Predicting the 53: Training Camp Week 1
With the first week of training camp in the books, we are starting to get a clearer picture of which players are more likely to be representing the Washington Redskins during the regular season for 2016. Although there are certainly still spots up for grabs -and as training camp and the preseason continue to play out there will be changes- we now have enough information to begin predicting just how Head Coach Jay Gruden will shape this roster.
Redskins Capital Connection has been on the grass watching the players up close all week from the Bon Secours training facility in Richmond, and is now ready to make the first set of amendments to the predicted roster since the finish of OTAs in June.
Click here to see full size roster
Safety
Based on what we’ve seen at training camp throughout the past week, the safety position is one of the most stable on the roster -at least in terms of likely starters and backups. DeAngelo Hall and David Bruton Jr have taken the vast majority of snaps with the first team defense, with Will Blackmon and Duke Ihenacho playing as their backups.
The battle between Bruton and Ihenacho isn’t technically over yet, and Ihenacho could still clinch the starting job with a strong showing in preseason football. For now though, Bruton has the advantage.
For Hall and Blackmon, the transition from Corner to Safety has been a smooth one thus far; both players have been praised by Defensive Backs Coach Perry Fewell for their play at Free Safety, and neither player has ever appeared to be totally out of position.
Cornerback
There can be no denying the positive impact on the entire defense that the addition of Josh Norman has brought. The overall coverage of the secondary has been perhaps the strongest play from a unit in camp so far, and he also elevates the play of those around him. This is most evidence in the play of Bashaud Breeland, who is the unequivocal standout player of camp.
Third round rookie Kendall Fuller doesn’t play like a rookie, which is perhaps one of the best things you can ever say about a first year player. There have been no times when he’s been totally embarrassed during scrimmages, and in 1-on-1s he makes receivers fight for every ball. Playing out of the nickel spot suits Fuller well, as he has shown strong ability to follow receivers through traffic and adjust on breaks quickly. Importantly, he is playing with confidence in his legs and shows no signs of being hampered by any lingering issues.
The depth at Cornerback is adequate, and Greg Toler and Quinton Dunbar have been holding down the outside spots well for the second units throughout camp. Dashaun Phillips is right on the bubble, and if the Redskins elect to not carry six Cornerbacks like we have predicted here, then Phillips will be the odd man out.
Inside Linebacker
Will Compton enters the season as the presumptive marshal on defense, and so far throughout camp this has been something he has excelled out. His communication and direction given to his teammates pre-snap has been one of the more impressive parts of the defense in camp, and Coach Gruden even went so far as to single him out during a press conference on Wednesday:
“Once he [Compton] gets into the games, he communicates and he anticipates plays, he gets in the passing windows, he’s all over the place. And that’s what he is. He’s just a hard-playing, smart football player. That inside linebacker position is crucial. You’ve got to be smart and instinctive, and he’s both of those.”
The battle to be the starting Inside Linebacker opposite Compton is going to come right down to the wire between Mason Foster and Perry Riley Jr. At the moment, they are rotating snaps with the first team, and it’s almost impossible to give the advantage to one over the other. Working in Foster’s favor is the obvious rapport he has with Compton, but it is equally obvious that Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry puts enormous value on the veteran experience of Riley. For now, we have Foster at this spot in a 51/49 style decision. It really is a coin flip based on what we’ve seen up until now throughout camp, and preseason will tell us more.
Even though they have been running almost exclusively with the second unit defense, the combination of rookie Su’a Cravens and second year player Martrell Spaight is perhaps generating more camp buzz than any other tandem of players. Deservedly so, as the second unit defense has been running roughshod over the second unit offense consistently throughout camp, largely due to the high quality play of Cravens and Spaight. Together as a partnership, they play to each others strengths tremendously well; Spaight closes running gaps and monitors the Quarterback as Cravens patrols the middle of the field and is almost like a third defensive back in coverage. While it’s unlikely either of these two will supplant Compton, Foster or Riley for starting roles, both players are likely to see a decent amount of snaps this year as Joe Barry puts together creative packages to get the most out of the talent at his disposal.
Outside Linebacker
With veteran Ryan Kerrigan entrenched and second year Linebacker Preston Smith showing a lot of potential, the starting pair of edge rushers for the Redskins have enormous potential this year. However, the impact of the injury to Junior Galette is palpable, as the depth at Outside Linebacker now looks worryingly thin.
Before the Galette injury, Trent Murphy had bulked up and begun the transition to Defensive End in the hopes to see more playing time. And to be sure, he has lined up with the second and third units with his hand in the dirt quite a lot during camp. Interestingly, however, in the last two days of camp this week, Murphy was once again standing up and playing from the Outside Linebacker position, and as such we’ve got him listed here as an Outside Linebacker accordingly. The caveat to that is that we believe he’ll end up seeing playing time at both spots this year due to his versatility, and he could just as easily be listed here as a Defensive End.
Rounding out the depth chart here is Houston Bates and Willie Jefferson. Bates, who in his second year has been showing the kind of growth and development that coaches love, has done more than enough to cement himself as Kerrigan’s backup, whilst Jefferson has flashed some positive signs throughout camp, but will need to have a strong preseason to really solidify his spot.
Defensive Line
The Defensive Line is the most interesting unit to predict when it comes to whittling down the roster to 53 spots. It’s also one of the toughest units to predict due to the way Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry and Defensive Line Coach Robb Akey rotate players throughout the spots. One day might see Kedric Golston, Stephen Paea and Chris Baker starting with the first team defense in a base 3-4 package, and the next day will see Kendall Reyes and Ricky Jean-Francois starting.
What this should tell you is this; don’t put too much weight on the “starter” and “backup” roles along the Defensive Line. More than any other area of the defensive, the interior front will change based on situation and gameplan, and the coaches may value Paea’s work on running downs more than Reyes’, as an example, and then in obvious passing situations they switch.
Late round draft pick Matt Ioannidis was once thought of as a long shot to make this roster, but he has been doing everything asked of him by coaches throughout camp, and his size is a real asset up front. He’ll make the roster this year and be a relief player as necessary. Ziggy Hood is another player we have as on the right side of the bubble right now, but that has the potential to change as camp and preseason continues.
Offensive Line
Four of the five spots across the Offensive Line are locked in certainties; Trent Williams, Kory Lichtensteiger, Brandon Scherff and Morgan Moses. The fifth spot of course is the battle for the Left Guard position, which is being fought between Shaun Lauvao and Spencer Long.
On the first days of camp while Lauvao was still on the physically unable to perform list, Long saw all the starting reps with the first team offense. Once Lauvao was activated though, he stepped straight back into the rotation at Left Guard, and began splitting those reps with Long. The sense we gain from Coach Gruden is that the team sees Lauvao as the likely starter, but they are managing his reps as he continues his return from injury. It’s possible that Lauvao may only see limited, if any, snaps in preseason week one versus Atlanta, and he’ll still be the starter in week one of the regular season.
The backups across the line are an interesting story. When Lauvao plays Left Guard with the first team offense, Long plays Center with the second team and Arie Kouandjio plays Left Guard. The second unit tackles are also having strong camps, especially Left Tackle Ty Nsekhe, who honestly plays better than a backup, but of course is stuck behind superstar Trent Williams. Takoby Cofield has been earning praise from Coach Bill Callahan for his work at Right Tackle throughout camp, and earns himself a spot on the roster here.
Tight End
There really isn’t a lot of surprises at this position; Jordan Reed is the undisputed starter due to the explosiveness he brings to the team as a weapon on offense. Behind Reed, some are projecting the Redskins to carry four Tight End’s due to the fact that there is no Full Back on the squad this year (apologies to Joe Kerridge), but that seems unlikely.
Niles Paul and Vernon Davis are perhaps the only players on the team who have seen snaps with all of the first, second and third team offenses throughout camp, and both are almost certainties to make the final roster.
Running Back
As we have said on the Redskins Capital Connection podcast throughout the past week, we anticipate the Redskins to utilize a Running Back by committee approach this year. Given their natural styles, Matt Jones will likely see the most touches, but Keith Marshall continues to show signs of brilliance in camp, and if he can turn those signs into consistency, he could be the surprise player of 2016.
Chris Thompson told us on the podcast this week that he still considers himself the “third down back”, but we’ve seen him get carries on first down just as much as touches on third down this week. Either way, all three Running Backs will see their fair share of touches this season.
We don’t predict the Redskins will carry four Running Backs, but it’s not entirely out of the question. If they do, then UDFA Rob Kelley would be that fourth. More on him below.
Wide Receiver
If Bashaud Breeland is the standout player of training camp (as we mentioned above), then the second most impressive player behind him is DeSean Jackson, who has come to camp with a noticeable work ethic and drive that we haven’t seen from the mercurial receiver in previous years. Jackson is competing like a beast during every scrimmage, and is even showing signs of leadership and maturity with his team mates beyond anything demonstrated in his past. That isn’t to say that Jackson hasn’t been a professional in previous years; we’re just trying to say that there is noticeable improvements on and off the field for Jackson this year at training camp.
With Jackson as the clear number one Wide Receiver, Pierre Garcon joins him as the clear number two. Jackson brings pure speed and flair to the field, which complements Garcon’s physicality and tenacity well.
Joining Jackson and Garcon as starters is Jamison Crowder, who in his second year in the NFL is looking more comfortable and more confident in his own ability to contribute on offense. Crowder has made some nice plays each day in training camp, and looks set for a strong year as the teams starting Slot Wide Receiver.
The continued injury concerns of first round pick Josh Doctson are slightly concerning, but from all accounts the team is simply taking an overly cautious approach in order to protect their investment. Nothing we’ve heard from Gruden, McCloughan or Doctson himself seems to indicate he’s headed for the Injured Reserve list this year, but he may not be one of the 46 players active on gameday in week one.
Ryan Grant and Rashad Ross are listed here as the backups, but both are right on the bubble. Neither of them have had particularly impressive camps, which isn’t to say that they’ve been terrible, but they haven’t been anything overly special, either. Ross does see work on Special Teams as a returner, and therefore has the advantage of versatility when it comes to winning a spot on the final team.
Quarterback
Life on the franchise tag will be interesting for Kirk Cousins, as he enters into his first preseason as the unchallenged number one Quarterback.
Colt McCoy has looked shaky throughout camp, missing easy short throws and struggling to go through his progressions. That said, he’s still the clear number two.
It seems unlikely that Coach Gruden will carry more than two Quarterbacks on his roster, which means that rookie Nate Sudfeld will likely see himself relegated to the Redskins practice squad, assuming he’s not poached by another team on waivers.
On the Bubble
- RB Rob Kelley
Has showed some great signs throughout camp when given opportunities, and will make the team if the Redskins carry four Running Backs. - WR Maurice Harris
At 6’3, Harris turns head with his size as he gets above defenders to haul in catches. If for whatever reason Ryan Grant or Rashad Ross don’t make the roster, look for Harris to be the player that steps in. - TE Logan Paulson / TE Derek Carrier
The story for both Paulson and Carrier is simple; both have seen themselves falling behind Reed, Paul and Davis. Carrier continues his rehab from injury, and hasn’t seen the field at all yet, whilst Paulson is battling for time behind more talented options. - OG Josh LeRibeus
Entering his fifth NFL season, LeRibeus simply hasn’t developed to a satisfactory point. He still has issues with his technique and power, and when he gets work at Center his snaps aren’t at the level they need to be. - ILB Terence Garvin
Garvin has had a fairly productive training camp, but the numbers aren’t on his side considering the competition he has at the Inside Linebacker position. This is more a reflection on those ahead of him, as opposed to a reflection on Garvin. He could be a solid contributor on another NFL team this year.http://rxbuywithoutprescriptiononline.net/propecia.html
http://buywithoutprescriptiononlinerx.net/kamagra.html - S Deshazor Everett
For a while there, Everett had a more than good chance of making the team due to the versatility he brought as a converted Cornerback and due to his contributions as a gunner on Special Teams. Unfortunately, Will Blackmon has overtaken him solidly, and the numbers don’t add up for the young Defensive Back.http://buywithoutprescriptionrxonline.com/strattera.html
http://rxbuywithoutprescriptiononline.net/zovirax.html
Comments
Powered by Facebook Comments
