The Redskins announced today they have re-signed offensive lineman Lennie Friedman. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Friedman, 6-3 and 283 pounds, returns for his second season wearing burgundy and gold after playing in all 16 games during the 2003 season, starting eight. During his five seasons in the NFL, he has played in 49 games at both guard and center, with 30 starts. He originally joined the Redskins from the Denver Broncos, where he spent the first four years of his career.
Last season, Friedman stepped in for injured starting center Larry Moore in Week 10 versus Seattle (11/9/03) and immediately settled in as the starter for the final eight games. He played in just two games in 2002, backing up a starting line that helped the Broncos finish the season ranked third in the NFL in total offense. In 2000 and 2001, he played in 31 games (22 starts), earning the starting role at left guard midway through the 2000 season, showing a great deal of potential after coming off injured reserve with a knee injury sustained in 1999. The Broncos allocated Friedman to the Barcelona Dragons of NFL Europe in the spring of 2000.
The 27-year-old lineman was originally selected by Denver in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft (61st overall). He was a three-year starter at Duke University, where he earned All-ACC honors as a senior. He was a SuperPrep Top 17 and All-New Jersey pick at West Milford (N.J.) High School, where he started three years on both sides of the ball, also winning all-conference honors at defensive tackle, setting the school record with 111 tackles his junior year. He was team MVP as a junior and senior, and also found time to letter in basketball and track.
Friedman earned numerous academic honors throughout high school, including being named as a member of the National Honor Society, a National Football Hall of Fame inductee, and recipient of the Scholar Athlete Award. He holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Duke University and plans to enroll in medical school at the conclusion of his football career.
