Commanders OL Saahdiq Charles Looking to Stay Healthy, Step Up in Contract Year

Saahdiq Charles is entering his fourth season with the Washington Commanders, the last year on his rookie contract.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 12, 2023

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Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders are heading into training camp with a new starting guard in fourth-year pro Saahdiq Charles.

Charles, who turns 24 next month, was a fourth-round pick by Washington in 2020, three months after he won a National Championship protecting Joe Burrow with the LSU Tigers.

However, Charles has struggled to protect his own body from injury during his professional career. He has started in just eight out of a possible 40 games in his career so far.

"We always know Saahdiq had the skillset to do it," Rivera said. "He's gotta stay healthy. That's probably the biggest thing right now for him. I mean that always seemed to be the issue. If you go back and look at the times he's played, um, something has come up whether it's been the calf, it's been the ankle, the shoulder. You just hope that he stays healthy because he has the skillset.”

If he stays healthy and performs like his coaches believe he can, it will be massive for him and the team.

Charles is a free agent at season's end, and he may not have a long future as a starting offensive lineman if he doesn't play well this season. But if he can stay healthy and give new quarterback Sam Howell some much-needed protection, he can parlay that into a long-term deal with the Commanders or another team willing to pay him millions on the open market.

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Published Jun 12, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.