Washington Redskins 2018 Preview

Washington Redskins 2018 Preview

Opening Statement: Jay Gruden enters his 5th season as coach of the Redskins, and his best season as coach was a 9 win season. He has to firmly on the hot seat entering the 2018 season, but as usual, chaos reigns at Redskins Park. Gruden is just 28-36-1 as head coach, and has coached just one playoff game, a loss. He is now without Kirk Cousins, as that drama finally ended when Cousins inked a deal with Minnesota. In comes Alex Smith, the proverbial journeyman who's career has been imbued with nothing but constant change. It would seem that with every patched hole this off-season, a new one tore open, so the staff has to find a way to stabilize a franchise that has seen nothing but instability in the era of Daniel Snyder as owner.

Quarterback Breakdown
Enter Alex Smith, as the Redskins acquired him via trade with the Chiefs in a move that was bold, and somewhat dumb on the Chiefs end, but more on that another day. Smith was immediately inked to a contract extension, so Smith finally gets to feel some love in a career that has largely been devoid of it for someone of his overall ability.

Colt McCoy was given a slight contract extension recently, and should serve as the backup, but Kevin Hogan is going to push him for that role in camp. Hogan could certainly end up as the 3rd QB on the roster, with the shot to be the backup coming in 2019.

Running Back Breakdown
Samaje Perine should be the starter, but he now has competition in rookie Derrius Guice, and there should be a battle between the 2 for carries in camp. Perine left that door open when he averaged just 3.4 yards per carry last season while rushing for just 603 yards and one score. Guice is a bruiser with speed to burn, and should create a solid option for a position that was nothing short of abysmal last season.

Chris Thompson was just starting to show a little pop in the run game when he broke his leg in week 11. He returns as a backup option after averaging 4.6 yards per carry, which led the team. Rob Kelley, Byron Marshall, and Keith Marshall also all ended last season on IR, and every one of them has concerns as to whether or not they will be breaking camp with this team. Kapri Bibbs was a late season pickup, but has not gotten close to proving he can cut it yet.

Receiver Breakdown
Josh Docston was healthy for the first time last season, and had a decent year, but he still has a lot yet to prove on this level. Paul Richardson was signed as a free agent, and he brings a speed game that the Redskins lacked last season, but has not produced on a consistent level to this point. Jamison Crowder is the best receiving option on the roster out of the SLOT, and should be the go to guy once again in 2017.

Maurice Harris backs up Docston, but did little last season after being brought in as a free agent before last fall. Robert Davis is expected to back up Crowder when camp begins, but spent only 4 weeks active last season, and did not catch a pass. Brian Quick backs up Richardson, but caught just 6 passes after being brought over from the Rams as a free agent last season. He caught 41 passes in 2016 with the Rams.

Trey Quinn led all college receivers with 114 receptions at SMU last season, but is a long shot to make the final roster.

Tight End Breakdown
Jordan Reed is coming off of his worst season as a pro, and needs to produce, or 2018 will be his final season in Washington. Vernon Davis, the former 49er, is back as the TE2, and was good for 648 yards last season. He is a solid option if Reed cannot stay on the field. Jeremy Sprinkle is the 3rd TE, and a primary blocker in jumbo sets. He is essentially a 3rd tackle. Manasseh Garner was active for just one game last season after spending most of the season on the Practice Squad, and will likely be a camp cut.

Offensive Line Breakdown
Trent Williams is back as the starting LT for Washington, and played hurt a chunk of last season. He should be good to go to start this season. Morgan Moses also played mostly hurt last season at RT, and had off-season ankle surgery. He should be good to go as well. Non roster invitee Cameron Jefferson is tabbed as the backup at LT heading into camp, while Tyler Catalina is looking at a move to Tackle in camp, but he should also be a primary backup at OG. Look for rookie Geron Christian to move up the depth chart quickly in camp, and become a key piece to the Tackle rotation. Ty Nsehke could shift inside to OG, but has strong value as a potential fill in starter at Tackle as well.

Tony Bergstrom was picked up from Baltimore to provide relief at Center last season, and now he should enter camp as the favorite to start at LG. Brandon Scherff is the starter at RG. He is as dependable as they come. Kyle Kalis is trying to win a job as backup at LG, but bounced back and forth on practice squads with the Redskins and Colts last season. TJ Clemmings appeared in 5 games at Tackle last fall, but ended the year on IR, and will be moved to OG. Shaun Lauvao was a late signing, and may not make the cut.

Chase Roullier is back at Center, and is favored to start from week one after starting 8 games last season. Demetrius Rhaney is being given the opportunity to back him up and win a job in camp.

Defensive Line Breakdown
There will be some movement on the line in 2018, and some position battles along the way as well.Matt Ioannidis is in a locked up battle at DE with Stacy McGee and Da'Ron Payne at the LDE spot heading into camp. I expect some sort of ultimate rotation to come out of this battle, but there are a lot of differentiating thoughts on how this battle goes down. Jonathon Allen is expected to be fully recovered from a lisfrainc sprain that caused him to miss 11 games last season. If he is back, the run defense gets an upgrade. Anthony Lanier should line up at RDE behind Allen, and could be in on long yardage passing downs as a sack specialist.

Tavaris Barnes has not made it out of a training camp since 2015, and his career could be almost over. Alex McCallister was brought in for the practice squad at the end of last season, and never saw the active roster for the Eagles before that. Neither appears to be favored to break camp at DE for the Redskins.

Ziggy Hood is back for his 10th season and will start at NT in the 3-4 defense. Phil Taylor fits in behind him, if he can stay healthy. He was a starter last season before ending up on the IR after week 2.

Tim Settle was drafted in the 5th round, but stands a solid shot to break camp with the club, and will add depth up front.

Linebacker Breakdown
The Redskins are set at the OLB spots with the ever dependable pass rush machine Ryan Kerrigan and emerging star Preston Smith. Smith broke out last season with 8 sacks, and should start to see some movement on an extension of his contract if he can continue to build on that this season. Pernell McPhee should be the backup to Kerrigan after coming over from an injury plagued run with the Bears. Ryan Anderson backs up Smith, but has to start to show something after having litle impact as a rookie in 14 games last season.

Shaun Dion Hamilton dropped to the 6th round out of Alabama in the draft due to having 2 injury plagued years at Alabama. He will have to prove that he can sustain his health and have impact to make it out of camp.

The Redskins are set at RILB as well. Zach Brown led the team with 136 tackles last season, and is a stalwart in the middle of the defense LILB may be a bit of a roller coaster in camp. Mason Foster ended up on IR last season with a shoulder injury and returns to reclaim the spot, but he has competition from Josh Harvey-Clemons and Zach Vigil, who was cut last season, before returning to start the final 4 games of the season.

Martrell Speight should serve as the primary backup to Brown and will provide some work on special teams as well. Pete Robertson comes back after spending the final 4 games of last season on the active roster, but will have to prove himself to break camp.

Secondary Breakdown
Bashaud Breeland is gone to free agency, and that leaves the door open for Quinton Dunbar to lock up one CB spot. He is by far the favorite to win the open spot, and should play opposite Josh Norman, who is one of the better corners in the game. The Redskins lost a big time player in the Alex Smith trade, as Kendall Fuller was sent off to Kansas City in the deal. Orlando Scandrick will compete with Dunbar, and Fabian Moreau figures to give it a go as well after playing mostly on special teams last season. Joshua Holsey will contribute mainly 9on special teams, but will also likely be the primary backup to Norman. Greg Stroman was drafted in the 7th round out of Virginia Tech, and figures in as the PR man, but could see some work as a corner as well.

DJ Swearinger is back at FS after leading the team with 4 INTs last season (tied with Fuller). He should be a lock there. Montae Nicholson ended the season on IR, but was strong at SS for the first half of the season. Deshazor Everett will be the backup to Nicholson once again, and will be a top special teams player, but can start if needed. Fish Smithson is entering camp as the backup to Swearinger, but may be hard pressed to break camp after spending 14 weeks on the Practice Squad last season. Troy Apke, a rookie out of Penn State, could push Smithson out of a job in camp, but has to prove that his one season as starter in college was more than a fluke.

Special Teams Breakdown
Dustin Hopkins is back at PK, and hit 14/17 FG attempts last season despite missing 8 games. If healthy, he will be a major weapon.

Tress Way is back at Punter, but the needle is pointing the wrong way on his overall production. Sam Irwin-Hill is in camp as a non roster invitee, and is there to push Way to improve, or out the door.

Byron Marshall should be the main man on KR duty, but could be joined there by Kapri Bibbs, if he makes the cut out of camp. Crowder and Moreau are the PR men heading into camp, but rookie Elijah Wellman could see some work there, as could Stroman.

Final Analysis: The Redskins are in a make or break year for head coach Jay Gruden, as a 5 year run with a losing record, and just one playoff game (a loss) will not lock you into your job in this league for long. The Alex Smith deal was solid, but the Redskins may have given up too much, especially if the overall talent level around him does not improve. Much will be on the run game and Guice on offense to make any of that happen.
Defensively, the Redskins could actually be decent, but they have to stay healthy, something they could not do last year. If key players can stay on the field, and the position battles work out at DE, LB, and CB, this unit could help carry the day.
On paper, the Redskins look like a playoff team, but not a title contender. They also look like a team squarely on the bubble. If they fail to get to the next level, Gruden could be unemployed.