Washington Redskins OTAs: Latest Player Reports and Analysis

Are the Washington Redskins getting ready for changes at two of the most important positions on the roster? Full OTAs will reveal the answer with issues in the offensive backfield and the heart of the linebacking corps beginning to loom large.

The presence of a battering ram-style rookie runner could spell trouble for an incumbent with a more than solid track record. A comfort level with the power-based schemes installed by new offensive line coach Bill Callahan could be the deciding factor in the most intriguing roster battle on the team this offseason.

Elsewhere, all eyes are sure to remain on new general manager Scot McCloughan's top draft pick Brandon Scherff. That would normally be the case, but the pressure on the ex-Iowa blocker has increased thanks to the player the Redskins passed on to take him.

Find out what the latest reports and player analysis reveal about the rebuilding Redskins ahead of full OTAs, which are scheduled to begin May 26, per ESPN.com's Scott Symmes.

Could Will Compton Supplant Perry Riley Jr. at ILB?

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Has Perry Riley Jr.'s stock fallen far enough for him to be pushed aside by previously undrafted Will Compton? That was the question recently put to Real Redskins blogger Rich Tandler.

He noted the arrival of new defensive coordinator Joe Barry as a key factor in any decision at the middle linebacker position:

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Perry Riley was a favorite of Jim Haslett’s after being the first defensive draft pick after Haslett became defensive coordinator. Riley played nearly all of the snaps when healthy despite some issues in pass coverage. Now Joe Barry is in charge and the position could undergo some changes. It will not be easy for Compton to unseat Riley, who has 54 NFL starts under his belt to five for Compton. But there is a better chance for real competition there than there has been and Compton could have a chance.

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It's an interesting one to ponder, especially in light of Riley's struggles in 2014. The team's fourth-round pick in 2010 inked a pricey new deal ahead of last season and promptly delivered his most uninspiring campaign yet.

In fairness, Jim Haslett put Riley into some terrible positions. Covering wide receivers who can stretch the field vertically in a one-on-one matchup shouldn't be the bag of any inside 'backer.

Yet even with any grievances toward the old play-calling aside, there were deeper issues with Riley's performances. Most notably, he still hasn't shed his now career-long habit of being in a position to make a play but rarely making it.

Missed tackles and bad pursuit angles continue to be evident in Riley's run support. He also wasn't anywhere near as effective on the blitz, where timing was previously a core strength, last season.

But even after taking all that into account, is Compton really ready to fill the void if Barry opts for a change? Frankly, that's a difficult question.

It's difficult because there's a lot to like about Compton, but much of it may only be surface-deep. For instance, his hustle and willingness to hit are welcome qualities in any thumper roaming the middle.

Yet it's also fair to question the 25-year-old's lack of athletic range and general dynamism. The latter failing is best summed up by a total absence of playmaking output. Despite appearing in all 16 games and making five full starts, Compton didn't register a single interception, pass breakup, sack, forced fumble or fumble recovery in 2014.

Washington may be moving toward a more hybrid scheme for the new season, but this is still a 3-4 front. Any linebacker-led defense needs the players at that position to produce impact moments.

Compton needs to use OTAs to prove he has a nose for the football. If he can, Riley's position will be under threat.

Ultimately though, both players may find themselves usurped by an outside candidate.

Martrell Spaight Is a Dark-Horse Candidate in ILB Competition

Riley and Compton would be smart to look over their shoulders at ex-SEC tackling machine Martrell Spaight. The fifth-round pick in this year's draft is a true dark-horse candidate in any competition for playing time in the middle.

At 6'0" and 236 pounds, he's a classic downhill bruiser who owns the gaps at either side of the center. Spaight is defined by his physicality, something frankly missing from Washington's defense for too long.

Bret Bielema, Spaight's coach at Arkansas, emphasized brute-force power as a feature of his former player's game during an interview with ESPN 980, per Redskins.com's Stephen Czarda:

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Second thing is he’s a player with an incredible amount of power in a short amount of time. He doesn’t have to take four, five steps to deliver a big blow. I’ve seen him take a running back with one step. I’ve seen him destroy a guard trying to get up on him. He’s just a very powerful [player]. We had a term here – he knocked out three players in one practice – and we called it getting ‘Spaighted.'

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Such a malevolent playing style can help Spaight's cause of going from late-round sleeper to shock starter. Increased physicality is set to be a key part of the identity of Barry's defense in 2015.

McCloughan helped ensure it will be by adding hulking linemen Terrance Knighton and Stephen Paea to the trenches during free agency. Having a pair of monsters in the middle to keep blockers off a prolific and brutal hitter would make Washington one of the toughest run fronts in the NFL.

Spaight's presence would also offer a nice complement at the heart of the linebacker corps. As a short-area, downhill agent of destruction, he could do the dirty work inside while the more athletic Keenan Robinson lurks with intent at the second level, ready to use his flexibility as a catch-all X-factor.

Spaight's chances of quickly making an impression may not be as long as his draft status might indicate. The former Razorback did at least make a favorable impression in terms of interviewing well and displaying a mature attitude toward improving his game during rookie OTAs, per ESPN.com's John Keim.

Spaight is certainly one rookie who bears close watching once the veterans return to work.

Jamison Crowder Already a Leading Candidate for Slot Receiver Role

One first-year prospect who is set to carry a favorable impression from rookie minicamp into working with the vets is fourth-rounder Jamison Crowder. Actually, make that a very favorable impression.

Nobody has been left more impressed by the former Duke star than head coach Jay Gruden. The young sideline general already sees Crowder as a strong candidate to play in the slot, per 247Sports.com's Jamie Oakes:

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The thing about him is that he has got great football IQ. If you’re a slot receiver, you need that, and you need to know how to run routes against different leverage points. He’s done some good things outside too, but in order to be a good, effective slot receiver, you’ve got to be able to field zones and man, inside technique, outside technique, bump, head up, outside, and then know how to set them at top of your break.

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Gruden concluded his endorsement by stating Crowder boasts "all the traits" a slot receiver should possess. That's great news for the rookie, but not so good news for fellow youngster Ryan Grant and veteran Andre Roberts.

Both failed to offer much consistency or big-play potential as supplemental pass-catchers in 2014. Taking Crowder off the board was proof of how keen the Redskins are to add something extra to a key area of the passing game.

His positive introduction to his coaches bodes well for the team having found the right weapon for the slot. It's a weapon that shaky quarterback Robert Griffin III will need in 2015.

Griffin is going to need a short-range, yards-after-the-catch specialist he can count on. It's the only way he'll start to trust the quick dumpoffs that beat pressure and avoid his now all-too familiar feature-length attempts to make reads downfield before inevitably taking an unnecessary sack.

Seeing if Crowder can translate his rookie minicamp showing to working with more established pros should be one of the more intriguing storylines of Washington's OTAs.

Leonard Williams or Brandon Scherff Debate Set to Linger on

RICH SCHULTZ/Associated Press

In case you missed it the first hundred times following Washington's decision to select Brandon Scherff fifth overall, ESPN.com's Jason Reid has re-examined whether the Redskins were right to pass on Leonard Williams in the process.

Reid focuses on the pressure that's been heaped on Scherff's shoulders by the decision to overlook the defensive tackle thought by many to be too good to miss. Reid smartly anticipates that Scherff may be damned even if he performs decently depending on how Williams performs: "The thing is, in the court of public opinion, it won't be good enough for Scherff to merely be solid if Leonard Williams is spectacular."

While that's true, the Scherff-or-Williams debate is the ultimate one for would-be draft strategists to ponder. It's need against best player available.

In reality, Washington took the best player available who could answer the team's biggest need—namely, better offensive line play. Yet plenty will contend that opting for a more impact player would have been the smarter move.

After all, every team needs game-winners, and an O-lineman who may eventually be better shifted inside hardly seems to fit that bill, per Reid:

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No NFL decision-maker worth his salt would pick a player projected as a right tackle over a disruptive defensive lineman expected to emerge as a dominant pass-rusher. For Washington, the worst-case scenario would be if Williams becomes a monster and Scherff ultimately moves inside because he struggles against the rush. As two-time Super Bowl winner Mike Shanahan will tell you, teams win championships with great tackles, not guards.

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But while there's some merit to that argument it also somewhat misses the point. An O-lineman's impact is only ever measured in how his presence helps others perform.

That's exactly what the Redskins and McCloughan are counting on from Scherff. They're hoping he helps create a more secure pocket to enable Griffin to make long overdue strides as a passer. Just as importantly, they're also betting one of college football's toughest run-blockers can revive a rushing attack that fell flat in 2014.

If Scherff does those things, his impact will be just as significant as a D-tackle who may rack up the sacks and tackles for loss. Washington's offense boasts one of the better supporting casts of skill players in football.

What the talented group really needs is a line that is skilled and formidable enough to provide the foundation for its members to thrive. That impact can't be measured by gaudy individual statistics for a road-grader like Scherff.

But it will show if there are more points and more wins for the burgundy and gold in 2015.

Could Matt Jones Really Take Alfred Morris' Job?

AJ Mast/Associated Press

Before Gruden's arrival, the idea of Alfred Morris losing his standing as Washington's workhorse of choice would have seemed ludicrous. But Gruden has made no secret of his preference for power-blocking techniques, per CSN Washington's Rich Tandler: "I like the power plays. I like the gap-blocking plays."

Of course, Morris is firmly a product of the outside zone, stretch-style scheme put in place by Gruden's predecessor, Mike Shanahan. It turned the sixth-round pick in 2012 into an overnight star and three-time 1,000-yard rusher.

For a clearer idea of Morris' overall production and effectiveness since entering the pros, Tandler recently relayed this fact in a column for his Real Redskins blog: "Morris is the league’s second-leading rusher since 2012, the year he came into the league."

But beneath those numbers, all is not as it seems. ESPN.com's John Keim detailed how Morris' effectiveness has actually diminished every year he's been in the league:

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The run game must be their identity and, for the past two seasons, it’s been way too inconsistent. Morris had eight 100-yard games as a rookie and seven since (game situations often dictate). His yards per carry have gone from 4.81 to 4.62 to 4.05. It’s not just his fault, but it is indicative of how the run game has fallen off.

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Keim also carried a sensational statement first made by ESPN 980's Kevin Sheehan, stating Washington would have targeted Georgia running back Todd Gurley had the team traded back with the Atlanta Falcons in the 2015 NFL draft.

That's provocative stuff considering Morris is set to be a free agent in 2016. So is the decision to draft Matt Jones in the third round.

Keim interprets that decision, along with the suggestion Gurley was firmly on McCloughan's radar, as ample proof the Redskins want more from their running game. He highlighted how Jones' rookie contract, a cheap, four-year option that protects the team, could make waving goodbye to Morris an easier decision than it appears.

For his part, Jones has already stated his willingness to "compete" with Morris for the right to carry the backfield workload, per Zac Boyer of the Washington Times. Gruden had suggested Morris will still receive "the bulk of the carries," per Keim.

The real issue is how well Morris takes to running behind a different style of blocking. This is where the phrase power-blocking can confuse some.

To say Morris might struggle in a power scheme is not, repeat not, the same as suggesting he runs without any force or strength. You'd likely be hard-pressed to find any 224-pound NFL running back who doesn't carry some power when he runs.

Instead, the argument is about discipline and style. The zone scheme that's made Morris a star is all about patience and anticipation. It's the patience to press a play far enough outside while waiting for cutback lanes to appear. The best zone runners anticipate where those lanes will be quicker than the rest.

But power running is a little different, not least because it's generally north-south running. It also requires a more decisive attempt to hit holes created quicker by brute force up front—holes that may not stay open for long given how linemen are isolated in one-on-one matchups.

It's significant to note Morris endured his worst pro season lugging the rock in a Gruden-called offense that featured many of these principles.

By contrast, Jones already has the smashmouth style and initial quickness to make a sudden impact in this type of scheme as a rookie. It's now up to Morris to prove he can translate what's worked for him so far and adapt it to continue producing in another system.

Morris is one of the established veterans under the most pressure with full OTAs looming. His battle against young pup Jones will make for fascinating viewing.

Elsewhere, the competition at inside linebacker will also be intriguing. Riley certainly has no room for error since Spaight was selected.

Finally, Crowder's development won't stay under the radar long if he continues to impress coaches once he's running with the big boys.