Stephon Heyer chases Seattle's Marcus Trufant. Heyer was an undrafted free agent in 2007, but made the Washington Redskins' active roster as a rookie. (AP photo / January 5, 2008) |
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ASHBURN, Va. -
- Right tackle was supposed to be the must-watch position battle for the Washington Redskins through training camp and preseason. Which of the three candidates would replace longtime favorite Jon Jansen? Would the winner be a sufficient anchor on a line that didn't perform well in the second half of last season?
The battle turned into a no-contest. Partly by default, partly through performance, Stephon Heyer will start Sept. 13 when the Redskins open the regular season at the New York Giants. The third-year player who wasn't drafted out of Maryland has shown more than the veterans brought in to compete against him.
"Stephon Heyer's way ahead of everybody, man," offensive line coach Joe Bugel said Tuesday. "He's a legit tackle. He's improved tremendously. This is his third year. He's been through all kind of torment and torture by me for three years. He deserves this opportunity. He's taking advantage of it."
Right tackle looked to be a four-way contest until late May, when the Redskins decided that age and injuries had caught up with Jansen and released him. Having failed to address the position in the draft or with a significant free-agent signing, the front office put its faith into a trio of contenders: Heyer, Mike Williams and Jeremy Bridges.
Heyer has been setback-free. He's stronger and more flexible after spending part of the offseason in a workout program in Arizona with teammates Chris Samuels, Derrick Dockery and Williams. In addition, he's no longer being yo-yoed from left tackle to right tackle and back - his previous 12 starts over two seasons came at whichever position had an injury.
"I would not say he's there by default," coach Jim Zorn said. "He's taken every opportunity to step in there and not look back. He hasn't looked over his shoulder."
The battle turned into a no-contest. Partly by default, partly through performance, Stephon Heyer will start Sept. 13 when the Redskins open the regular season at the New York Giants. The third-year player who wasn't drafted out of Maryland has shown more than the veterans brought in to compete against him.
"Stephon Heyer's way ahead of everybody, man," offensive line coach Joe Bugel said Tuesday. "He's a legit tackle. He's improved tremendously. This is his third year. He's been through all kind of torment and torture by me for three years. He deserves this opportunity. He's taking advantage of it."
Right tackle looked to be a four-way contest until late May, when the Redskins decided that age and injuries had caught up with Jansen and released him. Having failed to address the position in the draft or with a significant free-agent signing, the front office put its faith into a trio of contenders: Heyer, Mike Williams and Jeremy Bridges.
Heyer has been setback-free. He's stronger and more flexible after spending part of the offseason in a workout program in Arizona with teammates Chris Samuels, Derrick Dockery and Williams. In addition, he's no longer being yo-yoed from left tackle to right tackle and back - his previous 12 starts over two seasons came at whichever position had an injury.
"I would not say he's there by default," coach Jim Zorn said. "He's taken every opportunity to step in there and not look back. He hasn't looked over his shoulder."
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