Winners and Losers of Washington Redskins' Offseason So Far
New schemes, new teammates, new contracts and new opportunities have created four definite winners from the Washington Redskins' offseason. Changes to the team's rushing attack are great news for an underutilized running back, as well as a lineman who labored through his first season in D.C. playing a system not suited to his strengths.
Defensively, two playmakers at the heart of the front seven will certainly be grateful for the new faces both in front and behind them. Their jobs have been made a whole lot easier.
For a contrasting view, not all of the new arrivals spell joy for holdover members of the roster. In particular, one wide receiver seems sure to find his position under threat from two youngsters who could earn playing time in the new season.
Find out who are the main winners and the biggest losers from an offseason defined by welcome change.
Winner: Niles Paul, TE
1 of 8
Niles Paul has to be one of the biggest winners of this offseason. In fact, big is the ideal word to describe the converted tight end who earned a new contract in free agency after a career year in 2014.
Not only is Paul now armed with a new deal, he's also got the inside track to locking down the job as Washington's primary weapon at his position. It's a track lined with weightlifting belts and empty protein shake containers.
Paul has worked hard to add as much as 14 pounds to his frame this offseason, according to CSN Washington reporter Tarik El-Bashir. He notes how the player credits extra weightlifting reps, along with an increase in protein, for his transformation.
Paul has confirmed how the desire to be a better blocker has driven his quest to bulk up:
"I know an area I wanted to improve on a lot was blocking. I was always a willing blocker, but I was 230-pounds going against guys who were 260, 270, 280. I just wanted to level out the playing field a little bit. And it has showed up on film out here [in OTAs]. I’ve been doing a good job.
"
Paul has certainly been passing the eye test during OTAs. ESPN.com's John Keim noted how the 25-year-old is noticeably bigger than last season.
The extra weight could prove significant for a player who's already proved his credentials as a roving mismatch in the passing game. Paul caught 39 passes for 507 yards last season.
A onetime wide receiver, he can be used to attack defenses from multiple positions, including the slot, split out against the sideline or from the backfield. The one quality missing from his game is the ability to block.
If Paul becomes capable in that area he'll be the most complete tight end on the roster. Logan Paulsen is the current blocker of choice, one whose pass-catching skills are limited. Meanwhile, Jordan Reed is another "move-style" receiver—or at least the brittle ace would be if he ever saw the field.
Paul is making a great effort to combine the best of both players into one highly useful package. If he does, not only will he prove that 2014's breakout numbers were not a fluke, Paul will be even more effective this season.
Loser: Jordan Reed, TE
2 of 8
If Jordan Reed could stay healthy, there wouldn't even be a question about who's the best tight end on Washington's roster. The third-round pick in 2013 is supremely talented as a flexible receiver who terrorizes defenses whenever he gets the ball in his hands.
But while he has many skills, durability is apparently never going to be a part of Reed's repertoire. He's made just six starts in two years, during which he's also missed 12 games with different ailments.
Reed can't even get through an offseason unscathed. It took just a single phase of OTAs for the 24-year-old to suffer a knee problem.
The scene was depressingly reminiscent of the start of last season. Then it took just one catch in the opening game to send Reed back to the shelf.
The great frustration with Reed is that his ability is first-rate. His combination of speed, moves and excellent hands is so enticing it always seem worth it to play the waiting game.
Yet the question remains, how long should Washington wait for Reed to finally prove he can stay healthy enough to be the force he should be?
Unfortunately for the former Florida Gators star, Paul's development means patience will be in short supply. While Reed is nursing injuries, Paul is progressing as a receiver and adding muscle while he learns how to block.
If Reed doesn't get back into the fray soon, his future with the Burgundy and Gold will look very bleak.
Winner: The Running Game
3 of 8
Virtually every running back on the roster, along with fullback Darrel Young, will benefit from the arrival of new offensive line coach Bill Callahan. He's a master teacher who will facilitate the shift to a more power-based running game favored by head coach Jay Gruden and general manager Scot McCloughan.
The greater emphasis on pounding the ball between the tackles is great news for Morris. His overall rushing yards and yards-per-carry average in 2014 were the lowest of his so-far stellar three-year career.
The reason for his drop in production was twofold. First, Gruden didn't trust and lean on the ground game as much as predecessor Mike Shanahan often would. Second, Washington's familiar outside, zone-stretch scheme had become a little too predictable.
Defenses were snuffing out the stretch runs by quickly getting into the backfield to keep Morris going sideways and denying him the cutback lanes he expertly exploits.
But Morris is no lateral runner. Instead, he's at his best whenever he can get his shoulders square and make a would-be tackler pay a heavy toll for the right to try and bring him down.
Fortunately, that's just what he'll be able to do more often in Callahan's scheme, one that generally favors straight-ahead power. Morris is already eagerly anticipating the change, according to Tom Schad of The Washington Times:
"I did all downhill in college with the Power I. Did a little inside zone, maybe a tad of outside zone, but mostly it was just downhill, so I feel like I’m better in downhill plays anyways. I’m excited for the new plays we put in, and some of the changes, slight changes, that we made, so I’m excited about it, but it’s nothing new.
"
The reference to the Power I should be music to Young's ears. A hugely talented and versatile blocking back, Young has been left on the sideline too often during recent seasons.
But he won't he won't be overlooked now that there's a system in place that values what he can do. Having Young on the field more often is a major win for both Morris and the offense as a whole.
The same can true about the arrival of third-round pick Matt Jones. He's another thumper between the tackles, one who will take some carries off Morris and ease the burden on Washington's primary workhorse.
As a smashmouth-style groundhog, Jones is a perfect fit for a rushing attack that will punish defenses during 2015. Callahan oversaw the same dynamic for the Dallas Cowboys last season.
On his watch, a physical offensive line consistently knocked open holes for NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray. If the Redskins are as run-heavy this season—and they certainly should be—Morris and Young will be major winners.
So will the team as a whole.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Loser: Tom Compton, T
4 of 8
It may seem strange to dub a player brought back during free agency as one of the losers of the team's offseason. Yet it's hard to view Tom Compton any other way after Washington used its top pick in the draft to select his replacement.
Compton started nine games at right tackle last season after replacing the hapless Tyler Polumbus. However, that job now belongs to fifth overall selection Brandon Scherff.
It's not really a surprise to see Compton relegated to the bench this early, despite his new deal. He was only marginally better than Polumbus last season, admittedly not a hard task.
More importantly, the sixth-round pick in 2012 is a product of the Shanahan zone scheme. While the Redskins will retain elements of that system under Gruden and Callahan, per Real Redskins blogger Rich Tandler, the new tweaks call for bigger, stronger and nastier blockers.
Enter Scherff, who CBS Sports analysts Dane Brugler and Rob Rang dubbed "a wrecking ball at the second level with an eager blocking attitude and the demeanor of a wrestler, taking down rushers."
Scherff will drive the success of the new blocking schemes, while a player like Compton will simply struggle to stay relevant.
Winner: Shawn Lauvao, G
5 of 8
Shawn Lauvao was never a fit for a zone-based blocking scheme. That's one reason why the former Cleveland Browns starter flopped during his debut season with the Redskins.
It's also why Lauvao should be ecstatic following Callahan's arrival. He was signed last offseason to fit Gruden's preference for "bigger guys who can move," according to ESPN.com reporter John Keim.
Now the 6'3", 315-pound 27-year-old is in a system more suited to his core skills. The change already appears to be improving his game, per ESPN 980 writer Chris Russell.
He described how Lauvao is showing a more physical edge during OTAs: "On one snap, I saw Shawn Lauvao do a great job to get under the pads of Jason Hatcher and stone him."
If that's just a snapshot of a more formidable Lauvao, his second season in Washington will be a whole lot better than his first.
Loser: Chris Baker, DT
6 of 8
In one of irony's crueler twists, the arrival of a close friend makes Chris Baker one of the losers of this offseason. New signing Terrance Knighton all but ensures Baker will lose his place in the starting lineup.
It also doesn't help that Knighton isn't the only new face along the defensive line ahead of the new season. Fellow signings Stephen Paea and Ricky Jean Francois are going to make it tough for every incumbent to see the field as often as they'd like.
Baker addressed those concerns back in March, according to Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post:
"It’s a little bittersweet. The free agents that we brought in with [Stephen Paea] and Ricky John-Francois and Terrance Knighton, more than likely Terrance will be penciled in at the nose. And then they just paid [Paea] and Ricky. So it’s a lot of competition; it’ll be a great camp. It’ll be great to be in that room with just a whole bunch of guys who know how to play, so we’ll be able to compete all year. And may the best man win.
"
The extra competition is especially bad news for Baker, who entered last season as a potential breakout candidate. His combination of awesome size and the flexibility to play over the center or attack single gaps should have translated to a career year.
But instead, Baker was merely a feature of an underwhelming defensive front that lost the battle for control of the trenches on a weekly basis. He lost his discipline more than once during a frustrating campaign, notably getting ejected in a Week 3 road loss to NFC East rival the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now he's entering a season on a roster overloaded with fresh options at the positions he can play. He'll soon be wishing he'd done more to showcase his talent throughout 2014.
Winners: Keenan Robinson and Perry Riley Jr., ILBs
7 of 8
New faces along the D-line may be bad news for Baker, but they are certainly a welcome sight for Keenan Robinson and Perry Riley Jr. In fact, the team's starting middle linebackers should send McCloughan a thank you card for the work he's done retooling vital areas of the defense this offseason.
Every move he's made will make things easier for Washington's double act on the inside.
Starting up front, the presence of a massive double-team magnet like Knighton will ensure offenses struggle to get blockers on Robinson or Riley. So it's safe to expect a jump in their respective tackling statistics.
For Robinson, that could lead to a truly monster year. He finished last season with a team-high 109 combined stops. They came playing behind a line that rarely kept blockers occupied and away from the second level for long.
He's already anticipating more this season, according to Stephen Czarda of the team's official site. Robinson discussed how he's rehabbed the slight knee problem that sidelined him late last season. He's also spoken glowingly about the potential of this year's new-look defense: "I think we’re closer at this point than I’ve seen as a defense since I’ve been here."
But while Robinson was a force up front last season, Riley struggled, mostly because of the unfavorable positions he was put in on the back end. He was routinely exposed in coverage, something that shouldn't happen as much in 2015, not after the way McCloughan revamped the secondary.
Specifically, there will be two new starters at safety, with veteran Dashon Goldson joined by either fellow signing Jeron Johnson or Duke Ihenacho. More competent play from those positions can help minimize the amount of times inside linebackers are isolated in coverage.
Finding a competent slot cornerback would also be a major fillip. Fortunately, the arrival of ex-San Francisco 49ers cover man Chris Culliver can help.
He'll start at one corner spot, while one loser of the competition to start on the other side—a three-way battle between David Amerson, Bashaud Breeland and DeAngelo Hall—likely plays the slot.
Any member of that trio would represent a major upgrade over E.J. Biggers and Tracy Porter. With more secure coverage around them, Riley and Robinson should be free to simply drop to shallow zones and keep receivers in front of them, the type of coverage assignment every linebacker prefers.
Loser: Andre Roberts, WR
8 of 8
In all honesty, Andre Roberts was also one of the losers of last offseason. He arrived in Washington hoping to be the No. 2 receiver alongside Pierre Garcon, a hope almost immediately extinguished by the signing of DeSean Jackson.
That left Roberts to toil in the third-receiver role. Specifically, he was asked to work the slot and win underneath.
It wasn't a task the former Arizona Cardinals rotational receiver performed well. In total, Roberts accounted for just 36 catches, the second-lowest total of his career.
A big problem is the expectations for Roberts don't always match what he can do. For instance, it's often too easy to label him a slot receiver or possession-type pass-catcher.
If anything, his skill set is more suited to work on the outside. But he's unlikely to get the chance to prove it when Jackson and Garcon own those spots.
So Roberts now faces the prospect of fighting for his roster life just to maintain a spot he doesn't really merit. It won't be easy after Washington used a fourth-round pick on a more natural slot receiver in the form of Jamison Crowder.
The former Duke star quickly made himself noticed during OTAs. In no time at all, Gruden was talking up Crowder's potential to both play in the slot and be a feature of the return game, per Mike Jones of The Washington Post: "He’s a really good punt returner. He is a receiver first, punt returner second. And he’s going to come in here, you put him in the slot, he’s going to be tough to cover."
Jones correctly noted how those are both areas where Roberts is expected to thrive but hasn't.
Since then, accusations of domestic violence, detailed by Todd Dybas of The Washington Times, cast major doubts over Crowder's development. But he isn't the only receiver who can take reps away from Roberts.
Ryan Grant, a fifth-round pick a year ago, is also a natural for the slot who's impressing coaches and onlookers this offseason. ESPN.com reporter John Keim highlighted how often Grant has been escaping coverage during OTAs:
"I still like watching second-year receiver Ryan Grant. He does such a good job with his routes, with good body lean to sucker a defender on the fake. When it works, it creates several yards of separation. He'll use any part of his body to sell a fake -- head, shoulders (knees and toes, knees and toes), etc.
"
Unless Roberts really stands out once training camp opens, he won't just find it tough to get on the field. He'll find it tough just staying on the team.
The winners of Washington's offseason are the direct beneficiaries of the changes McCloughan has instituted at both the personnel and schematic levels. The former are most obvious on defense and could yield very positive results for Riley and Robinson.
As for the latter, an adjusted playbook should make for great reading for Morris, Jones and Young. It's a trio that must carry an offense still blighted by major uncertainty under center.
Overall, the big winner should be the team that's suffered through five losing seasons out of the last six. A stronger defense, along with a more balanced offense that protects the quarterback, represent the quickest route to winning games in 2015.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
