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Washington Redskins
I listed my top ten combinations of offensive and defensive lines a couple of weeks ago and to the surprise of some, I wrapped things up with the Redskins at number ten. At their best, however, I believe the ‘Skins are a physical, punch-you-in-the-mouth football team. They are built to win in the trenches and last year they were decimated by injuries on both the offensive and defensive front.
The O-line was in constant flux and last year’s first-round pick Jonathan Allen was lost for the season five games into his rookie campaign, after imposing his will early on. The big change for this team is under center, letting Kirk Cousins walk after acquiring 14-year veteran Alex Smith from Kansas City. Overall I don’t think they improved that much at the position, but Smith is coming off his best season as a pro and he seems to handle late-game situations a little better.
His receiving corp might not look as impressive on paper right now without guys like Terrelle Pryor, Pierre Garcon or DeSean Jackson, but Josh Doctson was a justified first-round pick two years ago, Jamison Crowder might have made some mistakes last year but also showed a lot of potential, Paul Richardson was a big-play machine for Seattle and if Jordan Reed could ever stay healthy, he could take over some games.
I thought Derrius Guice was the number two running back available in the draft and he slid to them in the second round. I could easily see him leading all rookies in rushing yards behind this offensive line, with his extremely physical running style. On defense, I already mentioned J. Allen and he will be reunited with his buddy from Alabama in Da’Ron Payne. Overall, Washington’s front-seven looks very impressive with the likes of the steadily underrated Ryan Kerrigan, another double-digit sack threat in Preston Smith and 2016 second-team All-Pro Zach Brown.
Those guys could set the tone in a lot of contests. On the backend, they bring an interesting combination of experience, leadership, play-making and most of all attitude. Their undisputed leader is D.J. Swearinger, who stepped into that role in his first year with the Redskins. He brings that swagger, that Josh Norman can write a book about. The trash-talking cornerback might have taken a step back last season, but he still is a constant threat to undercut routes and knock balls loose. Orlando Scandrick is coming over from division-rival Dallas and gives them another guy with veteran leadership, plus I expect second-year man Fabian Moreau to look like a steal, given that he fell to the third round due to an injury a year ago. The Super Bowl champs look very strong once again and both the Cowboys and Giants should improve, but don’t overlook the nation’s capital.
