Despite having an impressive array of skill position talent, the Washington Redskins limped to a 4-12 record in Jay Gruden’s first season as head coach. Gruden is a well-respected offensive coach who has had a lot of success as a coordinator in the NFL, but he was not able to get the team on track last season. Despite a bad 2014, which was not only filled with poor play, but tons of locker room issues mostly surrounding the quarterback position, the Redskins decided to give Gruden a chance to right the ship.
While the head coach will be retained, there has been a major shake-up in the Redskins’ front office as they prepare for the off-season. Bruce Allen will be kept on as the President of the team, but he has relinquished control over the roster to new general manager Scot McCloughan.
McCloughan is considered to be one of the premier talent evaluators in the industry. He started his career as a regional scout for the Green Bay Packers from 1994 to 1999. McCloughan then earned an opportunity to become the Seattle Seahawks’ college scouting director in 2000, a title he held until 2005 when he was named vice president of player personnel of the San Francisco 49ers.
After helping build a successful roster with the 49ers, McCloughlan was named the team’s general manager in Feburary of 2008. The two parties mutually went their separate ways in 2010, and McCloughlan was hired by the Seahawks to be their senior personnel executive.
With both Seattle and San Francisco, McCloughlan was an important voice for teams who consistently brought in impact talent throughout the roster. Both the Seahawks and 49ers have done an incredible job of landing difference makers, especially in the draft process.
While there is some legitimate impact talent on Washington’s roster, the team also has some glaring holes that simply must be filled, and quickly. The most effective way to fill those holes is through the draft, not overspending in costless agency like the team has done consistently in the past.
The Redskins hold the fifth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. With so many positions of need, McCloughlan and his staff must nail not only their first round pick, but find ways to add impact players throughout. With his obvious eye for talent, and impressive track record, the Redskins are finally in capable hands.
Here are the five biggest needs that the Redskins must look to fill.
5. Cornerback
Allowing 249.4 yards per game through the air, the Redskins finished the 2014 season as the 24th ranked pass defense. While other positions are certainly to blame as well, lack of impact talent at cornerback is a legitimate problem for this team. Fourth-round rookie Bashaud Breeland played well and showed some nice promise last season, but there really is not much else at the position.
2013 second-round pick David Amerson was consistently picked apart this past season, as opposing passing games clearly targeted them in their attacks. At 6-foot-1, 194 pounds, Amerson does have nice size for the position, and while raw, he does have good athleticism; but he is not a guy the Redskins can count on. After last season, Amerson’s chances of actually becoming a strong cornerback option seem slim.
While he has had a productive career, 31-year-old D’Angelo Hall has struggled with injuries and his prime years have seemingly passed him by. Hall is still an expensive player, so they are unlikely to be able to move him, but expecting him to perform like he did early in his career would be a mistake. Fellow veterans Tracy Porter and E.J. Biggers are below average options, who are nothing more than place holders.
If the Redskins expect to improve against the pass, they must try and find a suitable running mate to go along with Breeland. They must also find somebody to cover slot receivers, something they have consistently struggled with in the past.
Possible Targets: Trae Waynes-Michigan State, P.J. Williams-Florida State, Marcus Peters-Washington, Jalen Collins-LSU, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu-Oregon, Doran Grant-Ohio State, Kevin White-TCU, Quandre Diggs-Texas, JaCorey Shepard-Kansas and Josh Shaw-USC.
4. Interior Offensive Line
Sure, Robert Griffin III has not lived up to expectation the last two seasons. After winning the 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Griffin has suffered back-to-back poor seasons. He certainly deserves criticism for his inability to grow as an NFL quarterback, but Griffin has not been helped by his offensive line.
Redskins’ quarterbacks were sacked 58 times in 2014, the second most in the NFL. It did not matter if it was Griffin, Colt McCoy or Kirk Cousins, each quarterback was consistently running for his life. The Redskins simply need to upgrade throughout the offensive line if they expect any of their quarterbacks to grow.
On the interior, guys like Kory Lichtensteiger, Chris Chester and Shawn Lauvao are not getting the job done. The Redskins need to find other options at center and both guard positions if they expect to improve offensively. Obviously, it will be very difficult to fix the entire offensive line right away, but the Redskins must start taking serious steps in the right direction.
Possible Targets: Cameron Erving-Florida State, Tre’ Jackson-Florida State, A.J. Cann-South Carolina, Reese Dismukes-Auburn, B.J. Finney-Kansas State, Arie Kouandjio-Alabama, Josue Matias-Florida State, John Miller-Louisville, Laken Tomlinson-Duke and Andy Gallik-Boston College.
3. Defensive Line
Until Washington hires a new defensive coordinator to take over for the departed Jim Haslett, it is very hard to say whether they will continue running their base 3-4 defense from a year ago. They more than likely will continue running mostly 3-4, but that is far from a sure thing.
Regardless, as their 36 total sacks on the season proves, Washington struggled to get consistent pressure on the quarterback this past season. No matter what defensive philosophy is brought in, the Redskins must be able to get pressure on the quarterback if they expect to improve on their poor pass defense.
With multi-time Pro Bowl selection Brian Orakpo set to become a costless agent, many early mock draft have the Redskins taking an pass rush type from the outside linebacker position with the first round pick. While that could be a direction they could consider, the roster is littered with “tweener” outside linebackers with potential like Trent Murphy, Jackson Jeffcoat, Gabe Miller and of course Pro Bowler Ryan Kerrigan.
Washington certainly needs to improve their front seven, but the need on the defensive line is much bigger than adding another one trick pony at outside linebacker. The lack of a pass rush was much more prevalent on the interior of the defense than the outside. Obviously, the types of defensive lineman they would target will vary by what kind of defensive scheme they run. For a 3-4, defensive end appears to be a glaring hole.
Possible Targets: Leonard Williams-USC, Arik Armstead-Oregon, Eddie Goldman-Florida State, Carl Davis-Iowa, Michael Bennett-Ohio State, Mario Edwards-Florida State, Henry Anderson-Stanford, Corey Crawford-Clemson, Leon Orr-Florida, Trey Flowers-Arkansas, Preston Smith-Mississippi State and Chucky Hunter-TCU.
2. Right Tackle
Left tackle Trent Williams was voted to his third consecutive Pro Bowl this season. Williams is a very good player, but he is the only proven player on the Redskins’ offensive line.
The problems on the interior of the offensive line were discussed earlier, but that is only the beginning of the conversation. The position of right tackle was a problem for the Redskins all season long, and it is something that they simply cannot ignore.
Tyler Polumbus and Tom Compton shared the duties at right tackle last season, and both players pretty much proved that they cannot be relied upon as starting options. Rookie Morgan Moses has some upside at the position, but Washington would be foolish to completely rely on him, considering how raw his skills looked this season.
The Redskins have needs across the offensive line, and would be wise to draft potential impact players who can play multiple offensive line positions while they try and figure out who to plug where.
Possible Targets: Brandon Scherff-Iowa, La’el Collins-LSU, Andrus Peat-Stanford, Ereck Flowers-Miami, Rob Havenstein-Wisconsin, Ty Sambrailo-Colorado State, Daryl Williams-Oklahoma, Tyrus Thompson-Oklahoma, Robert Myers-Tennessee State and Jamon Brown-Louisville.
1. Safety
The Redskins have lacked a playmaker at the safety position for a very long time. They entered this season with veterans Ryan Clark and Brandon Merriweather as the starters, and both players were torched by opposing passing attacks all season long.
No matter what style of defense the Redskins decide to run, if they cannot find players who can make an impact at the safety position, the defense as a whole will struggle to improve. Safety stands out as an obvious hole on the Redskins’ roster, and they must find talented and versatile players to help fill them.
Possible Targets: Landon Collins-Alabama, Cody Prewitt-Ole Miss, Anthony Harris-Virginia, Kurtis Drummond-Michigan State, Gerod Holliman-Louisville, Jordan Richards-Stanford, Chris Hackett-TCU, Adrian Amos-Penn State, James Sample-Louisville and Clayton Geathers-UCF.