Checking in on Washington Redskins' Biggest Project Players

There are some important project players who can still help improve the Washington Redskins' rebuilding roster at key positions. They include a potential third-down running back who just needs to stay healthy enough to showcase his speed and versatility.

Flipping the page to assess the other side of the ball, a once-touted rookie safety is surely down to his last chance to make the grade in D.C. The offseason arrival of two veterans at the position, along with a sixth-round draft pick, make the future appear bleak for this oft-injured defensive back.

Elsewhere, Washington's coaches should keep a close eye on a pair of outside linebackers. Both possess the core skills to be part of the pass-rushing rotation at the edges of the team's 3-4 defense. Still, the duo remains extremely raw.

Find out how each of Washington's biggest project players are performing as they bid to secure final-roster spots.

Trevardo Williams, OLB

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After being barely more than a camp body with the Houston Texans in 2013, Trevardo Williams caught on with the Redskins toward the end of last season. He appeared in three games, even managing to register a sack during Week 16's win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The question now becomes: Can Williams stay on the roster at a position Washington needs to be fully loaded for the new campaign? After the departure of Brian Orakpo, the Redskins are looking for solutions to boost a pass rush that felt the collars of opposing quarterbacks just 36 times in 2014.

To that end, new general manager Scot McCloughan used a second-round pick on rush end Preston Smith. Still, he's a beefy hybrid player who seems to have a long road to travel before he successfully transitions to playing on the edge.

Smith occasionally played too upright during work against the second team at OTAs, according to ESPN reporter John Keim. He also noticed how Smith needs work setting the edge: "Once or twice Smith didn’t set the edge as strong as you would like; got a little too bent on one occasion and lost his power."

Meanwhile, Mike Jones of the Washington Post noted Smith "appears to have the most work to do in pass coverage." Jones observed a lack of agility and range at times during rookie minicamp.

Those issues are probably why Williams earned the chance to work with the starters when the veterans returned for the first round of OTAs, per Keim. It's a big step for a player who spent his rookie season on injured reserve, per Houston Chronicle writer Brian T. Smith, before being cut on the eve of the 2014 campaign.

That's hardly the best pro pedigree for a former fourth-round pick. But Williams has a chance to stick in Washington simply because the depth chart around Pro Bowler Ryan Kerrigan is so sparse.

Smith is a more high-profile project, but a project nonetheless. So is Trent Murphy, last season's second-rounder. Aside from Williams, there's only Jackson Jeffcoat, undrafted a year ago, left.

Williams didn't wow coaches at OTAs, but he didn't let himself down, either. This is a player with a decent chance of at least meriting special teams consideration.

If he can win a few one-on-one battles in training camp, he may even be kept around as a backup pass-rusher on the edge.

Phillip Thomas, S

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Phillip Thomas looked like a potential steal as a fourth-round draft pick in 2013. In fact, he even said he'd be exactly that after arriving from Fresno State with a record of making plays at every level of a defense.

Thomas' draft profile emphasized his versatility and nose for the ball, per NFLDraftScout.com's Rob Rang (h/t CBS Sports): "Thomas led the country with eight interceptions in 2012, demonstrating instincts, range and terrific ball skills. While it took Thomas' 'breakout' senior campaign to earn him attention as a Thorpe Award finalist and All-American, scouts have been buzzing about this Bulldog for years."

But a torn Lisfranc ligament wiped out Thomas' rookie season. His comeback began on the practice squad last offseason.

Due to the mountain of problems the Redskins experienced at safety in 2014, Thomas was never going to stay there long. He made four starts but failed to really stand out.

CSN Washington's Tarik El-Bashir described how Thomas was blighted by "inconsistent tackling and miscues in coverage" during those four games. That's hardly the ideal audition tape for a player competing for time at a suddenly swelled position group.

Dashon Goldson and Jeron Johnson are the most notable new arrivals at safety after inking free-agent deals to move to Redskins Park. But there's also sixth-round pick Kyshoen Jarrett to consider.

The latter will join Johnson and holdover Duke Ihenacho in a competition for reps at strong safety. It's a crowded field that rules out time for Thomas, although his poor tackling probably put paid to playing in the box.

Still, Thomas may not even be able to count on time at free safety. Goldson has the spot to himself, but expect Trenton Robinson and Akeem Davis to vie for some snaps as well. The former was tellingly retained by McCloughan during free agency.

It's tough to find an obvious spot for Thomas. He's been unfortunate with injuries, but is also a project chosen by the previous regime. The current one appears ready to move on.

Chris Thompson, RB

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Washington's backfield rotation needs the kind of skills Chris Thompson can provide. Specifically, head coach Jay Gruden and offensive coordinator Sean McVay need a speedy and elusive back who can catch passes and turn short receptions into long gains.

Thompson certainly qualifies, thanks to his quickness and returner-like moves with the ball in his hands. If only he could stay healthy.

Failure to do so condemned him to the practice squad to begin last season, according to CSN Washington's Tarik El-Bashir. But Thompson made it out of the roster wilderness to appear in two games and tally three carries, six catches and a touchdown.

While the sample size was certainly brief, along with the 39 total yards, Thompson offered a glimpse of what he might do in a multipurpose role. Gruden is certainly a believer in his potential, dubbing him "a great option," provided he avoids injury, per Andre Walker of the team's official site.

But Gruden is still worried by Thompson's lack of durability. Why else would the team pluck Trey Williams, another lightning-in-a-bottle backfield weapon, off the undrafted market?

Thompson's case also isn't helped by the receiving skills showed off by third-round pick Matt Jones. Gruden indicated Jones' versatility has surprised him, per the team's official Twitter account. He may be more of a bruiser, but Jones could get the nod for third-down chores if he continues to impress.

Like Thomas before him, Thompson is a project from the Mike Shanahan era, although he at least appears to have endeared himself more to the new man in charge. It'll be a question of trust that decides Thompson's fate.

Will Gruden trust him to stay healthy and provide the explosive versatility Washington needs in both the run and passing games? Or will he avoid rolling the dice and instead trust a safer option?

Jackson Jeffcoat, OLB

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Like Williams, Jackson Jeffcoat is another rotational rush linebacker with a great chance to nail down a final roster spot. In fact, Jeffcoat may be much further along than Williams.

After being bounced off the practice squad with the Seattle Seahawks, Jeffcoat landed on the practice squad in Washington. Injuries thrust him into the lineup for the team's final three games.

It's fair to say Jeffcoat impressed, even starting against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17. During his brief exposure to first-team life, Jeffcoat recorded five tackles, broke up a pass, snatched an interception and logged a sack.

He showed a hint of his potential as a natural pass-rusher. It's something that's in the genes for the son of former Cowboys great Jim Jeffcoat, a fine situational pressure specialist in his day.

Of all the projects currently on the roster, the younger Jeffcoat has the greatest upside. With the right coaching, his raw flair for getting after quarterbacks can be harnessed into a useful niche skill for new coordinator Joe Barry's sub-package schemes.

Robert Thomas, NT

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As a natural 0-technique nose tackle, Robert Thomas should have a place on a team that still plays a version of the 3-4. But the player who went undrafted and ended up on the practice squad in 2014 now finds his position under major threat.

The recent signing of Jerrell Powe, per ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim, puts D-linemen like Thomas, Frank Kearse and Travian Robertson on notice. Powe, all 331 pounds of him, is bigger than 6'3", 325-pounder Thomas. He also has more experience in pro 3-4 schemes, having operated in two-gap versions of the front for defensive guru Romeo Crennel with both the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans.

Washington already has its starter in the form of marquee new addition Terrance Knighton. Even de facto ends Ricky Jean Francois, another new boy, and Chris Baker can both slide over center.

So the competition to be Knighton's immediate deputy is going to be intense. Thomas didn't get the chance to show what he could last season after a broken leg ended his final year at Arkansas prematurely and damaged his draft stock in 2014.

Not even the presence of a pair of former Razorbacks selected in this year's draft, linebacker Martrell Spaight and cornerback Tevin Mitchel, seems likely to aid Thomas' chances.

Powe simply has too much experience and scheme knowledge to yield to Thomas or the equally untested and raw Robertson.

Anytime one or two of a team's project players surprise coaches and make the grade, it's a major boost. Hopefully, the Redskins will identify a few completed projects to help the schemes on both sides of the ball.

Thompson and Jeffcoat are the strongest candidates as players capable of filling vital holes on a rebuilding roster.

All statistics and player information via NFL.com.