Washington Redskins Offseason WorkBook 2019

Washington Redskins

2018 Record: (7-9) 3rd NFC East

2018 Season Recap:

Offense

Points: 17.6 (29^th)

Yards: 299.7 (28^th)

Pass Yards: 188.8 (28^th)

Rush Yards: 110.9 (17^th)

Defense

Points: 22.4 (15^th)

Yards: 353.4 (17^th)

Pass Yards: 237.1 (15^th)

Rush Yards: 116.2 (17^th)

The Redskins 2018 season started off with a great deal of promise with Alex Smith running the show and potential rookie sensation (Derrius Guice) leading the way from the backfield. However, much like the 2017 campaign, this roster dealt with catastrophic injuries derailing the overall outlook.

The initial blow came in the preseason when we all witnessed Guice fall victim to a season ending ACL injury placing a giant red flag to who would carry the load in the run game. In a subsequent transaction, Washington signed 33 year old Adrian Peterson, believing they could form a committee approach. In the end the signing turned out to be a positive as Peterson found his way to racking up over 1000 yards on the ground. 

With Alex Smith providing enough from his game management approach, and Adrian Peterson controlling games with solid production, the Redskins found themselves leading the NFC East with a 6-3 record heading into week 11. While the Skins looked to be in the driver seat and hosting the Texans on a crisp mid-November afternoon, lightning struck in the worst way yet again. 33 years ago to the day, Alex Smith suffered a similar gruesome broken leg injury to that of former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann. It was clear that Washington would be without Smith’s services for the remainder of the season and their hopes of returning to the postseason were in jeopardy.           

Attempting to coral his troops and stay positive, coach Gruden was again left with patch made solutions which inevitably crushed the season watching his squad drop 6 of the remaining 7 contests on the slate. Many other important pieces found their way into the medical room during the course of the year which also contributed to this failed season, but losing Smith was the dagger in the coffin.    

2019 Offseason Workbook:

The Coaching Staff

Receiving a vow of confidence form ownership, coach Gruden kept the keys to the house and will be returning for his 6^th season as sideline boss for the Washington Redskins.

It’s been said that Gruden will continue his evaluation of his current staff but limited changes have been made thus far to the group. Losing their special teams coach to the Atlanta Falcons has been the only notable change. Sticking with Kevin O’Connell (offensive coordinator) and Greg Manusky (defensive coordinator) should bring a level of familiarity and comradery to this team in 2019.  

The Offense

Even though Alex Smith was proving to be a solid addition to the team, the overall offense lacked explosiveness and big play ability which did limit them at times. We all understand what Alex does well and what his limitations are, but the lack of true playmakers on this roster needs to be front and center. The question now isn’t what Smith can and can’t do, but rather if he’ll be able to continue his NFL career post injury leaving Washington again searching for an answer at the quarterback position.  

There is no question that tight end Jordan Reed (when healthy) can wreak havoc upon opposing defenses and resides as the Skins primary playmaker. The simply issue throughout his career has been his consistency in finding his way into the medical room for long stretches. The amount of lost time Reed has endured; we wouldn’t be surprised if Washington would look to the draft to solidify this position, eventually making Jordan expendable.

As mentioned above, rookie Derrius Guice missed his first season to a torn ACL but should be able to get back to full strength by the time training camp rolls around. The Skins have floated the option of resigning Adrian Peterson to another contract after his great showing to provide a solid one-two punch in the backfield. Adding to that dynamic, Chris Thompson (an ADF favorite) has proven on more than one occasion that he is a force in his own right in the pass game. Unfortunately for Thompson, injuries too have derailed his overall outlook limiting the potential he could carry. Either way, Washington may have to relay a great deal on these backs in 2019.

When discussing the Redskins receiving core, we view this group as average, to above average with players that show flashes of skill but essentially remain as underachievers. Paul Richardson and Jamison Crowder were expected to carry the load this past season, and fell flat on their faces with injures and limited production. It’s our contention that this unit is littered with secondary pieces, and require a great infusion of talent to turn things around. Crowder could return to become a fantastic weapon coming from the slot (as proven in the past), but at this point, he needs assistance.  

The Defense

We at ADF are big fans of this defensive unit and truly believe they are a few pieces away from becoming a dominating bunch.   

The team’s defensive front is one of the better youthful groups in the league that proved they are a force. Led by Jonathan Allen and Da’Ron Payne, this defense had signs of greatness and shutdown potential. The supportive pieces also revealed they were equipped to be interchangeable when their numbers were called upon.

It’s no coincidence the defensive line enjoyed great success this past season given that the line backing core is an absolute machine. This group of talented individuals could be in the conversation as the best in the entire league. While Ryan Kerrigan continues to impress, Mason Foster made the most of his playing time leading the team in tackles by quite a large margin. If that wasn’t enough, rounding out the core with Zach Brown and Preston Smith leaves opposing offensive coordinators with limited rest trying to prepare their weekly game plans. Essentially this entire group (aside from Smith) is locked up for 2019 and should again produce sound numbers.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect to this defense rests on the defensive backend, where the future of HaHa Clinton-Dix is undetermined. Still housing Josh Norman and witnessing the arrival of Quinton Dunbar to another level of play, this secondary does have great potential provided they can figure out a way to keep them all together.        

Team Free Agents / Team Salary Cap

The Redskins have their work cut out for them this offseason as the team must contend with 24 players in need of new contracts.

A multitude of talent which should entertain at least a contract offer from Dan Snyder, this team’s free agent class holds big names with little cap room. In season trade acquisition HaHa Clinton-Dix headlines the list as a priority product that may price his way out of Washington leaving the Skins holding the bag with wasted draft pick compensation given to Green Bay. Preston Smith and Jamison Crowder round out the significant names that the Skins would like to bring back next season.

Historically the Skins haven’t been the best at managing their salary cap which has gotten them into these troubled situations on more than one occasion. Currently Washington sits with a moderate +20,588,330 above the cap but do have options to add funds if they chose to cut-bait with certain players. While Josh Norman looks to return, Snyder would have view his 14.5 million dollar cap hit with only 6 million in dead money as an opportunity to save. Jordan Reed, Zach Brown Vernon Davis and Brandon Scherff are extremely attractive options for either contract restructuring, or outright release based on the hefty 37.1 million the foursome are owed in 2019. Releasing these players would only generate a minor 7.9 million to the dead cap which could appeal to the Skins management.      

With the high probability of Alex Smith missing the entire 2019 campaign, the Redskins may have to get super creative in how they manage their books which could mean top talent walking to the open market.

The NFL Draft

Coming into the 2019 NFL draft, the Redskins currently hold the 15^th overall selection in the first round and house 6 picks in the entire draft, missing their 4^th round selection.

Washington is now a very intriguing club when it comes to the draft as they will require a quarterback for the 2019 season which may force their hand to some degree. Other options on the free agent market may preclude Washington from reaching on a passer, but at this point, anything is on the table. With salary cap constraints looming, and the possibility of the Skins moving on from some key players to create more cap space, we could see a defensive driven draft class to offset the potential struggles of the offense.

It truly is unfortunate that Alex Smith could be lost for the 2019 season as this draft would’ve continued the build process to perhaps make the Skins a front runner in the NFC East. Trading down in this draft should also be on the menu to help Washington garner more picks to help ease the pain of re-tinkering this offense.