Washington Redskins: Notes and Quotes from Week 1 of Training Camp
Working out at their Bon Secours Training Center in Richmond, Virginia, the Washington Redskins have a different look from the 4-12 bunch that occupied this facility just a season ago.
The head coach and quarterback remain the same—you can decide if this is good or not—but a host of new faces can be spotted throughout camp. And we're not talking about the honorary training camp invitees either.
In the aftermath of new general manager Scot McCloughan's first offseason with the team, the Redskins could sport as many as nine new starters.
With a joint practice session with the Houston Texans on the horizon, let's delve into the notes and quotes coming out of Washington's camp from Week 1.
Early Injury Woes
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Injuries were sure to occur with contact practices back in session. Even so, less than a week into training camp, who could've predicted Washington's training staff would be this busy?
Since the onset of camp, the team's official Twitter feed has been littered with injury reports:
"#Redskins CB Bashaud Breeland out 4-6 weeks with sprained MCL. MORE | http://t.co/uYkGnI2Xy8 pic.twitter.com/eVHTF6c13B
— #SkinsCamp (@Redskins) August 2, 2015"
"Injury report: Tevin Mitchel (shoulder; further tests); Willie Smith (Achilles; day to day); Jeron Johnson (hamstring; day to day)
— #SkinsCamp (@Redskins) August 2, 2015"
With ESPN.com's John Keim reporting both Matt Jones and DeSean Jackson are nursing injuries—a tweaked knee and dislocated finger, respectively—the injury list continues to grow.
Following an offseason program in which prominent Redskins Trent Williams, Ryan Kerrigan and DeAngelo Hall were limited, one could say this isn't the way the team wanted to break camp.
Of these injuries, though, the ones to Bashaud Breeland and Tevin Mitchel stand out. Already suspended for Week 1, Breeland's availability after the opener is up in the air. With Hall just working his way back into the fold following surgery on his Achilles, the team's cornerback depth consists of Chris Culliver and a cast of unknowns.
The severity of his shoulder injury remains to be seen. But with a glaring void at corner, at the very least, Mitchel is missing a prime opportunity to stake a claim to a spot in the team's cornerback rotation.
Robert Griffin III Exceeding Expectations
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With a $16.1 million salary looming in 2016, this season stands to be a make-or-break year for Robert Griffin III.
As such, he's been the prime attraction in camp for pundits and fans alike. And according to ESPN.com's Keim, thus far, he's taken on the appearance of a different quarterback.
A year removed from sporting one of the worst sack rates in NFL history, Griffin has "done a nice job in camp of getting rid of the ball and going through progressions," Keim said.
"Griffin took advantage of man coverage during seven-on-seven work in the red zone. On a play from the 5-yard line, Griffin sprinted to his right and hit Andre Roberts on the right corner for a touchdown.
In the red zone, Griffin’s first pass was a quick slant to tight end Niles Paul (2.2 seconds) for what likely would have been a touchdown. Two plays later, with another blitz coming at him, Griffin had to unload quickly and did so off his back foot to the corner of the end zone. Tight end Logan Paulsen, covered by Keenan Robinson, was the only one who had a shot at the ball but it was just out of his reach. RG III avoided a sack though.
"
In case you forgot, he only completed 45 percent of his throws and tossed two touchdowns and two interceptions in the red zone last season, per ESPN.com.
It's not live game action, but considering how poorly he performed in training camp last year, per USA Today's Daniel Carp, it's progress nonetheless.
Meet Justin Rogers
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With the likes of Mitchel, Breeland and Hall all on the mend, Washington's quest to fill its void at nickelback has led it to the doorstep of one Justin Rogers.
Who, right?
A fifth-year corner out of Richmond, Rogers was brought aboard late last season and appeared in three games. For his career, he's started seven of 77 games and tallied three interceptions and 14 passes defensed.
Despite his lack of notoriety, though, Rogers has made quite the impression on the team's coaching staff, namely defensive backs coach Perry Fewell, per Mike Jones of the Washington Post:
"Just very consistent, very professional.
Doesn’t say a whole lot, just goes about his work every single day. He makes very few mistakes. And what he does lack in physical ability, he makes up for with heart. … We like him as a role player, and now he’s going to get a chance to play with the ‘ones.’ Obviously, that chemistry they’ll build between now and when Breeland’s back will be important for us.
"
With how prevalently teams use three-receiver sets, Rogers' play going forward will be something to monitor.
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Impactful New Additions
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With the hits the secondary has already taken, the moves McCloughan made to bolster the front seven hold even more importance.
Stephen Paea, Terrance Knighton and now Junior Galette highlight a cast of new additions tasked with masking a makeshift secondary.
Early in camp, Paea and Knighton have made their presence felt, per Keim.
"Liked what I saw from end Stephen Paea in full-team work. His quickness and strength were evident a couple times. He arrived in the backfield for a big pop of running back Matt Jones. Saw Paea get in the backfield on another play. The coaches consider him the strongest player on the team.
The underrated part of Terrance Knighton's game is his quickness along the line. He displayed it today when he was able to tackle Silas Redd at the line of scrimmage, but about five yards or so from his nose tackle position. It's why the Redskins feel he can help in the nickel and also why he can play vs. teams such as Philadelphia and the spread offense.
"
In the case of Galette, a sack maestro with 22 sacks in the past two seasons, he's the pass-rusher the team sorely missed last year. And in the opinion of head coach Jay Gruden, he'll join Trent Murphy and rookie Preston Smith's battle to replace Brian Orakpo, per Redskins.com:
"Junior is going to get an opportunity here shortly. But Trent’s had an excellent OTAs. Junior is a specialized pass rushing person, which we need some more pressure. Last year, when Brian Orakpo got hurt and then Ryan had some issues with some injuries and then Trent Murphy got hurt, Jackson Jeffcoat got some time, some other guys got some time. So we added some more depth to our pass rushing. But as far as who’s going to start, we’ll let camp and preseason games determine that. But I know that Junior has played very good football… He’s got a lot of sacks in his career, a lot of pressure, a very disruptive defensive end, and can only help us in that regard. But he’s still got to go out here and earn his right, earn his stripes.
"
The cloud of uncertainty surrounding a potential suspension for Galette takes the shine off his signing. But pair him with Paea and Knighton, not to mention holdovers Kerrigan and Jason Hatcher, and Washington has all the makings of an elite front seven.
Progress Report for Brandon Scherff, Jamison Crowder
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Washington selected 10 players in the 2015 NFL draft. With the depth the team's acquired at certain spots, though, many of them will be subjected to holding clipboards on Sunday.
In line to be the starting right tackle and leading return man, Brandon Scherff and Jamison Crowder figure to be rare cases in this regard.
A fourth-round pick, Crowder was selected on the strength of his special teams ability. He registered four return touchdowns while averaging 13.3 yards per punt return at Duke. Even so, as Liz Clarke of the Washington Post tells it, it's at receiver where Crowder is truly turning heads:
"But in Thursday’s opening session, Crowder’s No. 80 jersey seemed to be on the receiving end of every third or fourth completion, catching the approving eye of Coach Jay Gruden.
On Friday, Crowder had the savvy to pick up a last-second signal from Kirk Cousins and streak down the sideline to complete the day’s biggest pass play — a 50-yard bomb that had the backup quarterback racing downfield for a high-five.
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While acknowledging Crowder's primary role would be as a punt returner, speaking to Clark, Gruden didn't close the door on the rookie forcing his way into the conversation for the No. 3 receiver spot currently manned by Andre Roberts.
"We’ve got a long time to determine who our third is. Right now, Andre obviously has a firm grasp on it. But he will challenge him," Gruden said.
Moving to Scherff, the head coach all but labeled the No. 5 overall pick a work in progress, per CSN's Tarik El-Bashir:
"Gruden said he likes the progress Spencer Long has shown. Brandon Scherff, meantime, has a lot to learn in a short amount of time...
— Tarik El-Bashir (@TarikCSN) August 1, 2015"
ESPN.com's Keim echoed this sentiment:
"from last night.. Scherff couple nice blocks vs. Kerrigan in 11-11 work. In 1-1? Ways to go. http://t.co/1gkxJ2d0dW
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 1, 2015"
This type of assessment isn't uncommon for a rookie offensive lineman.
But coming on the heels of rookie Zack Martin, a player Scherff has been compared to, the possibility of earning All-Pro honors under Redskins offensive line coach Bill Callahan's direction has set expectations high, unfairly so, for the rookie.
Factor this in with the question marks that surrounded him in the draft—is he a tackle or a guard?—and Scherff's progress will be something to monitor throughout camp.
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