Bill Callahan preaches ‘next man up’ mentality for offensive line

There’s one phrase in the English language which is used by coaches more than any other, no matter the sport: “Next man up.”

So for Washington Redskins offensive line coach Bill Callahan to preach the ‘next man up’ philosophy when talking about what the team plans to do up front is nothing out of the ordinary. It’s how they should go about replacing left tackle Trent Williams while he continues his holdout.

The Redskins are signing veteran tackle Donald Penn in the mean time, and according to ESPN’s John Keim, they worked out four more lineman after practice on Tuesday. At this point in time, the name of the game is depth.

Bill Callahan on Trent Williams situation: "It's next man up philosophy so guys are getting developed. …We're mixing and matching a lot of guys. With guys coming back from injuries it's good to add more depth with Donald."

— John Keim (@john_keim) July 30, 2019

OL Coach Bill Callahan on Donald Penn: "Hopefully we can settle Ereck inside now with Donald coming. I feel good about depth at G with Ereck and Wes beginning to be developed. Donald gives us another LT we can work and hopefully we get Trent back."

— John Keim (@john_keim) July 30, 2019

While Williams continues to hold out, and the team continues to hope for his return, there will be a lot of time to focus on the next man up, and getting him ready for action. At this point, there isn’t any other choice.