- The Washington Times - Thursday, April 23, 2020

Where will disgruntled Washington Redskins tackle Trent Williams play in 2020? Halfway through the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, it seems the possibilities are thinning out.

The Redskins are looking for a trade partner for Williams, but after Thursday’s first round, no deal was completed and the top four offensive tackles in the incoming draft class had been selected in the first 13 picks.

The New York Giants somewhat surprisingly went with Georgia’s Andrew Thomas at No. 4, the Cleveland Browns took Jedrick Wills from Alabama at No. 10, the New York Jets drafted Louisville’s Mekhi Becton at No. 11 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded up one selection to pick Tristan Wirfs from Iowa at No. 13.

The Browns were the team most consistently linked with Washington regarding Williams, with ESPN’s Josina Anderson reporting Thursday morning that trade talks between the two teams were “still open at this point.”

But between drafting a tackle at No. 10 and signing right tackle Jack Conklin in free agency, it now makes little sense for Cleveland to acquire Williams.

The Buccaneers engaged in discussions with the Redskins at some point, but a planned trade sending Williams to Tampa Bay and tight end O.J. Howard to Washington didn’t pan out. With the Buccaneers recently trading for formerly retired tight end Rob Gronkowski to reunite him with Tom Brady, the idea of moving Howard while landing a blindside protector for the 43-year-old star quarterback could have looked intriguing.

Instead, Tampa Bay grabbed Wirfs, who some projected as high as No. 4 in mock drafts. It doesn’t preclude the Buccaneers from still pursuing Williams, but they can’t be viewed as a front-runner.

The Jets have spent a ton of resources remaking their offensive line this offseason, first by signing free agent linemen George Fant, Connor McGovern and Greg Van Roten, then by drafting Becton. It wouldn’t stop them from making a run for Williams, but they haven’t been linked with Washington in rumors or reports. 

Who does that leave? Perhaps the Minnesota Vikings, where Williams would reunite with former Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Vikings expressed interest in Williams “about a month ago,” per ESPN.

It’s worth pointing out that Williams wants to be the highest-paid player at his position. As it stands, he’s set to have a cap hit of $14.5 million in 2020 before becoming a free agent. For Cleveland, New York and Tampa Bay, drafting a rookie was the less expensive, more long-term solution than giving up picks to acquire Williams, then giving him a contract extension.

Vice president of player personnel Kyle Smith said late Thursday that the Redskins were “working through” a potential Williams trade.

“It’s hard to tell,” Smith said. “You go into it hoping that something happens whenever you’re trying to get something done, but it could happen in five minutes, it could happen tomorrow, it might not happen in the next few days. It’s just something that we’re trying to work through and we’ll continue to make calls and we’ll go from there.”

Williams was given permission to seek a trade last month, and his agent later blasted the team for not making a good-faith effort to move the 31-year-old.

• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.

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