Josh LeRibeus gets his shot as a starting center for the Redskins
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Version 0 of 1. Josh LeRibeus was among the 18 players remaining on the field 10 minutes after Thursday’s practice. Drenched in sweat, he took off his helmet to unwind for a moment before trotting up to the Washington Redskins locker room with the rest of the offensive line. For the second straight week in his career, the exhaustion had added significance for the charismatic lineman. “It feels like we’re getting work done,” LeRibeus said. “It feels like I’m getting better today.” It’s temporary, but LeRibeus has finally received his crack at the starting lineup after serving four seasons as an interior backup. He is expected to fill in at center for a second straight week Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Kory Lichtensteiger continues to recover from neck and shoulder injuries. [Redskins injury report: Four starters remain sidelined] LeRibeus’s second and third career starts were unexpected, but that would be the best way to sum up his career. Lichtensteiger made 53 consecutive starts at guard and center for Washington before missing Sunday’s 34-20 loss to the New York Jets. “I’ve been waiting for a while [to start], and got it a little earlier than I thought I would,” LeRibeus said. “Kory will be fine, but I’m happy to step up. . . . I didn’t know when it was going to happen. I didn’t know if it was going to be guard or center, but it worked out.” He spent the extra time after practice continuing to develop chemistry with quarterback Kirk Cousins as offensive line coach Bill Callahan watched a few yards away. LeRibeus worked on improving his snaps, an issue against the Jets, while also working on protection calls with his quarterback. “He communicated pretty well,” Redskins Coach Jay Gruden said. “Obviously, when you look at the grades of all the offensive linemen, nobody graded as an A, but for his first time playing center, there were some positive things there. But I think he can build off his performance. The biggest issue were some of the snaps. We’ve just got to get some of the snaps under control a little bit and then finishing some blocks.” LeRibeus didn’t initially know the center position as a third round pick out of Southern Methodist in 2012. Under then-coach Mike Shanahan, the rookie went through a failed experiment to learn both guard and center in the NFL. But once Callahan arrived during the offseason, he wanted LeRibeus to learn the center position again. Since the second week of offseason practices, LeRibeus has been the team’s backup center, playing all four preseason games at the position and still serving as a backup option at guard, where he has played 38 snaps so far this season. “I think in OTAs it’s a little bit of a panic, but I settled in pretty quick,” LeRibeus said. “I actually enjoy it now, and it works. You get to control everything, so they have to listen to you. You get a little bit of a superiority complex sometimes. But no, but it’s good.” The Redskins expected LeRibeus to contribute in a starting capacity long before last week’s game. He had a shot to compete for a starting job during training camp in his second season but arrived roughly 30 pounds overweight. LeRibeus was a staple on the inactive list for the entire season as a result. Last year, he played in seven games and received his first career start in Week 6 against the Jets. It was inevitably his final appearance as LeRibeus dealt with other health issues for the reminder of the year. LeRibeus regained value on the team with the arrival of Callahan, who prefers bigger offensive linemen. At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, LeRibeus had the frame for an offense that needed power blockers. He also gained versatility in the offseason with his second attempt at center, which has been a smoother transition than under Shanahan. “I knew at some point, it’s my fourth year, I kind of needed the opportunity and just trying to take advantage of it,” LeRibeus said. “The last few years, it gets tougher every week to watch the film, sit down and really just put your heart into it. I’ve been able to stay focus. I’m right there, front row, in the meeting room and Bill is always up there. No slacking.” [Callahan knows what it takes to build blocks] To make a debut at center against a stout Jets defensive line was a tough task, but it won’t get any easier staring down Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy in the trenches. He leads all defensive tackles with 41/2 sacks this season, tied for the sixth most in the NFL, and has recorded 2 1 / 2 sacks during the last two contests against the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars, McCoy brings a different challenge for the Redskins’ interior linemen given his speed and quickness of the line of scrimmage. For someone fairly new to the position facing a three-time first-team All-Pro defensive tackle, LeRibeus said he hopes those extra 10 minutes of work will pay dividends this weekend. “It really brings in these little drills we do after practice,” LeRibeus said. “These little nuances, especially with a guy like [McCoy]. You have to be on point every play.” |