Texans Defensive Front Provides Ideal Initial Test for New-Look Redskins Offense

For the majority of his NFL career, Washington Redskins franchise quarterback Robert Griffin III has been running for his life. 

Griffin himself has to be more disciplined when it comes to throwing it away, sliding, getting out of bounds and checking down in the passing game, but he has also quite frequently been victimized by criminally bad pass protection. 

Things are supposed to be different this year. New head coach Jay Gruden is a quarterback guru who is expected to basically ditch the read-option while helping RGIII become more of a pocket passer. He and the front office have made some tweaks along the offensive line, moving Kory Lichtensteiger to center and signing the hefty Shawn Lauvao to add some bulk in the middle. 

Those alleged improvements weren't manifested in the preseason, where Griffin and the Redskins' first-team offense had a grand total of six points (two field goals) on 10 full series, with RGIII averaging only 7.0 yards per attempt while tossing two interceptions. 

But those games don't count, and preseason game plans are vanilla at best. If they can get it right now, none of that will matter. 

And what better way to prove that you've fixed offensive protection issues than by surviving a Week 1 meeting with a defensive front that features two of the scariest players in football? 

With two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt and freak-of-nature No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney staring Griffin down, this new-look 'Skins offense is in for one hell of an initiation Sunday in Houston.

The general idea is that Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams will be dealing with Clowney for most of the day. That's good but no sure thing. There's limited tape on Clowney, who tore it up in the preseason and is a heavy preseason favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year. And Williams surrendered eight sacks last season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which was tied for the 10th-highest total in the NFL.

Even if Williams can contain Clowney in his first regular-season game, that frees Watt up to go to town on the rest of a fragile offensive line. 

Here's how Gruden summarized the situation, according to ESPN.com's John Keim: 

"

You just watch tape on him and he's got plenty of tape to prove that he is one of the most dynamic linemen in the game. [Chris] Chester's got to watch him, Kory's [Lichtensteiger] got to watch him, Shawn Lauvao's got to watch him, our tackles have got to watch him because we don't know where he is going to lineup half the time. They've all got to be aware of his power move, he has got a swim move, he has got an inside move, he has got it all and then if he doesn't rush he'll bat the ball down. So we've just got to understand that he is a great player and we've got to work on our technique.

"

One-on-one against a player like that, right tackle Tyler Polumbus is a liability. Just look at the problems he had with Justin Tuck in a similar—but easier—matchup late last season: 

NFL Game Pass

He'll inevitably get some help against the game's best defensive player, but that means the interior of the line could be even more vulnerable than usual. And those were the guys who let Griffin down more often than not last year. 

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NFL Game Pass

New Texans defensive coordinator and 3-4 guru Romeo Crennel has to know that, so expect him to use talented front-seven sidekicks Brian Cushing and Brooks Reed in order to create a push up the middle, overload-style. 

This Houston team was a mess last year, but it had a top-10 defense that was fifth in the league in sacks in 2012, and that was before Clowney came to town. Expect Crennel to have this unit in top form again, which means pressure should be an inevitability. 

Time for Griffin to prove he really has matured as a runner, a passer and a decision-maker. And time for his pass protectors to prove they're up for the challenge of keeping the most important investment in franchise history upright. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFC East for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon