An overview of the Redskins post-draft depth chart and some of the questions it raises

Hey!

Great project, huh ?!

The Redskins' reception worked hard during the off-season to resurrect his ashes list for the 2018 season, and they did not do a bad job.

Over the weekend, I took a look at the depth chart of the Redskins following Washington's top three picks on Thursday and Friday.

Today, I'd like to review the status of the lineup now that the Redskins have selected 7 more selections in Saturday's draft, focusing less on the responses provided by the front desk with its seemingly excellent excellent draft, but on the outstanding issues.

I will repeat the warning of the previous article; this depth map is not 100% complete and it's just my interpretation of the team's list. There may be legitimate disagreements about the location of the players as starters or substitutes.

I've listed 76 players, while the Redskins have probably more than 85 players under contract. This time of year, the number is fluid, with a lot of mess at the bottom of the list. I have not listed the players who, in my opinion, are only campfeed. For example, I did not list Josh Woodrum, the signed quarterback of the AAF, as I do not think he has any chance to list his positions behind Keenum, McCoy and Haskins. (and Alex Smith at the PUP). listing). He simply signed to give the Redskins a "pitcher" in the camp while Colt McCoy was recovering from an operation. There are a number of other players whose names you probably will not recognize. I have not been registered on this depth chart either.

For the players listed:

• Blue boxes indicates players added (or re-signed) after April 1st.
• Yellow boxes designate the drafts of last weekend.
• White boxes are players who were part of the Redskins' lineup at the end of 2018.

And then there is the pink box

I think you have to ask yourself some huge questions when you look at this depth chart, but the biggest problem in my mind is this:

First question: who starts safely with Landon Collins?

The Redskins hired Landon Collins, 25, in mid-March as an independent veteran agency, making it the cornerstone of defense for the next five years.

The Redskins were generally expected to use one of their first selections to pick a player who can play against Collins this season, but the Redskins have not made any plans for Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. .

What are the options then?

1. Montae Nicholson

Nicholson started the first half of the 2018 season alongside DJ Swearinger, but at the trading deadline, the franchise traded a fourth-round pick to bring HaHa Clinton-Dix from Green Bay, immediately putting him in his place from Nicholson.

Montae had a personal crisis, got drunk and found himself in a fight in a parking lot. He was immediately placed on the commissioner's exempt list where he is still. Until it is removed from this list, it is unavailable.

But I'm not sure the Redskins want to play against him anyway. After all, it was priced at a 4th round pick before the altercation of last year. Jay Gruden's comments every time he was asked about Montae's status were remarkably cool and contrast markedly with the positive support the organization received from the organization for Reuben Foster during the season. dead.

Bruce Allen has publicly asked the NFL to make a decision in the Foster case prior to the draft so that the team can develop its preliminary plans. No comments of this type have been made on the clarification of Nicholson's status. If they had planned to use it as a starting point for security in 2019, it would seem that Bruce was equally adamant about the preliminary resolution. Instead, the team seems happy to let the process go at its own pace and I hear no real support for Montae from the coaching staff or the front office.

2 Troy Apke

First of all, there is one obvious drawback: if Apke is used as a starting point for security, Hogs Haven will have to hire another screenwriter to replace Mark Tyler after the explosion of his head. Despite his reputation for loving all that is Penn State, Mark is perhaps the most severe critic of Apke, and it is difficult to discuss with him from the results of 2018.

Apke starts only his second year. So it is too early to call him a "bust", but the same warnings were issued about Josh Doctson, who remains less than a year as a member of the Redskins after being the first selection of l & # 39; team. choose three years ago.

If the Redskins nominate Apke as starting in Philadelphia in early September, it will be a sign that something is really wrong.

3 Deshazor Everett

I love Everett. I think it's a beautiful story and a good Redskin. He is not a starter, however.

As with Apke, if Everett is the starter of the opening day, it's a bad sign.

4. A cornerback or linebacker could change position

Some players could be candidates here:

Maybe others, including Jimmy Moreland, of JMU, who was recently chosen for the 7th round.

I do not like this option.

5. UDFA Pool

It seems that JoJo McIntosh, from the Washington Huskies, is en route to the Redskins training camp.

I love UDFAs! I think they provide inspiring stories and often become key players in team lineups … in their 3rd or 4th season.

It's rare for a guy to come to camp without having the skills to start as a rookie, let alone the first week, and especially to positions like cornerback or security, which require incredible athleticism and a great understanding of the complex defenses of the NFL.

I just do not see it as a realistic scenario.

6. Veteran Free agency

We often think of the free presence of veterans beginning and ending in March, but the truth is that it lasts until the end of the season.

Of course, the initial "frenzy" occurs in a period of 2 or 3 days in mid-March, then disappears quickly, but there is another increase in activity about 10 days after the project because after the May 7 (this year), the free veteran agents signed by the teams have no impact on the calculations of compensating choices.

Recognizing that the Redskins front office appears to have recently developed a selection of compilations, it is quite possible that they have tried to protect the 4th round pick that they hope to get for Jamison Crowder.

There are at least three veteran safety devices on the market:

Tre Boston would be by far the best choice among the three, but none of them, in my opinion, would be superior to the other options listed above.

A word on the salary cap

Due to Alex Smith's injury, the Redskins salary cap is very tight, and that's the case.

It's not that difficult, though, that the team can not afford to sign another stand-alone player. If the Redskins want to add one of these three veteran players next Wednesday, I have no doubt that Eric Schaffer can draft a contract that will allow him without any constraints.

The impact of the injury on Alex Smith

When Alex Smith's injury happened for the first time, he felt he would have a chance to rehabilitate himself and return in 2019 or 2020. As his injury and complications became known, it became clear that he would not do it. play in 2019, and there now seems to be a tacit understanding that his career is over. There will be paperwork to complete in a year or two and by then, a wink and a sign of assent will suffice.

At first, in December, I did not see how the Redskins front-office could eventually set up a decent starting quarter on the pitch in 2019 with the salary cap restrictions the team would face.

When Josh Rosen's situation developed after Kingsbury was named head coach in Arizona, I considered it the best option, solely for the salary cap implications. It seemed like the only good option available to the Redskins. I was almost certain that would happen.

The business of Case Keenum has changed everything. Keenum's "non-exchangeable" contract with the Broncos became negotiable when the player agreed to restructure and the Brocos agreed to eat part of his salary. Washington has acquired it for a year at a ceiling cost of about $ 3.5 million. This made possible the rest of the off season. If nothing else happened, the Redskins had a guy who could start 16 games and give the team a chance to win.

The Redskins were able to build on that certainty late last week and do not do something stupid or reckless in their quest for a quarterback. The reception was patient and when Dwayne Haskins was available at age 15, they took him away.

Haskins will earn about $ 13.5 million over the term of his 4-year rookie contract, which will cost the team about $ 3.4 million a year on average. Even though it never becomes a starter, Haskins should at least provide a quality backup for 4 years. In comparison, Colt McCoy cost the team about $ 3 million a year to hold Cousins ​​and Smith's notebook. Haskins has a lot of potential, and his contract is really cheap by the standards of the NFL QB; Daniel Jones will earn about $ 24 million on his 4-year rookie contract, about $ 2.7 million more per year.

Second question: Who will be the starting quarterback of the Washington Redskins when they visit Philadelphia to open the season?

Haskins has a year of experience as a starting quarterback at the college level. The 21-year-old has a lot of potential, but he will face a steep learning curve over the next four months.

Case Keenum, 31, played six seasons in the NFL, started as a quarterback for four different franchises and led the Vikings to the NFC championship game in 2017. It seems like the safe bet for the Redskins . He saw everything.

Even Colt McCoy can claim the first job. This is the only quarter on the list that will probably be healthy by September and has experience in Jay Gruden's offense. He has been working in Washington since 2014, still looking for a chance, and whenever that happened, he seemed to lose his chance to hurt himself. Jay Gruden seems to be the biggest fan of Colt McCoy and had spoken openly, before the draft, of an open competition between McCoy and Keenum this season.

At a press conference this week, Jay Gruden answered a question about the choice of starting quarterback or whether there would be an open competition to mention the fact that the Redskins were fighting quarterback "Out of ying-yang".

But, to his usual, casual humor, Gruden turned the matter around, postponing it for the moment. It will take several weeks before the journalist is confronted again with the media.

"I do not know what to expect [Haskins] again. I have to bring him here, we'll throw him a lot of things … but we have to find the representatives.

We have a quarterback competition coming out of ying-yang right now.

We have Case [Keenum] here we are very happy to have it. It's an experienced quarter who did it.

Colt's [McCoy] He has been part of our system for a long time and is trying to come back from this injury.

Now we have Dwayne [Haskins]So we have three quarters in the building for which we feel good.

Of course Alex [Smith] is still in rehab and doing what he has to do. So it's a question of getting them all into the room.

Throw the ball over there, let them throw and we will continue to progress and let the guys have the opportunity to play. "

Personally, I tend to say that I hope Keenum will get the start boost for opening day in Philly.

During the coach's breakfast, Gruden explained that the quarterbacks of the first round had to play and contribute, but he also mentioned that the Haskins might need some time to develop. Gruden will want to play with the guy who, in his opinion, gives him the best chance of winning – and I think it will eventually be Case Keenum. Gruden was beaten to make the transition from RG3 to Kirk Cousins ​​in 2015 and won this battle. I think he will be allowed to sink or swim with the QB that he, Gruden, believes in this year.

The situation of Haskins is very different from that of Robert Griffin. Haskins is younger (21), has much less experience, perhaps lower expectations, and has "only" cost the 15th choice. There should be no incredible pressure from supporters, the front office or the landlord for Haskins to hurry out on the ground. I think everyone will be inclined to be patient with the rookie's development.

All of this could end in mid-season. If the Redskins are losing and coming out of the playoffs clearly, I do not think the coaching staff will have the choice to put Haskins on the table and start developing it for 2020.

The big ugly

The Redskins have a problem with the Left Guard for a long time. They have not solved the problem in the last season, and it is not certain that they have corrected it this season.

The options to sign a departure guard at a veteran free agency were not pretty.

It always seemed that the Redskins would have to engage the next guard left.

Third question: Who will be the left guard of the Redskins in 2019?

The Redskins brought Ereck Flowers to Washington in March. Unfortunately, they did not let him leave the building without signing it. If it was a minimum veteran contract, which I was expecting when I first heard that it had been signed, I would not be too worried about it.

But the Redskins are actually paying him money. Flowers has received a $ 1 million sign-up bonus and an additional $ 500,000 guarantee so that he can not earn less than $ 1.5 million by participating in training camp. If he is part of the team, he will be paid a little over $ 3.2 million in total for this season.

Flowers is a former failed pick of the first round of the New York Giants, who is not a good NFL striker. The Redskins said he signed with the intention of testing him to the left, a position he had never occupied before. Part of its appeal lies in the fact that if it trains the team as a goalkeeper, it also adds depth as a backup tackle.

I think it was the worst off-season move of the last 24 months.

In the repechage, the Redskins took offensive linemen with back-to-back choices, first choosing Indiana Guard Wes Martin in the fourth round, then Alabama Center Ross Pierschbacher in the fifth. Pierschbacher (we really need a nickname for him, this name is a bear to type correctly) moved to the Center only in his last season with the scarlet tide; he played in the Guard for three seasons before.

Just before the repechage, the Skins re-signed Tony Bergstrom, a C / G who started 11 games for the Redskins in the past two seasons.

I think competition with the left guard is all about these four players:

My prediction is that Martin wins the starting left guard and aligns with the Eagles in the first week. In addition, I think Pierschbacher creates the team as a replacement for the commander, and the front office keeps the poster in reserve for G / Swing. OT. Finally, I think Bergstrom has been signed as a pre-project insurance and is removed at the end of the pre-season.

No place when the music stops

The worst unit on the Redskins on March 1st was the WR group. The reception desk did nothing in the agency to improve the Redskins receiver group, so had to be treated in the project.

C & # 39; was.

The Redskins have written two large receivers.

Terry McLaurin, Dwayne Haskins' teammate from the state of Ohio, was the first to be considered by many design analysts as the best potential prospect for the Buckeyes team despite limited production. What I've learned in his day since he was drafted is that McLaurin is a crazy special team dog with punt cover, a smart player, a team leader and a good guy . In another team, he could be the fifth or sixth catcher. On the Redskins' line-up, it looks like he's one of the top three or four; maybe the first two.

The second recipient was Kelvin Harmon from the state of North Carolina, who visited the Redskins in the sixth round, confusing the fictional craft industry, which had screened Harmon as a third-round pick.

It is possible that Harmon represents a draft of epic proportions; It is just as possible that the amateurs were mistaken and Harmon was written where it should have been. Evan Silva, who has long criticized Redskins, tweeted that Harmon had limited skills, poor results in Combine and that "old school" movie analysts did not like him.

Almost everyone praised this choice as a bit of a flash. Everyone agrees that Harmon is slow, but he is known for his vertical jump ability and the skill needed to win challenged "50/50" balls (Where did I hear that before?).

The fact is that the Redskins still have a group of uninspiring receivers and only about half of the receivers in the camp will have a chance with the 53-man roster. In a group where none of the recipients can really seem to "separate" from the group (dyswidt?), which players of the large group of wide receivers will have no place when the music stops? For some of them, the Redskins training camp in 2019 may be the last opportunity for the NFL.

Fourth question: Who gets cut off from the wide receiver group Redskins?

The Redskins depth card at the wide receiver has little certainty. It's populated with guys that would be 3, 4, 5 or 6 in most other teams.

The 53-player lineup will likely have 5 or 6 wide receivers, with 4 active players on match day. The fourth guy has to play special teams.

I predict that Paul Richardson and Josh Doctson will both be the team, if only for the guarantees on their contracts, and the fact that the Skins really have no better person to replace them.

McLaurin seems to be a lock based on his special team abilities, reinforced by his draft status.

After that, I think you can draw a circle around the following five names – Quinn, Sims, Harmon, Quick, and Davis – and put chances of almost two or three of that group equal. It depends in part on who is healthy at the end of the pre-season, but the rest will likely be determined by the pre-season game and by the ability to contribute to the special teams.