Ty Nsekhe Proves He Can Be The Answer At Left Tackle

Heading into Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, the Washington Redskins had some questions about their left tackle position. Ty Nsekhe answered them in impressive fashion.

When it was declared that the Redskins stud left tackle Trent Williams would be out for a month due to suspension, many were worried. Williams was arguably the best player on the Redskins offense, and his absence was going to hurt Kirk Cousins. However, on Sunday afternoon Ty Nsekhe proved that he will do just fine handling the job while Williams is out.

During the game, Nsekhe was absolutely spectacular. He was facing the Vikings, who sport one of the best defenses in the league, and many wondering if he would be able to shut down his opponent. Simply put, Nsekhe was able to do that. ESPN’s John Keim broke down Nsekhe’s performance in an article after the game:

Nsekhe shut down Everson Griffen, a guy the Redskins felt was the Vikings’ best defensive player. Nsekhe did a terrific job all game against Griffen — and it’s not as if the Redskins provided him with a lot of help. The key for Nsekhe was his power and his length. There were times Nsekhe bumped Griffen off his desired path and then used his long arms to keep him away.

This was absolutely huge for the Redskins offense. Griffen was by far the best pass rusher on the Vikings line, and Nsekhe shut him down. Considering that Nskehe is a backup, that has to be good news for the Skins. He will give them flexibility on the line, and perhaps he could even earn a starting job if he continues to play well.

Of course, that would mean that the line would have to shuffle around. Williams could possibly move to left guard with Shawn Lauvao moving to a bench role. That would only happen if the Redskins were really confident in Nsekhe’s ability. It is more likely that he would return to his swing tackle role.

Overall, Sunday’s game was a good first step for Nsekhe. He could end up being a key piece of the offensive line moving forward. He has to keep playing well to give the Redskins a chance to keep winning games.