Brandon Scherff retires with legendary status in Washington history

Brandon Scherff’s arms were too short — 5/8ths of an inch short of the magical 34 inches that NFL teams want in an offensive tackle. So during training camp in his rookie season with the now-Washington Commanders, he was moved to guard.

That came as a disappointment to Washington fans who had been initially sold on the idea that the team had just secured its bookend tackles for years to come. Trent Williams arrived with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2010 draft and began routinely making the Pro Bowl by 2012. Scherff, who came with the No. 5 overall selection in 2015, was supposed to do the same thing on the right side.

But there was that arm issue. So Washington would have to settle for a perennial Pro Bowl-caliber guard instead.

Brandon Scherff was one of Washington’s most decorated offensive linemen

Scherff, who announced his retirement this week, handled the position switch pretty well. Morgan Moses, who had been something of a disappointment during his rookie season in 2014, took over at right tackle. They would form the right side of the line for the next six seasons. In the first and last of those, Washington went to the playoffs.

After his rookie season, Scherff would make the Pro Bowl five out of the next six seasons. His only miss came in 2018, when a torn pectoral muscle limited him to half a campaign.

Injuries would hound Scherff throughout his time in D.C. After starting every game in his first two seasons, he missed 24 contests over the next five years. That didn’t stop him from being voted into the Pro Bowl. He was continually recognized as one of the league's elite guards. But it began to put a strain on his relationship with the club.

After picking up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, both sides expressed a desire to negotiate a long-term extension. But it never came to pass. After two consecutive franchise tag seasons drove his price very high, Scherff left via free agency for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022.

In hindsight, a couple of things seem obvious. First, Scherff was fed up with the dysfunctional franchise run by Dan Snyder and had no intention of staying. Though he never said it publicly, it’s hard to imagine that this impression was not significantly impacted by the travails of his Pro Bowl teammate, Williams.

Williams went through a protracted conflict with the team over the treatment of a medical situation. He ended up essentially sitting out an entire season before forcing a trade in 2020. The ugly affair caused some veteran players to question the franchise’s methods.

It may be pure coincidence, but during his three seasons in Jacksonville, Scherff never missed a game. He logged 51 consecutive starts. His Pro Bowl days were in the past, but he remained a quality, professional lineman. A lot of teams in need of interior line help were interested in acquiring the free agent this offseason.

When he remained unsigned, the common wisdom was that Scherff was just waiting for the right situation. Perhaps he wanted a particular team. Or a club with a chance at a deep playoff run. Perhaps he was just waiting for the right financial deal. Speculation was rampant.

It appears that Scherff was deciding whether he still wanted to play football. That answer turned out to be no.

He retires with 140 NFL games on his resume — all starts at right guard. Five Pro Bowls in 10 seasons. Eighty-nine of those games, and all five Pro Bowls, came as a member of the Washington franchise.

Historically, he slots in just behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Russ Grimm on the club’s list of guards. You might place him third, behind Dick Stanfel, but I have him second.

Stanfel only played three years in Washington in the late 1950s before retiring. Scherff is not going to Canton, but he was in Washington twice as long and performed at an elite level the entire time.

It should have been longer.

Scherff, like Williams, should have ended his career in Washington, where it began. Had the previous ownership group not been so incompetent, that may have happened.

Then again, his arms should have been longer, too. Then he might have been that Pro Bowl right tackle. As it turned out, even with the shorter arms and shorter tenure in D.C, Scherff was one of Washington's best players during a dark period.

He should be remembered as such.

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