What does Ricky Stromberg’s future in Washington look like?

We’re in the relative lull after the first wave of free agency and before the draft in a few weeks, and as I contemplate “needs” in the draft, the offensive line – particularly at tackle – is clearly a significant one. But, as I consider the current status of the rest of the line, which experienced some interesting bolstering in free agency, I’m cautiously optimistic about the interior.

After shifting Sam Cosmi around between right tackle and right guard for his first couple of years in the league, Ron Rivera finally settled on keeping Cosmi at guard before last season, a consistency and change that Cosmi appreciated:

“I really have grasped the position,” Cosmi said. “I really feel comfortable at the position right now. I could be irreplaceable between guard and tackle if they need me to.”

“It’s physical. That’s why we play O-line,” Cosmi said. “It’s the physicality, to inflict pain in others when they don’t want you to do that. I’ve really enjoyed it. Like I said, it really fits me and going forward, I just want to build on that and just make it something special.”

Cosmi rose to the occasion, and was really the only bright spot on Washington’s line last year. And he was incandescent.

That said, the rest of the line appears to be in for a near complete overhaul. Left tackle Charles Leno was cut, likely at least in part because he was having hip surgery this offseason. Saahdiq Charles walked in free agency, and while right tackle Andrew Wylie remains on the team, there’s widespread disbelief that the team would be content rolling into the 2024 season with him as the primary option at the position.

On the interior of the line, however, Washington took several steps to improve both the center and guard positions in free agency.

One of Washington’s first signings was former Cowboy center Tyler Biadasz, whom they locked up to a three year deal worth $10M/yr, indicating – to me – he’s the starting option at the position for the foreseeable future.

They also added former Texans’ center Michael Dieter as depth, on a 1-year deal, effectively backfilling the position Tyler Larsen occupied on the roster for the past couple of years.

With the Saahdiq Charles experiment officially over in DC, Washington grabbed former Chiefs’ back-up guard, Nick Allegretti on a 3-year, $5.3M/year deal. While the compensation speaks to Allegretti being a high-end depth piece, in the mold of former swing center/guard Wes Schweitzer, it sounds like he’s looking for a bigger role in Washington.

All this offseason movement has left me – and perhaps me, alone – wondering where this leaves last year’s third round pick, Ricky Stromberg. Originally drafted, presumably, as an eventual long term option at center for Washington, Stromberg took a total of 28 snaps last year before injuring his knee late in the season (turns out, most of those snaps were at right guard). Stromberg had injured his MCL in college (in 2021), and it’s not clear if this was an aggravation of that prior injury or not.

Before the 2023 draft, Stromberg was profiled at Hogs Haven by writer gavalon55, and once he was drafted, his background was explored even further.

As a senior center at Arkansas, Stromberg won the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given to the top blocking lineman in the conference, as determined by head coaches in the league. That said, Stromberg’s path to a starting center position in Washington, at least during the remainder of his rookie contract, now looks solidly blocked by Biadasz. So how will he fit in here going forward?

While he played most of his snaps with the Razorbacks at center, that wasn’t where he began in Fayetteville:

Stromberg made an immediate impact for the Razorbacks, earning a starting spot on the offensive line as a freshman, but his role was at guard. He started his first two games at left guard before moving over to the right for the final nine games.

Looking through Stromberg’s draft profiles for reference to his potential versatility on the interior of the line, I came around the following accounts:

What does show up on every rep is Stromberg’s tenacity, ability to explode off the ball, and consistency in finding the proper angle. If I’m a team that needs a rookie center to compete for a starting spot on Day 1, I’d be comfortable taking Stromberg sometime on early-to-mid Day 3. And if a franchise values his versatility even more and projects him better at guard, he could even sneak into the back end of Round 3.

Stromberg checks most boxes, has few glaring holes, and is simply solid all-around, which is what you want at the fulcrum of the offensive line — a steady hand. But he’s also scheme independent, although I believe he would thrive in a zone-heavy scheme.

Another evaluator offered:

Additionally, teams could be apt to deem him not built like the usual NFL center, which for Stromberg is fine, because he has the versatility to move to over to guard. What will truly intrigue teams interested in converting Stromberg was the ability to play both guard positions in his freshmen season without allowing a sack on a total of 417 snaps. Stromberg likely would have been a second or third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft but decided to forego the final year of his NCAA eligibility, which will still make him a likely pick in either round five or six, of the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.

So what is Stromberg’s future, if any, in Washington? Depth center? Competition for the starting left guard in 2024? Depth guard/center in 2024 and eventual right guard replacement for Cosmi in 2025 if he’s allowed to walk in free agency or moved back to tackle?

Obviously, any of this is going to hinge on his recovery from his knee injury this offseason, but I remain hopeful that the new crew in Washington will be able to take advantage of Stromberg’s skillset, and that he won’t be another one of Ron Rivera’s many personnel failures.

Tell me about your thoughts on Stromberg’s future in the comments.

Bonus Content: Stromberg has been a “Hog” for a long time