Position review: offensive line

Heyer was supposed to be engaged in a battle all camp for the starting right tackle job. The fight never happened. Mike Williams has been hurt much of camp and Jeremy Bridges has been unimpressive.

And Heyer has continued to improve.

“He’s way ahead of everybody,” offensive line coach Joe Bugel said. “He’s a legit tackle. He deserves to be the starter. He’s been through all kinds of torment and torture by me for three years. He deserves the opportunity.

“He’s a completely different person now. It means something to him. He’s very serious.”

Heyer’s pass protection should be fine; they need him to run-block better than last season. The Redskins say so far he is better. Coach Jim Zorn said he doesn’t feel as if they can only run left, as happened early last season.

“We can go both ways and feel comfortable,” Zorn said.

Heyer still must prove that he can open the cutback lanes, something he did not do enough of when he started early last season. He does not get to the linebackers quickly enough and that bears watching throughout the season. Another thing to note: The Redskins weren’t sold enough on Heyer to prevent them from not only signing Mike Williams, but from enough people in the organization thinking he would eventually start.

Will Montgomery

6-foot-3, 305 pounds

Montgomery has looked the best of the backups all summer and has solidified himself as the backup center to Casey Rabach.

Montgomery has rarely gotten beat during the first two preseason games.

“The guy that has surfaced is Will,” Bugel said. “He’s a rough, tough guy. He’s the type of guy you have to sledgehammer to get him off the field.”

D’Anthony Batiste

6-foot-4, 314 pounds

Batiste switched from guard to right tackle vs. Pittsburgh because of injuries to the backup tackles. It now appears that’s where he’ll stay.

Though Batiste was beaten on occasion – to be expected in his first game there – Bugel liked what he saw.

“He looks like a better tackle than a guard,” Bugel said. “He is not powerful, but he’s got some good feet, so he can block the rabbit type of rusher.”

One more guy Bugel has liked is C/G Edwin Williams. Bugel likes the same thing I do about him: his butt. It was noticeable early in camp how he could anchor at center — that’s due to his, uh, generous lower half.

“He’s power-packed now; you look at his lower body and that’s the kind of body you like to have on a football player,” Bugel said.

Williams is fighting for the 10th and final spot along the line. If he doesn’t make it, he’ll easily be placed on the practice squad.