Full Washington Redskins Midseason Awards
If you're handing out midseason awards to the 3-4 Washington Redskins, most of the hardware should go to members of the team's offense. That may seem strange considering the Burgundy and Gold offense is 21st in points and 25th in yards, while the defense is hovering closer to the middle of the pack.
But most of the optimism for the rest of the season comes from the offense. Washington's most dynamic playmaker is the central figure in the passing game, while three of the team's top rookies ply their respective trades on that side of the ball.
Offense is also where some of Washington's best coaching is taking place. Head coach Jay Gruden and coordinator Sean McVay are designing concepts that are helping an offense hamstrung by a stuttering running game and injury to its primary deep threat, wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
By contrast, take a look at recent games, and you'll see the arrow trending down for the defense. Coordinator Joe Barry has paired down the scheme to the point where predictability is killing his unit. Specifically, the group's inability to stuff the run and pressure the pocket is an indictment not only of Barry's teaching but also the underachievement among several key players.
Find out who takes the midseason gongs as the Redskins prepare to turn their current 3-4 mark into a winning finish.
Most Improved: Chris Thompson, RB
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He's still not as durable as he ought to be. He still doesn't get enough touches. But compared to his first two injury-hit seasons in the pros, Chris Thompson has made significant progress in a vital role for the Redskins.
As the team's third-down running back, the 2013 fifth-round pick has shown how he can pose matchup problems for defenses. He is averaging 6.3 yards a carry as a change-of-pace runner, along with 6.5 yards per reception as a pass-catcher.
Thompson is showing increased toughness as a runner, both between the tackles and on the edges. He displayed his improved physicality as a ball-carrier during Week 4's win over the Philadelphia Eagles, as Pro Football Focus detailed on Twitter.
More important, he's shown how he can be moved around to exploit coverage and be a weapon in space. Unfortunately, that has been most vividly illustrated by missed opportunities. Consider the following plays.
The first came on the road against the New York Giants in Week 3. On the game's first third down, Washington released Thompson on a swing route up the sideline from a 3x1 set. Getting the fleet-footed running back on a linebacker was just the matchup the Redskins wanted.
The design and execution were flawless. Thompson hauled in the throw for 33 yards. Sadly, a pass interference penalty on tight end Jordan Reed wiped out the gain.
Thompson's skills were wasted again during Week 6's loss to the New York Jets. On another third down, Thompson attacked the defense on a circle route. Washington ran the outside receiver on an in-breaking pattern to clear space for Thompson, who was again matched up with a linebacker.
But a terribly thrown ball from quarterback Kirk Cousins not only wasted this play; Thompson also injured himself diving to try to make the catch.
Although these plays didn't work, they both proved the level of flexibility Thompson adds to this offense. He's a coverage-beater from anywhere on the field.
When he's had the ball this season, Thompson has thrived. Even without it, he's been part of some superbly designed plays the coaches should go back to during the team's remaining games.
Just Missed Out: Chris Baker, DT
Chris Baker has fought his way to 3.5 sacks and shown a nose for the ball by forcing a pair of fumbles and recovering one. Baker has been a force, one who has outplayed new arrival Stephen Paea. But he has shown flashes before.
He looked set to be a force at the end of 2013, only for last season to be something of a letdown. Now he's among the top five players at his position, according to John Breitenbach of Pro Football Focus.
Biggest Underachiever: Terrance Knighton, NT
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Terrance Knighton has this award to himself not because his performances have been the worst along the defensive line. Yet, the expectation created by his arrival was so large, Pot Roast's inability to stuff the run counts as the season's biggest letdown.
He was expected to be the double-team magnet who would make every member of the front seven better, as noted by Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post. He was supposed to be the focal point of a stouter run defense.
Instead, the Redskins rank 30th against the run, and Knighton is really only notable for Twitter spats with ESPN's Skip Bayless, per 247Sports' Jamie Oakes. Talk about not meeting expectations.
Knighton's supposed to be a guarantee of terrible days for opposing running backs. When three running backs in a row have topped 135 yards against Washington, Knighton has hardly justified his self-proclaimed status as the "biggest steal" in free agency.
Just Missed Out: Alfred Morris, RB
Alfred Morris just hasn't been himself this season. While his numbers have dipped every year he's been in the league, they've dropped off a cliff in 2015. He's been plodding and lacking power.
What's so disappointing is how well Morris began this season. He amassed 121 yards on 25 carries against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. The performance should have been the cue for a monster campaign from a runner in a contract year. But things certainly haven't worked out that way.
Yet, Morris gets a pass for the season's biggest disappointment for two reasons. First, the blocking in front of him has been meager at best. Second, he's a back who needs 20-plus carries a game to get into his groove—the type of workload he just isn't getting.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jamison Crowder, WR
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In Jamison Crowder, the Redskins have finally found a prolific matchup problem from the slot. This year's fourth-round pick has 32 catches for 291 yards, averaging 9.1 yards a grab.
More important than his numbers, though, Crowder has been clutch on third downs. He's also been effective on a variety of routes, expanding the ways Cousins can move the ball through the air.
Specifically, Crowder has helped turn the bubble screen, a staple of Gruden's playbook, into a more productive play, as noted by ESPN's John Keim: "The Redskins like Crowder on the bubble screens because they turn into punt return situations. His ability to set up defenders or veer through narrow openings helps in these situations."
Crowder's ability to line up inside and flair for making people miss in space are invaluable qualities for an offense designed to make things easy for Cousins. The MMQB's Andy Benoit identified "the quick in-breaking route" as a staple of Gruden's "shrewd game-planning and play-calling to help—and, for the most part, hide—his quarterback."
As a slot receiver with a knack for winning on the inside routes and acting as a quick get-out target, Crowder has proved essential in that plan.
Just Missed Out: Brandon Scherff, G
When the team's top pick couldn't make it at right tackle, it looked like time to worry about Brandon Scherff. But instead, the fifth overall selection in this year's draft is coming into his own as a first-year pro guard.
Scherff has been a key component on a line that's surrendered just eight sacks through seven games. The change in quarterback and the simplified passing concepts have contributed to improved protection. But it's also a major credit to the men in the trenches.
Scherff was drafted to be a building block and a catalyst for improvement at a position group that had been the bane of this franchise for too long. So far, he's living up to the billing.
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Best Performance: Week 2 vs. St. Louis Rams
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If you want to know what the blueprint general manager Scot McCloughan envisages for the Redskins looks like, look no further than Week 2's win over the St. Louis Rams. It was a day when all the things that are supposed to define this team clicked the way they should.
The offense was powered by a relentless, bruising running game that battered the St. Louis defense and controlled the clock. Defensively, Washington swarmed to the ball, hit for keeps and consistently punctured the pass pocket.
A 24-10 scoreline didn't even do Washington full justice on this day. Everything built during the offseason worked the way it was drawn up. Most important was the style of the win.
Washington beat up on an opponent with a physical brand of play on both sides of the ball. That's the type of team McCloughan spends free-agency dollars and drafts to create.
Going forward, this win is the reference point for what McCloughan is building at Redskins Park.
Worst Performance: Week 6 at New York Jets
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What does this team look like when it can't run the ball and can't stop the run? Week 6 against the New York Jets revealed the ugly truth.
Mustering just 34 yards on the ground, Washington was forced to put the ball in the air 43 times against a high-profile New York secondary. Inevitably, disaster followed.
Cousins missed on 18 throws, averaged just 4.6 yards per pass and threw for only 196 yards—all season-low marks. Every critic of the choice to bench Robert Griffin III for 2012's fourth-round pick felt vindicated.
Cousins became a national punching bag, while Gruden was accused of favoritism for the man he chose over RG3, per Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab.
But this game wasn't just about a rough outing for Cousins. It was also an indictment of a defense that had grown suddenly very soft against the run. One week removed from letting Devonta Freeman pile up 153 yards during an overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the Redskins let Chris Ivory stomp on them en route to 146 yards. Washington's porous rush defense was now real and hasn't gotten any better since.
In this game, the retooled Redskins looked an awful lot like the 2014 version McCloughan was hired to fix.
Best Coaching Job: Ben Kotwica, Special Teams
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There've been blocked punts, scoring returns and successful onside kicks during Washington's first seven games. But for once, they haven't all been against the Redskins.
Coordinator Ben Kotwica has done an outstanding job improving a unit depleted by injuries at the start of the season. Kotwica has had to recover from losing unit pillars tight end Niles Paul and linebacker Adam Hayward.
Yet, these losses haven't stopped Kotwica from unearthing some new playmakers. Among them is wide receiver Rashad Ross. A standout during preseason, Ross was still destined to be lost in the shuffle among a crowded rotation of wide receivers.
But football's third phase has been kind to No. 19. A 101-yard kickoff return against the Giants produced a touchdown. So did Ross' recovery of a blocked punt against the Jets.
The kick was blocked by backup safety Jeron Johnson, recruited by McCloughan from his old club, the Seattle Seahawks. He's been a feature of generally more solid coverage units.
It's also helped to have kicker Dustin Hopkins on board. The late arrival has added accuracy and improved leg strength to the kicking game. His superbly executed onside kick sparked a crucial momentum shift in Week 7's comeback win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Gruden and McVay have worked well crafting a passing game around Cousins. But while they are designing the basis for steady football, Kotwica is finding ways for his unit to produce big, game-changing plays.
Midseason MVP: Jordan Reed, TE
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No Redskins player is causing opponents more headaches than Jordan Reed. The dynamic "move" receiver is a roving matchup nightmare defenses have to game-plan specifically to stop. So far, not many have found the right formula for keeping No. 86 quiet.
Reed has 35 receptions for 350 yards. That last number ties him for the team lead with wide receiver Pierre Garcon. So does Reed's trio of touchdown catches. But 2013's third-round pick has the team lead all to himself with his yards-per-catch average of 10.
Reed is the go-to target Cousins looks for whenever he's in trouble and needs a play. Thanks to his polished route running, underrated speed, natural flexibility and excellent hands, Reed is a prolific playmaker at every level of the field.
In the red zone, he's a dangerous target, especially when he's split out wide at the goal line. On third downs, he can attack off screens or from the slot, helping him become the team's most dependable weapon in clutch situations.
But Reed can also stretch a defense vertically, something Gruden must exploit more often during the second half of the season. In short, there isn't much Reed can't do. If he stays healthy, he's on course for a breakout year and Pro Bowl recognition.
Overall, the Redskins appear headed in a similarly positive direction. They've struggled at times this season, most notably during the schedule's tougher parts. But generally speaking, this team has hope for the future thanks to a core of intriguing young playmakers.
On offense, there's a real foundation for a quick turnaround and sustained success.
All statistics and player information via NFL.com.
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