5 Washington Redskins in Line for Increased Roles in 2015

The Washington Redskins may have entered free agency with $28 million in cap space, via CSN's Rich Tandler, but coming off a 7-25 stretch the past two seasons, it's hardly enough to fill all the holes on the team's roster. 

General manager Scot McCloughan's signings of Chris Culliver, Terrance Knighton and Stephen Paea have bolstered the team's talent. But for Washington to show true improvement on the gridiron, it will need some holdovers from last year's team to raise their game.

With that in mind, let's look at five players in line for increased roles in 2015.

LB Trent Murphy

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Washington's top draft pick in 2014, Trent Murphy was relatively average his first season in D.C.

In 15 games, Murphy paired 2.5 sacks with two forced fumbles. Targeted by the Skins to improve their pass rush, Murphy's impact instead came against the run. He was Pro Football Focus' sixth-highest-graded outside linebacker in defending the run last season.

A starter in eight games as a rookie, Murphy is in line to see even more playing time in 2015 now that Brian Orakpo has departed.

Now, the team could very well bring in another pass-rusher with the No. 5 overall pick in the draft. But even under such a scenario, Murphy figures to hold a starting position because of his ability to play both the pass and the run.

RB Silas Redd

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Now that Roy Helu has bolted for the Oakland Raiders, the Redskins have a gaping hole in the backfield on third downs. 

Primarily contributing as a receiver, Helu finished 2014 with 42 receptions, 477 yards and two touchdowns. Knowing that Alfred Morris has all of 37 receptions in three NFL seasons, the in-house options to replace Helu are Silas Redd and Chris Thompson.

A speed demon and the most accomplished receiver on the roster, Thompson certainly fits the profile to be Helu's replacement—but that's when healthy. And to be frank, that's something Thompson hasn't been in Washington or during his collegiate career at Florida State.

During his final two seasons at Florida State, he only played in a combined 14 games. Fast-forward to his time in D.C., and injuries again were an issue. 

This brings us to Redd. In limited action, he caught eight of 10 targets for 107 yards and five first downs. Additionally, while laying out the team's landscape at running back in the wake of Helu's departure, CSN's Rich Tandler went as far as to declare Redd the favorite to be Washington's third-down back in 2015.

Factoring in Morris' pending free agency, look for Redd to see significantly more playing time in his sophomore season.

T Morgan Moses

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Despite its well-documented struggles up front (58 sacks allowed), Washington has done little thus far to upgrade its offensive line. It wasn't for lack of trying, though. According to ESPN's John Keim, the team struck out in its pursuit of right tackles Jeremy Parnell and Derek Newton.

Resigned to retaining Tom Compton, whom Pro Football Focus rated as a below-average starter last season, the Redskins' best hope for improvement lies with one Morgan Moses.

Formerly a left tackle at Virginia, Moses struggled in his transition to right tackle on the NFL level. Per Pro Football Focus (h/t CSN's Tarik El-Bashir), he allowed three sacks in 131 offensive snaps. After eight games, his rookie campaign ended because of a Lisfranc injury.

It remains to be seen whether he'll be available at the start of training camp after surgery. But with Compton on just a one-year deal and the top of the 2015 NFL draft light on elite offensive tackle prospects, Moses will get an opportunity to garner the starting job at some point next season.

Maybe not by Week 1, but under the tutelage of new offensive line coach Bill Callahan, you can look for Moses to be the Redskins' starting right tackle by season's end.

TE Niles Paul

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An afterthought on offense for the first three years of his NFL career, Niles Paul showed promise in the place of an injured Jordan Reed early in 2014.

In the month of September alone, Paul eclipsed his career receiving numbers with 21 receptions and 313 yards in the team's first four games. As his season totals of 39 catches and 507 yards indicate, though, there was a drop-off in his performance once Reed returned to the lineup.

Signed to a three-year deal, worth up to $10 million, Paul figures to have an increased role within head coach Jay Gruden's offense going forward.

It wasn't the case last season, but during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals, Gruden had an affinity for using two-tight end sets. In 2013, he used this pairing 56 percent of the time.

But for Gruden to duplicate this in Washington, it has to be said, Paul has to become a better blocker. According to Pro Football Focus (h/t Maurice Barksdale of Riggo's Rag), he was ranked 62nd out of 67 tight ends in run blocking.

A player Gruden has lauded in the past for his work ethic, look for Paul to improve in this aspect as he takes his game to new heights in 2015.

S Duke Ihenacho

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Call it a trend if you like, but like the offensive line, the Redskins' attempts to upgrade the safety position in free agency were to no avail.

Washington needed to replace both Brandon Meriweather and Ryan Clark in the starting lineup, but thus far, it's only landed Jeron Johnson, an understudy of Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas in Seattle. Via ESPN's John Keim, the team was spurned by Antrel Rolle in free agency in favor of the Chicago Bears. 

So where does this leave Washington?

Now that the likes of Marcus Gilchrist, Ron Parker and Devin McCourty are off the market, the team will have to look for an upgrade in the draft. There's a problem with that, though. This year's safety crop is light on impact prospects, with Landon Collins ranking as Scout Inc.'s lone safety with a first-round grade.

In the event it's left to pick a starter from within, Washington would be best served by giving Duke Ihenacho another look. 

He was limited to three games in 2014, but he was the starting safety for the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl the year prior. In 15 games in 2013, Ihenacho tallied 73 tackles, three forced fumbles and six passes defensed.

The safety with the most starting experience on Washington's roster, barring injury, Ihenacho should fulfill a pivotal role in the team's secondary next season.