NFL Team Previews: Washington Redskins
Last season was a season that surprised a lot of folks outside of Washington, where head coach Jay Gruden and general manager Scot McCloughan led the team to a 9-7 record and first place in the NFC East. Now, after an offseason where the Redskins see massive improvement in the secondary, one of their weaknesses last season, the Redskins look to keep the division title this season, and avoid an early exit in the playoffs.
DRAFT RECAP: I like the Josh Doctson pick, especially with DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon in the fold. It allows him to sort of ease into the process this season, and lets the Redskins move on from either Jackson or Garcon after the season. The Redskins took him in between Will Fuller and Laquon Treadwell, and I think he'll have the best career of the three. He has drawn AJ Green comparisons, who is a top 5 receiver in this league. Then, the Redskins mainly stuck to defense, by selecting S Su'a Cravens in the second round and CB Kendall Fuller in the third. Cravens is what the Redskins hope will be a Deone Bucannon-type player, a safety who converted to inside linebacker who can cover and provide speed at the position. Fuller is in a different situation, as he tore his meniscus last year and hopes to be ready by training camp. He is the brother of Bears CB Kyle Fuller, and Kendall was a fringe first rounder prior to the injury.
FREE AGENCY: I think it would be safe to say that the Redskins goal of the offseason was to improve their secondary. They drafted Fuller, brought in SS David Bruton from the Denver Broncos for three seasons. Bruton was a backup, but it was to one of the best safeties in football. They also brought in CB Greg Toler from the Colts, and he is projected to start opposite Josh Norman. Yes, Josh Norman and his contract situation fell out of favor with the Carolina Panthers, causing him to fire his agent, and move to the Redskins for $15 million a season. This is one of the biggest pickups of the offseason, and now we get to see him matchup with Odell Beckham Jr. twice a year. I wonder if he planned that...Anyways, the Redskins also brought in DE Kendall Reyes from San Diego, and TE Vernon Davis from the Denver Broncos.
PLAYERS LOST: The Redskins let the aging DE Jason Hatcher walk, and he's still available if needed. Unsigned free agents FS Dashon Goldson and CB Chris Culliver are also still available, but with all the additions they are likely not needed. As far as players switching teams, DT Terrance Knighton and DE Frank Kearse joined the New England Patriots. RB Alfred Morris went to the rival Dallas Cowboys, although he shouldn't be that devastating with the addition of #4 pick Ezekiel Elliott. ILB Keenan Robinson left to join the another division rival in the New York Giants, and QB Robert Griffin III is finally gone, and his tumultuous era in Washington is over. He now is fighting for a starting job with incumbent Josh McCown in Cleveland.
STRONGEST POSITION: Despite all of the additions to the secondary, I'm not going with them for strongest position. In my mind, it was a debate between pass rushers and pass catchers, and I went with the catchers. TE Jordan Reed is a top 3 tight end in football right now, and he scored 11 touchdowns in 14 games to prove it. He is also backed up by former Pro Bowler Vernon Davis and Niles Paul. I've already mentioned the big three at wide receiver, and if Josh Doctson proves me right that he is the best wideout (at least among first rounders) in the draft, this passing game becomes scary.
WEAKEST POSITION: I'm going with the running game here. This running game was already "meh" before losing Alfred Morris to the Cowboys, and now he's gone and they brought in no replacements. A lot of people are high on Matt Jones and Chris Thompson, but last year Matt Jones got his biggest workload yet and didn't put up huge numbers. This running game is still needed to be effective to draw people away from QB Kirk Cousins and the passing game, especially because I think Cousins had his year and is due for a step back.
FIVE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS TO THE REDSKINS SUCCESS: QB Kirk Cousins, TE Jordan Reed, NT Chris Baker, CB Josh Norman, OLB Ryan Kerrigan. I don't understand why 12 good games by Cousins warrants him a huge extension. If I were the Redskins, I'd wait until the offseason and then offer him money before he's allowed to negotiate with other teams. That said, his success is the offense's success, and his main target is still TE Jordan Reed. NT Chris Baker is the anchor of this defense, and when a nose tackle is able to get 53 tackles and 6 sacks in a season, it shows how effective and important he is to the defense. CB Josh Norman is one of the best corners, and is expected to take this defense to new heights. Finally, OLB Ryan Kerrigan is a mainstay at OLB, and had 9.5 sacks last year to lead the Redskins.
PREDICTION: This division is one of the toughest to predict, mainly because you can make a solid case for the Redskins, Cowboys, and Giants. That said, it seems that the NFC East rotates divisional winners year by year, that among many other reasons why I don't think the Redskins will win the division (wait for the Giants article next). I think the 6-10 to 9-7 range is fair for the Redskins, seeing that they overachieved last season and are still a running game and a couple extra pieces away.
