Washington Redskins Training Camp: Most Intriguing Position Battles

This is now truly Mike Shanahan’s team.  Gone are the days when Vinny Cerrato worried about angering Clinton Portis (and therefore owner Dan Snyder) by bringing in too high profile a backup running back for CP’s liking.

Today we see the change as even the Skins’ newest prize acquisition, Robert Griffin III, had to learn two days after he was drafted that no one is irreplaceable when the team drafted Kirk Cousins in the fourth round.  Bust protection, injury protection, good draft value… whatever you call Cousins, RG3 wasn’t going whining to Snyder.  Those things don’t happen on Shanahan’s watch.

Shanahan has done a nice job of bringing as much talent as possible to Redskin Park this offseason, which should create some good competition in training camp for both starting spots and roster spots.

Here we take a look at some positions that make for intriguing training camp battles. While some current starters at these positions may not lose their starting jobs by the season’s first game at New Orleans, they may be hard pressed to still hold those starting jobs come December with all the talent they have breathing down their necks.

No. 2 WR: Josh Morgan, Leonard Hankerson, Santana Moss, Anthony Armstrong

Assuming Pierre Garcon starts at one wide receiver position, Josh Morgan is probably the favorite to start on the other side. The Virginia Tech product is being paid like a starter and also possesses the downfield blocking ability Coach Shanahan loves. 

Morgan has never had a quality quarterback to deliver him the football, so he seems poised to take a big step forward this season, especially if Griffin can live up to his potential at QB.

Leonard Hankerson finally broke through with a 100-yard performance against the Dolphins in Week 10 last season, but unfortunately he injured his hip in the same game.  Before that game, he had issues with drops and overall concentration, but the team was also bringing him along slowly. 

Hankerson finally looked ready for the spotlight, but quickly sustained an injury. If the hip is OK, he should put up some nice numbers in 2012, starter or not.

Santana Moss could be a wild card at this position.  He wasn’t the same when he returned from a broken hand last season, but he should be all healed and ready to go this season.  Moss has shown up at OTA’s 15 lbs. lighter than he was last season, which is a good sign.

I do think it is more likely Moss has a career renaissance as a slot receiver (a la Victor Cruz for the Giants last season) than as a starter on the outside.

Armstrong arguably gains the most of any Redskins wide receiver from the addition of Robert Griffin III and his touch on the deep ball.  Armstrong is a burner, who averaged 19.8 yards per catch in 2010 and then disappeared from the Skins offense last season with the lack of a deep passing game. 

With all the talk of bootlegs and stretching the field with RG3’s rocket arm, Armstrong’s pure speed may allow him to sneak by the big names into the starting lineup.

Left Guard- Kory Lichtensteiger, Josh LeRibeus, Maurice Hurt, Adam Gettis

Lichtensteiger looked good last season before injuring his knee in Week 6 against the Eagles.  He is already working on the side during the beginning of OTA’s, so he should be ready for the start of training camp. 

Only reinjury should threatening Lichtensteiger losing the opening day start at left guard, but he must work extremely hard to avoid a mid/late season replacement by someone else on the list above.

LeRibeus played at center during the rookie mini-camp, so we are not even sure if guard is where the Skins plan on using him long term or short term.  He sounds (by all accounts) to be a cerebral mauler, who may end up being tough to keep off the field even early in his Redskin career.

Hurt was seventh round pick last season, who was supposed to spend the season on the practice squad learning the tackle position. Instead, Hurt ended up starting 8 games at left guard and holding his own. 

Hurt was seen taking snaps at tackle during OTA’s this week (versatility never hurts).  He may be more concerned about making the 53-man roster than stealing Lichtensteiger’s starting job.  He is still eligible for the practice squad this season.

Gettis is a very intriguing prospect at guard.  He was able to guard in the Big Ten at under 290 lbs, so he already knows how to handle larger opponents in the trenches.  If he can put on a little weight, he could be the perfect lineman for the zone blocking scheme with his ability to move. 

Like LeRibeus, Gettis also plays center, so he has the versatility that the Skins love, especially coming off a season with so many injuries to their offensive line.

Will Montgomery could be added to this list if Josh LeRibeus steals his job at center. 

Mike Shanahan has rebuilt the Skins O-line with young, versatile depth.   With Trent Williams, Kory Lichtensteiger, Will Montgomery, Chris Chester, Josh LeRibeus, Adam Gettis, Maurice Hurt, Tom Compton, Willie Smith, James Lee, the Redskins have a lot of offensive line talent under 30.

Kick-Returner/Punt-Returner- Banks, Crawford, Bernstine, Morgan, Austin

This battle is more important to Brandon Banks than anyone else on this list because everyone else on this list does something else besides return kicks.  Banks needs to find other ways to get on the field beyond punts and kickoffs.  He was seen going through receiver drills during the first day of OTA’s this offseason. 

The addition of Robert Griffin III may add to offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s creativity.  That would be a good thing for Banks.

Richard Crawford could be the answer at punt returner.  He averaged 11.8 yards per return, including a 92-yard touchdown at SMU last season as their primary punt returner. 

He has already surprised on the defensive side of the ball on the opening day of OTA’s, so anything Crawford can add in the return game may force the team to put him on the 53-man roster to begin the season, instead of the practice squad.

Jordan Bernstine was seventh in the Big Ten last season with 24.4 yards per kickoff return.  He definitely has the speed to get to job done.  If Bernstine has the return instincts to go with his athleticism, he could turn into a dangerous option at kickoff returner.  Like Crawford, Bernstine’s ability to contribute in the return game may be his ticket to a roster spot, instead of a trip to the practice squad.

Josh Morgan averaged 28.2 yards per kickoff return in 2009 for the 49ers.  The question is whether the team wants to risk a $6-million-a-year wide receiver getting injured returning kickoffs.

Terrence Austin needs to do something flashy this training camp to make the roster.  Could the return game be the place? Austin can return punts and kicks and has looked good at times in the return game during previous preseasons, but he has never looked superior to Banks in return ability.

The fact remains Banks must clearly win both return jobs in training camp to guarantee himself a roster spot.  Every other player on this list can make the team in other ways. Unfortunately for Banks, with the Skins carrying three quarterbacks this season, there may not be room for a return specialist.

Safety- Jackson, Merriweather, Gomes, Williams, Doughty, Bernstine, Barnes

This battle is obviously for two spots.  In Jim Haslett’s 3-4 defense, the safeties have to be almost interchangeable, so new secondary coach Raheem Morris may be looking for the two best overall safeties from the list above, instead of necessarily trying to find a true starting free and strong safety.

Tanard Jackson may have somewhat of an inside track since he played for Morris in Tampa Bay for the last three seasons.  He also may be the only true free safety of the bunch. 

Tanard missed a large percentage of tackles last season, presumably because of an injured shoulder.  If he can get the shoulder healthy (and bring the correct attitude), he could be the steal of the offseason for the Redskins.

Brandon Merriweather was a Pro Bowl safety in 2009 and 2010.  Since then, his game has fallen off considerably.  He lost his job and was cut in New England on final cut last season.  He was immediately picked up by Chicago, started four games, and was benched. 

Merriweather could be the team’s starting strong safety all season.  He could just as easily be out of the league by September.

DeJon Gomes is definitely in the Skins long term plans.  Is he ready to assume the starting duties in his second season? He will definitely continue to help Danny Smith on special teams, but he may still be a year away from being a solid and consistent contributor on defense.

Madieu Williams needs to prove he hasn’t lost a step.  If he can be the player he once was in Cincinnati, he will be exactly what this defense needs: a playmaking safety on the back end.  The chances of Williams doing this are slim. 

Madieu is a class act, so if he makes the team, he will be a great example in the locker room for the young guys. This has to be a consideration if a final cut comes down to Williams vs. Meriweather, who has already picked up a DUI charge in his short time in D.C.

Reed Doughty is what he is: an extremely smart player, who lacks top-level athletic talent to cover top NFL playmakers.  He is also a big contributor on special teams. Will he be around come September?

Jordan Bernstine is a wild card.  He played both safety and corner at Iowa and is a freak athletically (just search him on YouTube). Shanahan said after the draft that Bernstine is a safety, but his versatility will help him when final cuts come around.  He could be destined for the practice squad this year, if he doesn’t show too much in the preseason. 

Kevin Barnes is my dark horse in the safety battle.  While he struggled covering the slot last season as the team’s primary nickel corner, he has been a pleasant surprise when forced into duty at free safety in the past. 

Barnes has all the tools to be successful at free safety. He can hit.  He can blitz.  He can cover.  He is best when looking into the backfield and reacting.   Safety may be his only chance to make the roster.

Nickel Corner- Griffin, Torrence, Thompson, Minnifield, Crawford, Barnes

Cedric Griffin may be the favorite to take over this spot, but he faces a lot of competition.  If he is healthy, the job should be his for the taking, but that is a big if.  If he is completely healthy, he should push the two starting corners to be better as well.

Leigh Torrence returns to Washington after three plus seasons in New Orleans. While he was mainly used on special teams during his previous stop in D.C., Torrence did excel covering the slot as well.  That was more than three years ago, so it may be tough not to assume he has lost a step.

Brandyn Thompson, who gained recent fame for running over Mike Shanahan in the first OTA, is an intriguing candidate. He spent most of last season on the practice squad.  Is he ready to step up? I look for Thompson to contribute on special teams this season, but expecting him to contribute on defense may be asking too much.

Chase Minnifield went undrafted because of questions about his knee.  Before the injury, many teams had a second-round grade on him.  He is the son of a former Pro Bowl cornerback.

If the knee can come back from microfracture surgery, Minnifield could be the Redskins’ second best rookie in this class behind RG3.  He has skills to take over the nickel corner immediately and possibly challenge the starters for time. The knee is the question.

Richard Crawford seemed like a wasted seventh round pick, who wasn’t on anybody else’s draft board.  However, word is during the first OTA, Crawford impressed and was running step-for-step with Garcon.  Shanahan listened to his buddy June Jones, Crawford’s college coach at SMU, and took a chance on Crawford.  It looks like it may pay off.

Kevin Barnes was the nickel corner last season and failed to impress.  Many believe his performance covering the slot was the reason Shanahan signed Cedric Griffin and Leigh Torrence and drafted Crawford.  It is tough to believe Barnes has much of a chance to win the job back, but he will compete for it.