When John Beck takes the field Sunday as the Washington Redskins' new starting quarterback--in place of Rex Grossman, a result of a tremendously uninteresting quarterback controversy--he may not have Trent Williams available to protect his blind side. The Redskins' left tackle sprained his right ankle last Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles and is likely to miss Washington's next two games, including this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, according to Gary Fitzgerald of Redskins.com.
Right tackle Jammal Brown could move to left tackle to take Williams' place, according to Fitzgerald, although Brown "has not taken left tackle reps in practice since 2010." Usually, it's Sean Locklear who serves as Williams' backup.
Williams, whom Washington selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, has started each of the Redskins' five games this season, and 18 out of his 19 career games overall.
Even without Williams, the Redskins ought to be able to move the ball effectively against the Panthers' weak pass rush: with nine sacks on the season, Carolina ranks No. 25 in the league. The Panthers don't defend the run well either, as no team has yielded more rushing touchdowns (eight) or rushing yards (842) than they have.
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