Washington has placed the franchise tag on Judge Guard Brandon Scherff for the second consecutive year, the team announced Monday evening.
Scherff will receive $ 18.03 million in the 2021 season – a 20% increase from last season. But Washington still hopes to make a long-term deal with him. It has until July 15 to do so, and one source described the talks as amicably so.
Scherff, who turned 29 in December, played on the franchise tag last season, making $ 15.03 million. He also became the first Washington player to be named a first-team All-Pro since punter Matt Turk in 1996. Scherff has made four Pro Bowls, including the last two.
Coaches liked how Scherff played indoors, but also how well he blocked the screen game along the way.
But injuries were also a problem. Scherff hasn’t played all 16 games since 2016 and has missed a total of 18 games in the past four years. He ended up in the injured reserve in 2017 and ’18.
Washington selected Scherff with the fifth overall pick in the 2015 draft, with the intention of being the first to try a good tackle. But Washington moved him to court guard early in his first camp and put Morgan Moses tackling, creating a strong tandem on the right.
While in Iowa, Scherff was named the Outland Trophy winner as the nation’s top offensive lineman in 2014.