Washington Redskins Week 1 Stock Report

As they get ready to open the regular season by hosting the Miami Dolphins, the Washington Redskins are counting on three young players to assume vital roles on both sides of the ball.

For the offense, quarterback Kirk Cousins has to prove he's much more than a turnover dispenser. No. 8 must show he merits the faith put in him by head coach Jay Gruden. That's likely to be a tall order against a very tough Miami defense.

Of course, Cousins can be helped by steady production from a bruising running game. Cue the time for rookie third-round pick Matt Jones to build on his impressive preseason and help Alfred Morris steamroll the Dolphins.

Defensively, the Redskins have to be focused on turning up the heat on underrated quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Newly ensconced starting outside linebacker Trent Murphy will be a key figure in that plan.

He was outperformed as a pass-rusher during preseason, but Murphy is still being given the first crack to replace Brian Orakpo at one edge of the front seven.

Read on for a full accounting of the stock for five members of the roster headed into Week 1 of the 2015 NFL season.

Stock Up: Matt Jones, RB

Few players on the roster used preseason as well as Jones. The former Florida standout displayed excellent initial burst and ferocious power between the tackles.

Those attributes combined to produce seven yards per carry during exhibition games, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Following those efforts, Bleacher Report NFL Analyst Matt Miller (video above) believes Jones will "steal" carries away from Morris now that the games count.

In fact, Gruden has actually already made it clear how Jones will play a vital role in helping keep No. 46 fresh. "They plan on using Jones to complement Morris and envision the two as a physical tandem that will pave the way for balance and success on offense," Mike Jones wrote.

Jones has already shown he's more than up to that particular task. Better still, he's offered a real glimpse of his potential for a feature-back workload.

Having two bruising runners who can carry the load is great news for any offense. But it's especially welcome in Washington, where there are seemingly always questions about the quarterbacks as well as the offensive line's ability to hold up in pass protection.

In no time at all, Jones has gone from unheralded third-round pick to a vital member of the offense.

If he delivers on his potential as a rookie, the Redskins will boast a fearsome one-two punch that no defense will look forward to absorbing.

Stock Down: Spencer Long, G

Evan Vucci/Associated Press

It's been an offseason to forget for Spencer Long. The third-round pick from 2014 has gone from the team's starting right guard to shaky depth option.

He earned the latter designation after the way he was manhandled by backup defensive linemen against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the preseason finale. ESPN's John Keim detailed how "tough" things got for Long against the Jags' skeleton crew.

Things weren't supposed to turn out like this. On the contrary, Long was expected to make a guard spot his own.

He seemed like a good fit for the schemes implemented by new line foreman Bill Callahan, schemes involving more power principles. Long had the chance to form a solid foundation on the right side next to 2015 fifth overall choice Brandon Scherff—a side Washington could rely on for a decade.

But he's since fallen so far, Long likely has many connected with the Burgundy and Gold crossing their fingers that he doesn't see the field at all in 2015.

Stock Up: Trent Murphy, OLB

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

He didn't feature on many highlight reels during preseason, but Trent Murphy is still considered Washington's best bet to bookend the dominant Ryan Kerrigan at outside linebacker.

It's an intriguing call from a team that had a ton of trouble making life difficult for quarterbacks in 2014. The Redskins notched a mere 36 sacks last season but have still given a starting nod to a player with a host of issues getting to the passer, according to Jones.

It seems the decision has been made to value dependability over big-play potential. "Reliable against the run, he appears to be more well-rounded than Smith for the time being," he wrote.

The Smith Jones refers to is this year's second-round pick, Preston Smith. He logged two sacks during preseason, while fellow rush linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat led the team with four. Meanwhile, Murphy laid a goose egg in this vital category.

But balance is important along any defensive front. If Murphy is useful playing in space on coverage assignments while Kerrigan and the D-line rush, the Redskins will have the ideal mix of four-man pressure and seven men in coverage.

That's the blend most pro defenses covet. It will work well on base downs, while Smith and Jeffcoat's presence will allow Washington to get creative in obvious passing situations.

If Murphy does what he does and stays solid, his stabilizing influence will prove invaluable to a unit that's made its share of reckless gaffes in the last two years.

Stock Down: Robert Griffin III

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

No player connected with the Burgundy and Gold has seen his stock plummet the way RG3 has. He's gone from starting quarterback to benchwarmer.

There's even a healthy contingent—including For the Win's Chris Chase, NFL.com's Jeff Darlington and yours truly—which believes Washington should just cut Robert Griffin III and move on from this epic draft flop altogether. So far at least, Gruden and the Redskins have resisted this option.

But that still leaves Griffin warming the lumber to start the season. Honestly, though, what choice do the Redskins have?

Griffin simply hasn't progressed over the last two years. Since injuries robbed him of what made him a lethal weapon as a rookie in 2012, all of RG3's core flaws have been exposed.

He can't make quick reads and accurate throws from the pocket. He can't diagnose coverage and pressure pre-snap. He can't work through his progressions to target third and fourth receivers on a play—or even the second target for that matter.

All of this adds up to a player Washington might not be able to trade, per Mike Jones and Mark Maske of the Washington Post. Talk about stock hitting the floor.

Stock Up: Kirk Cousins, QB

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

When you move from one of the backups to starting quarterback, your stock goes through the roof. That's the only way to describe Kirk Cousins' whirlwind end to this offseason.

Cousins has rightly been given the job because he's the best passer on the roster. He can throw from the pocket and spread the ball around between Washington's host of talented receivers.

In this context, elevating Cousins over Griffin was a pretty easy call. Gruden even recently said as much during an interview with Larry Michael on NBC4's The Redskins Coach's Show with Jay Gruden (h/t Scott Allen of the Washington Post):

"

Kirk really came out here and did everything right, and we feel like he made the biggest jump from a talent standpoint, from a knowledge [standpoint], from a comfort standpoint in our system from Year One to Year Two, and it showed on the game day. So, it wasn’t that hard for us. It was maybe hard for people to grasp, but everybody in the building who saw it and witnessed it, it wasn’t that hard.

"

Cousins is far and away the best bet to help this roster win games in 2015. But No. 8 should be wary of fortune's fickle ways.

His stock is higher than it's been since he entered the league as a fourth-rounder drafted the same year as Griffin. But the first interception he tosses in regular-season action will see that stock plummet faster than DeSean Jackson running a post route.

Cousins has to clean up his dangerous habit of forcing things under pressure and taking every mistake to heart. For all those who believe his elevation to the starting job is cause for optimism, there are just as many waiting for him to fail and offer some form of mitigation for RG3's fall from grace.

With the Dolphins' arrival just days away, Washington's roster is in good shape. All of the key positions are set and there's reason to believe in improvement on both sides of the ball.

The defense will run a simpler, stabler system under new coordinator Joe Barry. As for the offense, if Cousins clicks, it can be one of this season's most prolific units.