Predicting Washington Redskins' Stat Leaders in 2017

Some usual suspects will be among the stat leaders for the Washington Redskins in the 2017 NFL season, particularly in the receiving and sacks categories.

Familiar faces will lead the way here because the Redskins boast one of the best pass-catching tight ends in football, along with an elite edge-rusher. Expect career-best numbers from both players after offseason developments increased their importance and created more opportunities for them to make big plays.

The surprises will come in the rushing, interceptions and tackles categories. New boys on both sides of the ball will make their impact felt for the Burgundy and Gold this season, with a pair of free agents becoming consistent contributors on defense.

Meanwhile, a rookie can make his mark on the ground and is a good bet to top the rushing charts.

Read on to find out who the Redskins' stats leaders will be in 2017.

Passing

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Kirk Cousins

Completions: 399 Attempts: 569 Yards: 4,238 Touchdowns: 24 Interceptions: 10

Let's start with an obvious one and say how and why Kirk Cousins will lead the passing stats. The why part is easy since he's the starting quarterback and a Pro Bowl-level one at that.

Backup Colt McCoy is one of the better second-stringers in the league, but if he plays often the Redskins will be in trouble. Having Cousins under center for 16 games is the best way for Washington to book a second playoff appearance in three years.

Cousins will have an efficient season spreading the ball around among a host of receivers. Even though he's seen his supporting cast change, he should still feel confident about the incumbent playmakers left around him.

Those still on the roster offer a big indicator about the type of season Cousins can expect. Specifically, he'll have to shorten some of his targets with tight end Jordan Reed and Jamison Crowder likely to be among his primary receivers.

Both Crowder and Reed are underneath pass-catchers, most effective on intermediate routes and making yards after the catch.

By contrast, Cousins' ability to punish defenses vertically will be reduced after DeSean Jackson joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency.

Jackson is arguably the premier deep threat in the game, so it's hard to see newcomer Terrelle Pryor and brittle 2016 first-round pick Josh Doctson filling this void, even if both can take the top off coverage.

Overall, Cousins will be a better, if less spectacular, quarterback this season thanks to having to hone his short game and rely on his receivers turning those shorter passes into big gains.

Receiving (Yards, Receptions and Touchdowns)

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Yards

Jordan Reed: 1,114 Jamison Crowder: 1,059 Terrelle Pryor: 1,026

Receptions

Jordan Reed: 82 Jamison Crowder: 79 Terrelle Pryor: 77 Chris Thompson: 59

Touchdowns

Jordan Reed: 7 Terrelle Pryor: 7 Jamison Crowder: 4

Jordan Reed has been threatening a true breakout campaign for a while, but he will make 2017 a banner year.

With Jackson and Garcon experiencing pastures news, Reed is now the most dynamic weapon in the Redskins' passing game, even after Terrelle Pryor was signed from the Cleveland Browns.

Pryor showed off his chops as a big-play target by topping 1,000 yards with the quarterback-challenged Browns in 2016. The fact it was his first year playing wideout at the pro level only underlined how impressive his production was.

Pryor will still be a force during his debut season at Redskins Park, but he hasn't got a supporting player to take coverage away, the way Jackson had with Garcon.

Instead, Reed will be the man Cousins looks to more often. Head coach Jay Gruden knows he needs to offset the loss of two 1,000-yard receivers. He'll also know the best way to do it is to expand Reed's contributions to the playbook.

It's safe to expect to see Reed line up everywhere this season, with his time split out wide as a de facto flanker likely to increase. Reed is a mismatch in this alignment where his bulk and sudden moves get him free suddenly out of his breaks.

A 1,000-yard season for a tight end is no longer the rarity it was once was, not since joker-style hybrids made the position their own in the NFL's modern era. Reed belongs in the same category and is best placed to be the next player at his position to put up triple digits.

Both Reed and Pryor are menaces in the red zone, so they'll each be on the end of the most touchdown passes from Cousins.

In particular, the Redskins should be excited by Pryor's ability to improve this offense inside the 20, per ESPN's John Keim: "With Cleveland last season, Pryor caught 9 of 14 passes with four touchdowns in the red zone."

Jamison Crowder can also be a factor in the red zone this season, but his real value will be between the 20s, where 2015's fourth-round pick will see a lot more passes come his way. He has established a niche as a playmaker from the slot, but he's also showcased potential as a vertical burner, averaging 12.6 yards a catch in 2016.

One other player to watch out for in this season's passing game is Chris Thompson. The fifth-round pick from 2013 was wisely brought back during free agency after quietly developing into a useful receiver, per another report from Keim: "He has caught a combined 84 passes for 589 yards and four touchdowns the past two seasons."

Nobody's going to miss Jackson and Garcon if Gruden and Cousins make smart use of the platoon of underrated playmakers left on the roster. In fact, this could be Washington's best passing game since 1999, when wideouts Michael Westbrook and Albert Connell both posted over 1,000 yards, while fullback Larry Centers chipped in with 69 catches, per Pro-Football-Reference.com.

If you think the idea of three 1,000-yard receivers is outlandish, consider the Redskins achieved the feat back in 1989, when Gary Clark, Art Monk and Ricky Sanders all posted triple digits. There have also been two 1,000-yard trios since 2000, the 2004 Indianapolis Colts and 2008 Arizona Cardinals.

Rushing (Carries, Yards and Touchdowns)

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Samaje Perine

Carries: 179 Yards: 811 Average: 4.5 Touchdowns: 6

Robert Kelley

Carries: 102 Yards: 505 Average: 4.9 Touchdowns: 4

Chris Thompson

Carries: 48 Yards: 302 Average: 6.3 Touchdowns: 2

It looks primed to be the Samaje Perine show on the ground for the Redskins in 2017 after the team smartly took him off the board in the fourth round of this year's draft.

The former Oklahoma Sooners workhorse has already been earning rave reviews from Washington's staff. In fact, Gruden himself was left impressed by what he saw from Perine at the team's rookie minicamp, according to JP Finlay of CSNMid-Atlantic.com.

Gruden should be pleased, because Perine enters the pros boasting several traits needed to quickly develop into a starter. Among his best qualities, Mark Bullock of the Washington Post commended his "ability to fall forward" for extra yards, as well as his potential for goal-line running.

Bullock also applauded the patience in Perine's game: "Perine gives his blockers time to secure their blocks while also baiting the defense into overpursuing and opening cut back lanes."

Patience is a core quality for the zone-based rushing scheme the Redskins still call. Fortunately, Perine also makes sharp cuts against the grain, an obvious staple of cutback runs.

Washington still uses those on Gruden's watch, although not as much as when his predecessor, Mike Shanahan, was calling the plays. That system helped turn fullback Alfred Morris into a multiple-time 1,000-yard rusher at the NFL level.

At 5'11" and 233 pounds, Perine is the type of relentless bruiser who can eventually enjoy a similar level of success.

What will deny Perine a 1,000-yard season as a rookie is initially splitting carries with Robert Kelley. The undrafted free agent from a year ago did well in 2016, averaging 4.2 yards an attempt.

However, Kelley is big-play shy, despite his tenacity on inside runs, particularly when shaking off first contact. He will probably begin the season as the starter, but Perine's consistently solid gains will soon make him the senior figure in what will be a committee approach in the backfield.

Thompson will be part of said committee, thanks to his useful quicks on running plays. As ESPN's John Keim noted, he made strides as a runner in 2016: "Last season, he averaged 5.2 yards per carry on a career-high 68 runs."

As the natural speed complement to the smash-mouth style of Perine and Kelley's determination, Thompson is sure to gash worked-over defenses for his share of big plays on the ground.

Sacks

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Ryan Kerrigan

Sacks: 14.5 Hurries: 29 Sack Yards: 97 Tackles for Loss: 13

Jonathan Allen

Sacks: 8.5 Hurries: 10 Sack Yards: 41 Tackles for Loss: 9

Trent Murphy

Sacks: 7 Hurries: 12 Sack Yards: 44 Tackles for Loss: 6

Ryan Kerrigan is the best first-round pick the Redskins have made this decade. Ever since he came off the board 16th overall in 2011, the former Purdue ace has been a game-wrecker off the edge.

Kerrigan has logged 58.5 sacks in six seasons, with a career-best 11 coming in 2016. Considering he has rarely had a marquee bookend on the other side who can force protection to slide away from him, his numbers are all the more impressive.

As a strong-side outside 'backer, Kerrigan usually rushes over right tackles, which can be a boost to an already skilled pass-rusher, since they are normally not the best pass-protectors on a team.

Make no mistake though, Kerrigan puts up the numbers he does because of a flair for the big play to go with the power, takeoff speed and flexibility to beat most blockers. Those skills mean he would be in for a big season anyway, yet there's another reason to believe 2017 will be a career year for No. 91.

The reason is the beefed up defensive line sure to finally draw some attention away from Kerrigan. He will see more one-on-one matchups thanks to the arrival of Terrell McClain and Stacy McGee in free agency, as well as the decision to draft Jonathan Allen 17th overall.

Allen is a formidable game-wrecker in the trenches, one with the complete skill set and versatility to cause havoc from multiple spots. However, for all his talents, his ability to get to the passer should excite the Redskins most, after he recorded 22.5 sacks in his final two seasons at Alabama.

Washington's top draft pick will stay on the field all three downs in coordinator Greg Manusky's defense. Being put in various alignments and isolated against weak blockers will let Allen get to quarterbacks regularly.

The Kerrigan-Allen double act needs support and Trent Murphy can provide it. His chances of besting his career-high nine sacks from 2016 will be hit by missing the first four games of the new season through suspension.

Even so, the former Stanford man still has one key trait sure to make him an important member of Washington's pressure defense in 2017. Specifically, Murphy has a good habit for getting sacks in clutches, proved by logging six sacks in as many games in the first half of last season.

Like Kerrigan, Murphy is also flexible enough to be rushed from anywhere along the front. He will be a steady and useful sub-package weapon in 2016.

It's hard to see Junior Galette being the same after missing each of the last two seasons with Achilles injuries. Similarly, 2015 second-rounder Preston Smith has a lot to prove after an alarming slump in production in his second season, when his sack totals fell from eight to 4.5.

Of course, this year's second-rounder Ryan Anderson could also be a major factor in the pressure rotation. However, unlike college teammate Allen, he isn't known as a pass-rushing threat.

Anderson will be a factor as a rookie, but his greater value will come from setting the edge for what has been a feeble run defense.

Tackles

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Zach Brown

Combined: 162 Total: 112 Assisted: 50 Forced Fumbles: 3

Mason Foster

Combined: 130 Total: 86 Assisted: 44 Forced Fumbles: 2

Su'a Cravens

Combined: 79 Total: 61 Assisted: 18 Forced Fumbles: 2

The Redskins got a Pro Bowler when they signed Zach Brown from the Buffalo Bills on a one-year deal this offseason. They also got a natural playmaker at inside linebacker, one sure to lead this team in tackles in 2017.

Brown's sideline-to-sideline quickness, downhill instincts and recognition skills will only be boosted by playing behind a revamped D-line. With Allen, McClain and McGee keeping him free from blockers, he will top most of his notable numbers from last season.

Next to Brown, Mason Foster is still my pick to assume the starting role ahead of Will Compton. A superior athlete to Compton, he's another linebacker who will benefit from the improved talent up front.

New faces won't be the key to Su'a Cravens justifying his status as a second-round pick from 2016's draft. Instead, he will be set free by moving to strong safety full time.

The former UCLA product is a natural attack-minded box safety whose seek-and-destroy mentality will be an asset from a variety of spots as a supplement to the front seven.

Cravens was something of a mixed bag as a rookie, but Pro Football Focus detailed how effective he was as a hitter against the run last season: "Although he saw only limited snaps against the ground game, Su'a Cravens led the Redskins' linebacker corps in run-stop percentage."

Featuring more often as the player Manusky will use to create eight-man fronts, Cravens' numbers are sure to receive a major boost in Year 2.

Interceptions

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D.J. Swearinger

INT: 5 Passes Defensed: 7

Bashaud Breeland

INT: 4 Passes Defensed: 10

Josh Norman

INT: 3 Passes Defensed: 14

D.J. Swearinger wasn't a headline-generating addition when Washington picked him up in free agency. However, the versatile veteran can get his hands on the ball often as a free safety in Manusky's schemes.

Safeties have often shown a knack for the interception on Manusky's watch. Mike Adams intercepted five passes in both 2014 and 2015 while Manusky ran defenses for the Indianapolis Colts.

Meanwhile, former Redskins safety Dashon Goldson registered four interceptions for Manusky and the San Francisco 49ers in 2009. It's safe to expect Swearinger, who picked off three passes for the Arizona Cardinals' attacking defense in 2016, to be a success during his first year in Washington.

Speaking of success, expect more of it from the cornerback tandem of Bashaud Breeland and Josh Norman. It's one of the better duos in the league, with the former boasting an innate flair for opportunism, while the latter is a cover man few quarterbacks want to test.

The key players in Washington's defensive backfield can also count on greater pressure disrupting the timing and accuracy of passing games after the way the front seven was skilfully retooled this offseason.

Changes in personnel on both sides of the ball will lead to subtle but significant adjustments in the Redskins' schemes during 2017. Defensively, those adjustments will mean a more attacking style where new game-wreckers will increase the splash plays and pad stats at every level.

As for the offense, expect there to be more balance once Perine improves the running game. Meanwhile, the passing attack will be more varied as short plays are spread between a deep contingent of receivers, with underrated players such as Crowder and Thompson sure to step up and make life after Garcon and Jackson go smoothly.