Barring a remarkable turnaround, the 2009 Washington Redskins season is basically over. In the first of a series of articles, I look toward 2010 when the team is expected to have a new head coach, potentially a new general manager and a whole host of new players.

Very seldom does a professional football team have a position or a group of positions that are as completely screwed as the offensive line of the Washington Redskins.

The unit has been completely neglected on the old school theory that good offensive linemen aren’t drafted, but coached up and made at the professional level.

No team has ever proved this theory as well as the Washington Redskins: the Hogs were largely unheralded lunch-pail players who were coached up by then and current offensive line coach Joe Bugel. They went on to form the backbone of three teams who won the Super Bowl with three different starting quarterbacks and three different starting running backs.

Flash forward to the 21st century. The Redskins have only drafted two offensive linemen in the last five years and have only taken one higher than the third round in the last ten. Only three of the Redskins linemen currently on the roster were actually drafted by the team and only one of those since 2003. Incidentally, Chad Rinehart, the lineman in question, can’t even crack this starting lineup.

Not only has this position been neglected for the future, but it’s also in poor shape today. Two of the team’s four starting quality offensive linemen are poised to retire; Randy Thomas due to age and injuries and Chris Samuels due to spinal stenosis. The remaining pair will both be on the wrong side of 30 before next season starts; while offensive linemen can play well into their 30’s, it tends to mean more injuries and missed games.

None of the remaining players have proven themselves trustworthy for a strong offensive line. The best of the rest has clearly been Levi Jones, who joined the team just three weeks ago. He was released from the Bengals following a multitude of injuries, but has done well thus far with the Redskins.

Mike Williams is another project with some potential upside. He was one of the feel-good stories of training camp, coming to the team after losing 100 pounds and spending three years outside the league. Though he battled injuries and inconsistency, he was beginning to come around before his recent injury, which could see him out for the next several weeks. At a minimum salary, he has shown enough flashes of potential and enough past talent to merit another shot.

Stephon Heyer, Will Montgomery, Chad Rinehart and D’Anthony Batiste are all players who have seen significant time or starts this season, and none of them would even challenge for a starting spot elsewhere and may not have even made the team. All will need to be replaced.

That leaves the team with two solid starters and two players who could potentially challenge for starting jobs...and that’s it. Four players where four times that will be needed for training camp, and nine to ten for the regular season.

And none in development.

To address the situation, the team will need to draft offensive linemen early and often next season AND address it with major signings in the free agent market.

Franchise left tackles are drafted; not signed. To that end, the Redskins will need to pick one up with their first round pick. With Jones still in the fold, he could start in place of the new rookie if he shows slow development in OTAs, or move Jones to right tackle to compete there before training camp.

Washington should then follow up by grabbing a right guard in the second round, and then look for good utility linemen later in the draft; a center who can play guard and a guard/tackle as developmental projects.

This would limit the team’s exposure into free agency, where players tend to be overpaid and edging towards the downside of their careers. Still, the team would need to find an average guard who could push for playing time on the right side and a starting quality right tackle that has a season or two left in the tank to compete with Jones and Williams on the right edge. Throw in a couple more bargain free agents and the team might have something.

While many teams are inclined to start by drafting a quarterback in an overhaul, building the line makes most sense. Here are the three reasons why:

First, it takes a long time for five guys to agree on ordering pizza toppings, let alone getting in completely in sync to block.

Second, a team with Peyton Manning at quarterback and Barry Sanders at running back couldn’t do much behind the team’s current line and with no one currently in development, it’s not going to get better fast.

Third, if you do want to have a rookie quarterback, wouldn’t you want to protect that $80 million investment with the best body guards available?