What to Watch for in Washington Redskins' Preseason Week 1 Matchup

Defensive line combinations, backup wide receivers and pass-rush potential are among the main things to watch for when the Washington Redskins get their 2017 preseason underway against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday.

The Redskins will face the Ravens without several key starters at wide receiver. Ironically, those absences will provide a good early test of quarterback Kirk Cousins' ability to still thrive despite the changes among his primary pass-catchers.

Speaking of changes, it's all different along the defensive line. The first week of preseason will give fans a first glimpse of Washington's plans along the front, specifically which players could be counted on as starters.

Preseason is always a time for key position battles to play out, and the Redskins have a battle brewing at nose tackle. Facing the Ravens will provide a good audition for those looking to dominate over center, including Joey Mbu and Phil Taylor.

Read on for a closer look at the main things to watch during Washington's preseason debut.

Junior Galette's Progress

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Junior Galette has been solid during his first full training camp with the Redskins. Now the player Washington will count on to boost the pass rush has the chance to prove his worth in a semi-competitive environment.

Unfortunately, head coach Jay Gruden confirmed on Thursday Galette will miss out against the Ravens due to a minor hamstring problem, per CSNMidAtlantic's Rich Tandler.

Galette's setback is a bitter blow since the pass-rusher who has missed the last two seasons with Achilles injuries has proved he hasn't lost his core skills for creating pressure this offseason.

Galette was impressive during training camp at Bon Secours, per Michael Phillips of the Richmond Times-Dispatch: "With the 'it's just training camp' caveat, the early returns are positive on linebacker Junior Galette, who has been getting to the passer effectively. With Trent Murphy suspended for the first four games, and Preston Smith still somewhat of a mystery, Galette's production would be a welcome addition early in the season."

Phillips spelled out why the Redskins are counting on Galette so much. Trent Murphy's four-game suspension to start the season, along with Preston Smith's lack of progress, aren't the only reasons Galette's progress is important, though.

His performances bear watching this preseason because Washington's D' needs to boost its sack numbers in 2017. The Redskins took down opposing quarterbacks just 38 times last season.

It's a decent number, but too low for a unit playing a versatile 3-4 scheme based on moving pieces and an aggressive approach. The latter is something coordinator Greg Manusky will guarantee in the new season, but he will need rush ends like Galette to put the plan into action.

He may miss out on Thursday, but how the 29-year-old fares as this preseason unfolds will provide the first indicator of the quality of weapons Manusky has for his schemes.

Samaje Perine

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The Redskins took Samaje Perine off the board in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft to add a lift to a sagging running game. Facing the Ravens gives Perine a first chance to prove what type of boost he can provide as a rookie.

Specifically, the former Oklahoma workhorse should bring a hard-nosed running style and power between the tackles. At 5'11" and 235 pounds, Perine boasts the size to punish the interior of pro defenses, but he may find the Ravens' front a particularly tough nut to crack.

Baltimore's D' is loaded in the trenches. Mammoth nose tackle Brandon Williams is difficult to move, while Carl Davis, Brent Urban, Willie Henry and rookie Chris Wormley offer formidable depth.

If Perine can gain the tough yards against this heavy a front, he will offer the Redskins true encouragement a ground game ranked 21st a year ago will be better.

As for Perine himself, the first-year ball-carrier needs to seize his opportunities to impress. He is listed as third on the depth chart entering preseason, per Stephen Czarda of the team's official website (h/t CBS Sports).

The relatively low designation needn't sound the alarm bells for Perine, though. It's natural for Perine to be at No. 3 because head coach Jay Gruden likes Rob Kelley, while Chris Thompson's versatility guarantees he'll see the field a lot.

Even so, Gruden has still talked up Perine's potential, per Lake Lewis Jr. of USA Today's Redskins Wire: "You know, he comes in, he’s no nonsense, works hard, prepares well and is a very bright kid. Really doesn’t have any weaknesses in his game."

It's lofty praise, but an endorsement Perine must merit if the Redskins are going to be more of a force running the ball this season.   

Defensive Line Combinations

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Defensive line should be among the most exciting units on the team in 2017. After all, the Redskins spent the offseason investing free-agency dollars and high draft picks to fixing the front.

Terrell McClain came from the Dallas Cowboys, while Stacy McGee was acquired from the Oakland Raiders. They join Jonathan Allen, the 17th-overall pick in the draft.

This group has joined Ziggy Hood, Mbu, Taylor and Matt Ioannidis, giving new line coach Jim Tomsula a plethora of options.

Tomsula has plenty to choose from, but finding the right combination won't be easy. Settling on the correct mix has proved tricky for Tomsula and Manusky this offseason.

Tomsula himself recently talked about resisting a set rotation to utilize all the talent at his disposal, per Matthew Paras of the Washington Times.

It's fine in theory, but eventually the Redskins are going to need three starters they trust who complement one another. The first week of preseason will provide Manusky and his staff a chance to experiment with various combinations.

The most intriguing experiment will be how first-round choice Allen is used. He's versatile enough to play every technique along the line, flexibility Manusky must use creatively.

Allen likely won't play for long against the Ravens, but his limited action will offer hints of how effective this potential game-wrecker can be.

Competition at Nose Tackle

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No position up front is in a bigger state of flux than nose tackle. Unfortunately, it's the most important position on the Redskins' front seven, even if teams don't stay in their base defense too long in today's NFL.

Like all truly strong competitions, there are several viable candidates for the role. Among them, McGee, Mbu, Taylor and A.J. Francis can make the most of preseason by impressing coaches.

The most intriguing candidate of all is Taylor. A former first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2011, Taylor has the size and veteran experience to still become a highly competent 0-technique.

Unfortunately, the 29-year-old has also endured a lengthy and gruelling injury history. The 6'3", 343-pounder hasn't played since 2014 and only completed a full season once, during his rookie year, in his career.

Taylor is healthy again and has been proving his talent at training camp, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post: "As training camp has progressed, Phil Taylor has looked more like the guy that the Cleveland Browns drafted 21st overall in 2011, and not the hobbled player that Cleveland, Denver and other teams wrote off after surgery on his right knee in 2014 and a series of recurring injuries to the same knee in 2015 and 2016."

Jones also noted how Taylor has thrived doing the things expected of all effective nose tackles: "In the trenches, Taylor has emerged as a disruptive force by clogging run lanes and generating good pressure on the quarterback during one-on-one battles, or by taking on double-teams to free up teammates to make play."

Taylor is tipped by Jones to win the starting job. In all honesty, it would be great news for Manusky and Tomsula if he did.

Having Taylor line up over the ball would finally give Washington's base 3-4 defense the intimidating space-eater it needs to make the system work.

However, Taylor is no lock for the job just yet. Others are making strong cases to start, including Mbu.

The former undrafted free agent has already turned heads this offseason, per Lake Lewis Jr. of USA Today's Redskins Wire. Like Taylor, Mbu boasts the type of size often required at the position at 6'3" and 323 pounds.

McGee and Francis are fellow big bodies also in the mix, but based on the offseason showings, it's Mbu and Taylor who are at the forefront of the pecking order.

Taylor and Mbu can showcase their credentials to start at nose by impressing against the Ravens.

Kirk Cousins' Rapport with New Wide Receivers

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Playing under a franchise tag for a second-straight season isn't the only challenge facing Cousins in 2017. His primary obstacle will be overcoming the many changes at wide receiver this offseason.

The main difference will be no longer having DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon to throw to. The pair of 1,000-yard receivers left town during free agency, leaving the Redskins to rely on new and untested options at the position.

Washington's refreshed cast of pass-catchers includes former Cleveland Browns starter Terrelle Pryor Sr. and Josh Doctson, the Redskins first-round pick in 2016 who only played two games last season.

Add in Jamison Crowder, who has been a third receiver most of his first two years in the league, and Washington has a lot of imponderables at wideout.

Sadly for Cousins, he will be without Doctson and Crowder against the Ravens, per Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Their absences are compounded by dynamic move tight end Jordan Reed also missing out.

Not having every chance to put players such as Crowder and Doctson, who are being counted on to deliver more, through their paces is a blow for Cousins and the Redskins.

However, Washington's signal-caller will still get to work on his rapport with Pryor. The 6'4" 28-year-old has the height to expand what the Redskins can do to stretch the field and attack the red zone, per ESPN.com's John Keim.

Aside from Pryor, Cousins may get to throw some passes the way of Washington's fringe options at wide receiver. Ryan Grant should be a factor, while 6'3" Maurice Harris could also impress.

Cousins has always had a knack for spreading the ball around, so Washington's reserve wideouts should expect to be targeted in Baltimore. If one of them steps up, it will be a boost for a team still working out the final order in a rotation set to define the success of a pass-first offense.

Don't expect Cousins to last long in the Redskins' opening exhibition game. Yet who he aims for when he does drop back to pass will speak volumes about how he's going to go about dealing with life after Garcon and Jackson.

More Attacking Defense

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One of the benefits of Manusky succeeding Joe Barry as defensive coordinator should be a more attacking system based on generating pressure in creative ways.

Establishing a more aggressive approach has been a priority for Manusky at camp. It's involved encouraging his personnel to attack downhill more often.

This description from Nora Princiotti of the Washington Times shows how Manusky will go about creating more pressure: "Manusky stacked the line and ran a ton of stunts, especially with Will Compton and Zach Brown, and moved his outside linebackers around, even using Junior Galette and Ryan Anderson inside Compton and Brown on one snap."

One of the most interesting lines from Princiotti's report made it clear "disguising the blitzes was not a priority—those in the inside linebacking rotation could surely feel the breath of the offensive linemen where they were lining up—getting in the backfield as quickly as possible was."

Making a simple demand based on getting behind the line of scrimmage quicker is a sure way to set a tone for a more attack-minded defense.

Preseason will offer Mansuky even more opportunities to show at least some of the ways he will attack offenses in 2017. Yet this early, bolder approach can't just be part of paying lip service to the idea of attacking more often.

Being aggressive with both schemes and personnel is something the Redskins must carry over into the real action. With Allen, fellow rookie Anderson, McClain and Brown added to the fold, Manusky will have little excuse to not unleash his players more often this season.

Washington's preseason debut this year will offer a brief but intriguing indication of how much the changes on both sides of the ball this offseason will impact a team talented enough to be in the thick of the NFC playoff race once the season proper gets going.