A day after he visited a specialist in New York for further evaluation of his shoulder and elbow injuries, the Redskins placed right guard Brandon Scherff on injured reserve Tuesday — shutting him down with two games left in the season.
The Redskins also placed wide receiver Trey Quinn (concussion) and cornerback Jimmy Moreland (foot) on injured reserve.
Scherff, who will be a free agent this offseason, missed Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and on Monday, interim coach Bill Callahan revealed the 27-year-old traveled out of state to get further information on his injuries.
This season, Scherff was largely solid in passing protection — he only allowed one sack, according to Pro Football Focus — but struggled when it came to penalties. The two-time Pro Bowler has had eight penalties accepted against him in 2018, the second-most on the team.
Scherff appeared in 11 out of 14 games, also missing Weeks 4 and 5 with an ankle injury. This is the second straight year in which Scherff has landed on injured reserve as his season was also cut short in 2018 with a torn pectoral. That year, the Iowa product, who was drafted fifth overall in 2015, played in just eight games.
Scherff’s injury history will now loom over the guard’s pending free agency. The Redskins and Scherff had discussed an extension earlier this year, but were unable to reach a deal.
If Scherff reaches the market, he is expected to command top money for his position. Philadelphia’s Brandon Brooks became the highest-paid right guard (in terms of average annual value) this season when he signed a four-year, $56 million extension. Dallas’ Zack Martin also signed a six-year, $84 million deal in 2018.
The Redskins, however, could prevent Scherff from hitting free agency this offseason if they apply the franchise tag — projected to be worth $15 million over one year — by March 10.
In the meantime, rookie Wes Martin will start over Scherff for the rest of the season. Callahan came away impressed with Martin after Washington’s loss to the Eagles.
“He had two of the best rushers in our division matchup against him and I thought he fared pretty well against them,” Callahan said, noting Martin’s performance against Philadelphia’s Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham.
As for the other injuries, Moreland hurt his foot in Sunday’s contest, while Quinn has been sidelined the past few weeks with a concussion. Both players this season struggled to carry their success from training camp.
In corresponding moves, the Redskins signed cornerbacks Kayvon Webster and Coty Sensabaugh.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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