Rounding Up Latest Washington Redskins Offseason Buzz
Shakeups in the front office, stability finally arriving at running back and the top playmaker in the passing game looking better than ever dominate the latest offseason buzz surrounding the Washington Redskins.
The biggest developments have seen shifts in the personnel involved in the team's decision-making process. Specifically, a promotion for the man who won a Super Bowl as quarterback for the Burgundy and Gold has somewhat settled the picture in the front office.
Of course, the first priority for the revamped front office has to be agreeing a new deal with the team's current quarterback. It won't be easy, though, with the player holding all the cards in the negotiation process.
At least the man throwing the passes in 2017 can count on an all-world tight end being back to his best, with some strong showings in minicamp hinting at a breakout season.
Read on for a recap of the latest buzz in Washington.
Rob Kelley to Lead Committee Approach in the Backfield
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He took the job as an undrafted rookie in 2016, and Rob Kelley is set to keep the starting role at running back in the new season. At least that's the word from offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh.
Washington's OC told CSN Mid-Atlantic.com (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk) how Kelley is a lock, since he "obviously has earned" the job full-time. Kelley is set to be the workhorse of choice, but it won't stop Cavanaugh sharing out some carries.
Significantly, the Redskins still plan to involve other prominent members in the rotation, including fourth-round pick Samaje Perine and third-down ace Chris Thompson, as Cavanaugh said:
"We just feel like we’ve got depth at that position now with a lot of similar-type players: stocky, quick-footed, strong, smart guys that can sub in for each other. I wouldn’t put a pitch count on any of them, but obviously if a guy’s got a hot hand and he’s feeling good and he’s not gassed, we’ll keep him on the field. Ideally, maybe have some third-down reps too."
It may sound as if there is a contradiction at work here, namely how Kelley can be the designated starter in a committee approach. However, a socialist plan for doling out the carries makes the most sense for an offense lacking a true blue-chip bell-cow in the backfield.
Rotating ball-carriers is an ideal way to present different challenges to defenses. In the Redskins' case, different challenges means the contrast between the inside power of Perine, Kelley's slashing style and Thompson's speed around the corner.
Showing full confidence in three different backs is the only way the Redskins are going to have a credible ground attack in 2017.
Matt Jones Back at OTAs, Working on Fixing Fundamentals
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Kelley's ascension has come alongside Matt Jones' fall from grace. The third-round pick in 2015 supplanted three-time 1,000-yard rusher Alfred Morris before being benched in favor of Kelley, all in the space of a year.
Jones began this offseason skipping workouts and activities, but he is back in attendance now, although not everybody is convinced by his intentions. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hinted at a cost-saving measure as Jones' primary motivation.
Yet whatever his reason, Jones has been working on fixing his fundamentals while back at OTAs. Specifically, the former Florida ace has been trying to improve ball security.
It's not been a process without a few hiccups, though, per JP Finlay of CSNMid-Atlantic: "Working with the second and third-teams, Jones showed good hands and speed going through offensive drills. He also had a fumble during team drills that drew the ire of running backs coach Randy Jordan."
Jones is aware how costly more issues holding on to the ball will be for his future on the team, per Finlay: "It's just about ball security. Ball security is job security. That's something I gotta correct and something that must be correct if I want to stay in this league."
The message was clear enough when head coach Jay Gruden sent Jones to the bench last season. Gruden's decision prompted talk of a trade during the 2017 NFL draft, while Jones has since been told he's fifth man up on the depth chart.
Ironically, if Jones has a chance of staying on the team, he will have to rely on the tutelage of an ex-Redskins 1,000-yard rusher, according to Finlay: "At 6-foot-2, Jones stands taller than most NFL running backs. He runs high too, something that many coaches preach against. This offseason, Jones worked with former Redskins Super Bowl winner Ernest Byner about staying low and holding on to the ball."
Even with Byner's tips, Jones looks like he is destined to play elsewhere this year. Yet the Redskins may want to think about not abandoning him too soon.
After all, Jones offers a combination of smash-mouth power and breakaway speed no other back on the roster boasts. A tendency to fumble has been corrected in quality runners before, with Tiki Barber's turnaround with the New York Giants in the 2000s a prime example.
Washington has restocked somewhat at running back, but there is still enough uncertainty to fully explore every option still on the roster.
Jordan Reed Standing out at Minicamp
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It's not news to say Jordan Reed is the most dynamic playmaker on the Redskins' offense. Yet it's also true to point out No. 86 is under no small pressure to live up to the billing for a whole season in 2017.
After all, Reed is now likely to be the primary target in Washington's passing game now DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon are going to be playing elsewhere. It's no wonder Gruden sounded curious about how Reed will fit in a new-look rotation of pass-catchers, per CSN Mid-Atlantic's Rich Tandler.
Gruden's caution is understandable, so he must be pleased Reed has been standing out since the start of minicamp. The roving weapon was absent from OTAs, but "Reed looked like the best player on the field in Ashburn," according to Peter Hailey of CSN Mid-Atlantic.com.
Reed's strong showing at minicamp was highlighted by an example of the big-play connection with quarterback Kirk Cousins that must define Washington's air attack this season, per Jake Kring-Schreifels of the team's official website: "Near the end of the Redskins’ first minicamp practice on Tuesday, with time winding down on an instituted two-minute drill, quarterback Kirk Cousins unleashed a 25-yard strike to tight end Jordan Reed down the right seam though some traffic for a touchdown."
The Cousins to Reed tandem can be one of the most prolific in football in 2017. Reed has everything Gruden and Cavanaugh need to make him the feature of the passing game.
In particular, his move skills, deceptive vertical speed and route-running skills can create mismatches at every level of coverage. Those qualities will also allow the Redskins to change looks and show different personnel groupings on a regular basis.
It's not as if Washington's new options at wide receiver will inevitably disappoint, but it would be foolhardy to overlook the question marks about the group. Questions like can Terrelle Pryor prove his 1,000 yards in his lone season as a wideout was no fluke? Or will Josh Doctson stay injury free and justify his status as a first-round pick in 2016?
The truth of the matter is, sans Garcon and Jackson, the onus is on Reed to carry this team's pass attack. A strong offseason is just the start of what can be a true banner campaign for one of the NFL's elite tight ends.
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Junior Galette Determined to Make the Most of Year 3
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He has endured two-straight season-ending Achilles injuries and is playing on a third one-year contract, but Junior Galette is still determined to make the most of his time in Washington.
The veteran edge-rusher has declared his intent to be even better than the peak of his career, according to Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post. For those needing a memory refresh, Galette's peak came in the 2013 and '14 seasons when he tallied 22 sacks while a member of the New Orleans Saints.
The Redskins need Galette to turn clock back and provide double-digit quarterback takedowns off the weak side. Combining this level of pressure with Ryan Kerrigan's game-wrecking exploits on the other side would give Washington's D' a swarming and dominant pass rush.
It's not something defensive coordinator Greg Manusky can count on if Galette isn't back to his best. Not when Trent Murphy will miss four games through suspension, while this year's second-round pick wasn't a dominant edge-rusher at the collegiate level. Meanwhile, Preston Smith has a lot to prove after a mediocre second season in the pros.
These factors are why Galette is still in town. Now it's up to this often troubled 29-year-old to prove he merits the continued faith of this franchise.
Doug Williams a Solid Appointment to Revamp Scouting Setup
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There has been a Scot McCloughan-shaped hole in the Redskins' front office since the team parted company with the now former general manager earlier this offseason. McCloughan leaving town further highlighted the need to shake things up in the scouting department.
They have taken their time, but the Redskins have finally acted to plug the gap. Appointing Doug Williams to senior vice president of player personnel is a solid start to freshening things up at the front office level.
The decision was rubber stamped by team president Bruce Allen after Williams came up with the idea, per Nora Princiotti of the Washington Times: "His pitch: he would be senior vice president of player personnel, not general manager, and lead a scouting department strengthened mostly by promotions from within."
Williams getting a promotion wasn't the only part of the internal reshuffle. Princiotti also detailed how Kyle Smith became the new director of college scouting:
"Smith is the son of A.J. Smith, the former Chargers general manager, Redskins adviser and longtime friend of Allen. Smith stood out to Williams in this year's draft process where he led Washington's evaluations of players from the Southeast, including Alabama products Jonathan Allen and Ryan Anderson, who became the team's first- and second-round draft picks."
Of course, to some, these moves may read as mere window dressing. The act of shifting existing employees around rather than bringing in new blood can appear like a way to maintain the status quo while merely giving lip service to the need for change.
In fairness to those who would hold this critical view, the Redskins still don't have an official general manager in the building.
Even so, Williams has now become the face of most of the decisions the team will make, and the first person to blame if things don't pan out, according to Thom Loverro of the Washington Times: "But the team presented Williams as the next, latest savior—two-and-a-half years after they presented the last savior, general manager Scot McCloughan as general manager and three months after they dismissed that savior under a cloud of chaos and shame."
Yet when questioning the new blueprint, it would be wise to take a closer look at how well the old formula actually worked. In fairness to McCloughan, some of his drafting yielded good players, notably guard Brandon Scherff and wide receiver Jamison Crowder from 2015's class.
However, the man anointed by many as the grandmaster of personnel wizards missed at least as many as he made. The misses occurred most in free agency, where defensive linemen such as Ricky Jean Francois, Terrance Knighton and Stephen Paea all failed to live up to their billing.
Then McCloughan's decision to ignore the D-line in the 2016 draft in favor of selecting Doctson proved a dud call.
By contrast, Allen wasn't such a flop when calling the shots as the McCloughan fan club loves to pretend. His lone draft in charge in 2014 did yield starting O-linemen Morgan Moses and Spencer Long, as well as second corner Bashaud Breeland.
More important than specific decisions, though, is the idea of harmony. Tension was reportedly rife between McCloughan and Allen, according to Michael Phillips at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, while the latter is at least now working with people he has chosen.
It doesn't necessarily mean things will work better without McCloughan. Yet it does mean Allen will be out of excuses if it still go wrong.
Kirk Cousins Still in Command in Contract Stalemate
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The Redskins changed a lot in their front office, but they can't alter the leverage Cousins still has in his standoff over a new contract. July 15 is decision day for this team and its quarterback: it's either a new longterm deal or a second season playing under a franchise tag for a Pro Bowl passer sure to generate a ton of interest in 2018 NFL free agency.
Cousins must know he holds all the cards in an era where there is a dearth of talent at football's most important position, at least among the younger ranks. If Cousins knows he has strong hand, so must the man who will continue to negotiate on behalf of the Redskins, Eric Schaffer, who was recently promoted to vice president of football operations, per Nora Princiotti of the Washington Times.
There are those who believe Schaffer's promotion is a sign things will get better in Washington's front office. Among them, ESPN's Louis Riddick thinks Schaffer has the potential to eventually be a GM. It's a thought shared by former Redskins general manager Charley Casserly.
Yet all the perceived talent in the world can't alter the dynamics of Cousins' contract stalemate. It's a situation seemingly destined to serve up the depressing cocktail of drama and dysfunction so often fatal for the Redskins during the last two decades.
ESPN's Dan Graziano spelled out why Cousins may reject any proposals put to him before July 15: "If Cousins does not sign, the soon-to-be 29-year-old will have made a total of $43.8966 million in fully guaranteed money over the fifth and sixth years of his NFL career. As one agent I interviewed for this story pointed out, that's pretty sweet for a fourth-round pick whose team's draft-day hope was that he would never have to play for them."
Of course, such a scenario would leave the most important position on the team floundering in massive uncertainty, hardly the healthiest situation for a franchise with playoff aspirations.
Yet keeping Cousins in the fold will likely mean paying the kind of exorbitant contract given to quarterbacks such as Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts. He got $40 million guaranteed, per Graziano, almost committing the Redskins to a similar level of investment to keep their signal-caller around.
Paying out a hefty amount of guaranteed dough would put a major dent in future salary caps. Yet can the Redskins truly risk capping a price on keeping a capable quarterback for the long haul?
The latest buzz in Washington shows a team working steadily to be strong enough to ensure a third-straight winning season and a return to the playoffs. However, a lot still depends on solving the Cousins dilemma.
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