What the Commanders plan on doing at center without Roullier originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Washington Commanders will likely be without starting center Chase Roullier for the foreseeable future.
“From preliminary conversations, Chase will probably have to go on short-term IR, minimum,” head coach Ron Rivera told reporters via Zoom on Monday.
Roullier suffered a lower leg injury late in the fourth quarter during Sunday’s 36-27 loss to Detroit. The injury appeared to occur after a Lions defender blocked him in such a direction that he awkwardly tumbled over right tackle Sam Cosmi, who was already on the ground.
After the play, Roullier was seen grabbing his knee while he was attended to by Washington’s training staff.
It’s worth noting that Roullier was favoring his right knee, not his left. Last fall, Roullier suffered a fractured fibula in his left leg, an injury that prematurely ended his season.
With Roullier sidelined, Rivera said the plan is for veteran Wes Schweitzer — who missed Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury — to fill in as the team’s starting center. Trai Turner, who started in place of Schweitzer at right guard on Sunday, should remain at that position moving forward.
Backing up Schweitzer will be Wes Martin, a fourth-round pick by Washington in 2019 who rejoined the organization this offseason. Martin was released during final roster cuts but added to the Commanders’ practice squad one day later. Martin was elevated to the active roster this past Sunday and played one snap.
Third-year veteran Saahdiq Charles will be Washington’s “emergency” plan at center, Rivera added. Jon Toth, who’s currently on the Commanders’ practice squad, is “another guy we can pop up,” the head coach said.
