Donald Penn spoke to Trent Williams before signing with Washington

[Hogs]

Getty Images

Donald Penn met the media for the first time since signing with Washington and he said he spoke to the player he’s projected to replace in the lineup before agreeing to terms with the team.

Left tackle Trent Williams has not reported to camp and is reportedly upset about how the team handled a medical situation this offseason. There was a report this week that the relationship is fractured and that Williams does not intend to play for them again, although the team denied that things have deteriorated to that point.

They’ve reached a point where the team felt the need to sign Penn, who called Williams a good friend and said they had a long talk before Penn signed this week. Penn kept the details private, but said he wants to play left tackle and he wants to be a starter so one could do some dot connecting about what Williams might have told him about his plans for the immediate future.

Penn moved to right tackle after the Raiders drafted Kolton Miller last year, but only played four games before landing on injured reserve. He was a starting left tackle in Oakland and Tampa before that move.