RICHMOND, Va. — Defensive lineman Kedric Golston was drafted by Joe Gibbs and the Redskins in the sixth round back in 2006. He’s now the longest tenured Redskin and has seen a lot during his time in D.C. He learned from day one how competitive this league was and what he needed to do to stick around for a while.
“When I came in the league it was Joe Gibbs, Greg Williams and Greg Blache,” Golston said. “That’s what it was all about, going in day in and day out and competing. It’s up to you to decide how long you want to be here.”
Entering his 11th year, his teammates now refer to him as “Uncle Ked.”
“It comes from a sign of respect, these guys have been good to me,” he said. “I embrace it, because it wasn’t that many years ago that I was calling Phillip Daniels ‘Uncle Phil’ and getting on his nerves.”
Golston doesn’t mind the role of seasoned veteran at all.
“It’s a good position to be in, because I’ve been fortunate enough to see young players develop and to be super productive players, all the while still trying to develop my own craft and be the best player I can be.”
As the uncle, he’s got names for some of the younger guys too.
“[Will] Compton is nephew, Shawn Lauvao falls into the cousin category,” he said. “There’s a tier system.”
Players do look up to him as the veteran, but also like to have a little fun and let him know just how long he’s been around.
“First of all, he is old,” Compton said. “Older than this training camp we have in Richmond. Very wise. Got great words of encouragement. Always has great one-liners. Big man of his faith. Big family guy. Just a great dude to be around, because he always has some kind of input that will challenge your thinking.”
Now 33, Golston doesn’t see himself stopping anytime soon.
“I’m gonna keep going, I feel good,” he said. “I feel healthy, just trying to stay in shape and give it all I got. For the most part I’ve had my injuries but I’ve been pretty much healthy. Just really enjoying it and have a ton of fun doing it.”
He’s been on three separate teams that have made playoff appearances and is now trying to get back for a second consecutive year. He sees the potential this team has and hopes to build on last year’s division title.
“We’re confident, but we also understand that what we did last year doesn’t buy us anything this year. We’re confident because we know we have a lot of guys that enjoy playing football and enjoy the process to go through to win football games.”
Golston, along with the other veteran leaders, will make sure the team knows there’s plenty of work to do.
“We understand we’ve got a long way to go to be who we think we can be.”
