-end dependent offense may not miss the lackluster production of Richardson. On the other hand, he was their best receiver up to this point of the year and while his stats may not impress, the lack of any receivers with better numbers on the team indicates a major loss on an already weak position.
In total, the lost is a big blow to a Washington team whose lead of the NFC East is down to one game. Washington recently traded for Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at the NFL trade deadline in an effort to maintain control and add to that lead. Their new problems on the offensive line and to the wide receiving core may be too much to overcome in a tight division that had the Philadelphia Eagles add standout WR Golden Tate to close the gap in the division standings.
