Analyzing Washington Redskins' 5 Deepest Roster Spots

The Washington Redskins are all too familiar with the reality that injuries are a part of life in the NFL.

While it's a no-brainer to sport favorable depth behind the players with the dreaded injury-prone label, as a general rule of thumb, you can never have too much depth. Clean injury history or not, no player is immune to injury.

With that in mind, let's examine Washington's roster and identify the five deepest roster spots.

Quarterback

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Candidates

• Robert Griffin III
• Kirk Cousins
• Colt McCoy
• Hutson Mason

It's far from top-heavy, but Washington's quarterback position is deep. Kirk Cousins, Robert Griffin III and Colt McCoy have their faults, but they've each had their moments in the sun as a starting quarterback.

Looking at the quarterback landscape across the league, that's more than you can say about most teams' crop of signal-callers. 

In a league in which the likes of Geno Smith, Matt Cassel and Josh McCown are in line to start, under the right circumstances, this trio of quarterbacks could at the very least compete for a starting gig elsewhere. 

Deep or not, though, the fate of the Redskins is in the hands of the No. 1 quarterback. And that's Griffin. 

He won't have to deal with a competition. Head coach Jay Gruden has already named him the starter. With a bolstered defense and running game to support him, Griffin won't feel the weight of having to carry this team either.

Simply put, there's no expectation for him to revert back to his rookie form, at least not now.

If he can eliminate the sacks and turnovers that maligned him a year ago, Washington will chalk up Griffin's 2015 campaign as a success.

Running Back

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Candidates

• Alfred Morris
• Darrel Young
• Matt Jones
• Silas Redd
• Chris Thompson
• Trey Williams
• Michael Hill
• Jordan Campbell

Washington's rushing attack has steadily declined since 2012. Once tops in the league, it finished 19th in rushing yards last season. 

Alfred Morris had a down year, rushing for a career-low 1,074 yards.

Enter Bill Callahan. As the offensive line coach of the Dallas Cowboys, he directed the NFL's second-ranked rushing attack.

Now, it's a given that Morris, or rookie Matt Jones for that matter, isn't on par with DeMarco Murray from a talent standpoint.

In hindsight, though, it doesn't matter. What does matter is how often Callahan called Murray's number. He led the NFL with 392 carries, and Dallas as a team was third in rushing attempts.

Knowing that Washington was 21st in this category in 2014, Callahan's commitment to the run should lead to an increased rushing output in 2015.

Now for the backs he'll be turning to. Possessing different skill sets, Morris, Jones and Chris Thompson will each have a role to play in Washington's backfield. 

A non-factor in the passing game, Morris, the presumptive starter, will see most of his action on first and second down. Splitting the role once held by Roy Helu, Thompson and Jones should see the majority of snaps on third down. 

With his explosive speed, Thompson is most qualified to aid the team's passing attack. At 6'2" and 231 pounds, Jones can count on his number being called in short-yardage situations. 

Oh, and we can't forget Silas Redd. He's perhaps the most complete of all the team's backs. He's not spectacular in any aspect, but as a runner, receiver and pass-blocker, Redd gets the job done.

We all know the shelf life of an NFL running back is short. But should injury hit, the Redskins have the depth in the backfield to keep the chains moving.

Receiver

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Candidates

• DeSean Jackson
• Pierre Garcon
• Andre Roberts
• Ryan Grant
• Jamison Crowder
• Evan Spencer
• Reggie Bell
• Tony Jones
• Colin Lockett
• Rashad Ross
• Quinton Dunbar

The duo didn't produce as expected, but DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon still rank as one of the top receiving tandems in the league.

Washington signed Jackson to a $24 million deal in free agency to make big plays, and he delivered them in his inaugural season in D.C. In addition to tallying 1,169 receiving yards, he led the NFL with 13 receptions of 40-plus yards.

Garcon's 2014 numbers of 68 receptions and 752 yards were middling in comparison to his 2013 record-breaking output. Nonetheless, with improved quarterback play, there's reason to believe he'll bounce back in 2015.

It wasn't designed to be this way, but there's a major drop-off to the next receiver, Andre Roberts. He had just 36 receptions on, get this, 73 targets last season. According to Sporting Charts, among receivers, Roberts had the highest drop percentage on the team at 11 percent. 

Fortunately enough, the team has two promising receivers waiting in the wings should Roberts' struggles spill over to the 2015 campaign.

Sophomore Ryan Grant didn't garner much action in his rookie year. But it was just around this time last season that he was the talk of OTAs and minicamp.

A fourth-round pick out of Duke, rookie Jamison Crowder is garnering buzz this year. An explosive playmaker at both receiver and on special teams, he has already expressed his desire to take Roberts' job:

"

Jamison Crowder wants Andre Roberts job. Roberts welcomes the competition http://t.co/rSp8zC7idJ #RedskinsTalk pic.twitter.com/UkjT82Ej3h

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayCSN) May 27, 2015"

Opportunity is all that stands between these two making their mark.

More athlete than receiver at this point, the 6'2" Evan Spencer gives the team some much-needed size. For the time being, though, his—or any of the other unheralded wideouts—place on the roster will come down to his contributions on special teams. 

There remains a glaring lack of size overall, but between Crowder, Grant and Washington's three veteran receivers atop the depth chart, the wide receiver position is relatively deep.

Defensive Line

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Candidates

• Jason Hatcher
• Ricky Jean Francois
• Chris Baker
• Stephen Paea
• Frank Kearse
• Terrance Knighton
• Kedric Golston
• Robert Thomas
• Corey Crawford
• Daryl Waud
• Travian Robertson

Before you is the deepest position group on the team. The likes of Jason Hatcher, Terrance Knighton, Stephen Paea, Chris Baker and Ricky Jean Francois justify this title.

But what speaks more to the strength of the defensive line than the Redskins' willingness to pass on the draft's top overall prospect, Leonard Williams, in the draft?

After all, with five players up front who started at least 12 games in 2014, you can't exactly consider defensive line as a need for this team.

Factoring in the presence of Frank Kearse and Kedric Golston, Washington is more prepared to handle injuries should they hit like last season up front.

Linebacker

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Candidates

• Ryan Kerrigan
• Trent Murphy
• Preston Smith
• Adam Hayward
• Jackson Jeffcoat
• Will Compton
• Perry Riley
• Keenan Robinson
• Martrell Spaight
• Dyshawn Davis
• Ja'Gared Davis
• James Gayle
• Terrance Plummer
• Trevardo Williams
• Houston Bates
• Alonzo Highsmith

If only the Redskins sported this type of depth when Brian Orakpo was continuously missing games. 

At outside linebacker, Ryan Kerrigan is now the headliner. A one-man show as a pass-rusher at times last season, he'll have Trent Murphy and rookie Preston Smith to ease the burden on his shoulders.

Already a stout run defender, Murphy spent his offseason aiming to get bigger and faster in an effort to improve as a pass rusher, via the team's official website.

“I know [for] deadlifting, by the time I left I was [at] 550 [pounds] for six reps or eight reps,” he told Redskins.com TV's Larry Michael. “I was doing get-offs twice per week and working with some Olympic sprint coaches. So, I had a lot of positive work.”

In regard to Smith, via CBS DC's Brian McNally, he's made quite the impression on the team's coaching staff thus far, particularly Gruden:

"

[Smith’s] length is what draws you to him initially. And he uses that leverage to his advantage, especially in the run game when people are at the point of attack…and then using that length in his pass rush. He can get people off of him and then he has good hips and he can finish plays.

"

Then there's Jackson Jeffcoat. In three games (one start), he flashed his ability and finished with one sack and an interception. 

Moving inside, the trio from last season of Will Compton, Perry Riley and Keenan Robinson will welcome rookie Martrell Spaight into the fray. Speed isn't a strong suit of the fifth-round pick, but he is a physical player who is known for big hits.

Speaking to ESPN 980 (h/t Redskins.com), Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema spoke about Spaight's hitting power:

"

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.’

"

An ace on special teams, Adam Hayward is also a name you shouldn't forget.

Kerrigan is irreplaceable, and he happens to be injured at the moment, but with the depth overall at linebacker, the team is in a better spot to deal with its star linebacker's absence than it was last year with Orakpo.