Divisional Status Check — Washington
Jan 30, 2009 Eagles Rumors
Starting today and then again on Monday and Tuesday I’m going to review where each of the Eagles division rivals are as we head into NFL free agency. We’ll list the players that each team stands to lose, players who might be in line for a new deal, and who they might target in free agency. We’ll also revisit the 2008 season, gauge strengths and weaknesses of each team, and try to guess how they might address them.
Washington Redskins
2008 Record: 8-8
2007 Record: 9-7
The ‘Skins brought in yet another new coach this year. After a blazing fast start the team cooled off and finished where they usually do — right around .500.
Free Agents:
Shaun Alexander (UFA), Shaun Suisham (UFA), Pete Kendall (UFA), Demetric Evans (UFA), Kedric Golston (RFA), Anthony Montgomery (RFA), Khary Campbell (UFA), Reed Doughty (RFA)
Strengths:
The Redskins rushing attack continues to be amongst the best in the NFL. Clinton Portis finished the season with nearly 1500 yards and the offensive line finished 5th in Adjusted Line Yards. This still is a power rushing team despite the wacky schemes of Coach Zorn.
Weaknesses:
Getting the ball in the end zone. This team averaged 12.5 points per game in the second half of the season (still managed to beat the Eagles with a meager 10, though). For a team that runs the ball so darn well, the blame would obviously then fall on the passing game. The failure of this unit is surprising for several reasons. One, this was supposed to be the year Jason Campbell brought it all together. Two, this team seems to have the right “weapons” — starting with Santana Moss and Cris Cooley. And three, look at last year’s draft! Devin Thomas, Fred Davis, and Malcolm Kelly were their first three picks.
Not one of them broke out in a big way. Dissappointing year for sure.
Where They Go From Here:
Pete Kendall is pretty darn old, but they might want to keep him around as the rest of the O-Line is aging as well, tends to get injured, and they need the depth. Other than that the rest of the free agents are of low concern. Suisham is likely gone after a terrible year.
Despite the lackluster rookie seasons of last year’s picks, the Redskins won’t give up on them yet. Look for this team to draft help on the defensive side of the ball. The Redskins haven’t drafted a defensive lineman higher than the 5th round since 1997. Again, the Redskins are the bizarro Eagles. They desperately need a pass rusher. The Jason Taylor experiment didn’t work out well and this team finished 28th in the NFL in sacks.
They could use help on the offensive line as well. They are good, but old. And as I said, prone to injury.
Draft Expectations: Defensive Line, Offensive Line, Linebacker
For the first time in a long time, you can expect next year’s Redskins to look almost identical to this year’s version. They have stated they are unlikely to go after any big name free agents, indicating they will try to improve the team from within and through the draft.
Leave a Reply