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June 19 (UPI) -- The Washington Redskins plan to start Ereck Flowers at left guard in 2019. Flowers joined the team on a one-year deal in March in free agency. The 6-foot-6, 334-pound offensive lineman was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He had an underwhelming start to his career with the New York Giants, before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars halfway through the 2018 season.
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Flowers ranked as the No. 50 tackle in football last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Giants moved Flowers from left tackle to right tackle before cutting him five games into the 2018 campaign. Redskins assistant coach Bill Callahan said Washington plans to start Flowers at left guard.
"I see a lot of potential when we've moved tackles inside," Callahan told The Washington Post.
Callahan said the move gives the Redskins size and power at the position.
"I think those are really good traits for the running attack and pass protection," Callahan said. "He's long, he's square, obviously he can play in the short area, so those are things we kind of identified during free agency that we liked, and we are trying to fit him into that mode. So it's been a work in progress, we got a long ways to go yet, but he's made a nice transition."
The Redskins are in need of depth on the offensive line. Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams sat out for the team's off-season training program. Backup tackle Geron Christian is recovering from knee surgery. Those absences forced Flowers to spend time at tackle during minicamp.
Right guard Brandon Scheff and center Chase Roullier also are recovering from injuries, but are expected to be ready for training camp. Morgan Moses is pencilled in as the team's starting right tackle.
Flowers has a $3.2 million salary in 2019. He missed just two starts in the first three seasons of his career, before starting 13 games in 2018.
