Washington Redskins vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Doug Worthington Needs to Shine

Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Doug Worthington has the opportunity to ease any concerns about the Washington Redskins' defensive line rotation heading into the new season.

Defensive line depth has become a hot topic for the Redskins following the season-ending injury suffered by Jarvis Jenkins.

Worthington's acquisition was unheralded, but the 2010 seventh-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers is now under extra scrutiny as the most likely replacement for Jenkins.

At 6'5" and 292 pounds, Worthington has good size and range for the 2-gap responsibilities of the Redskins' 3-4 scheme.

But the question is, can the player who ended last season on the practice squad of tomorrow night's opponent step up and give the Redskins a quality option along the line?

Worthington has battled hard so far in limited preseason action and has certainly been able to hold his own at the point of attack, but he has yet to offer impact plays for the defense.  Worthington must use the game against the Buccaneers to show that he can be a force against the run and move the pocket.

Adam Carriker will enter the season as the recognized starter, but given his injuries and inconsistency over the years, the Redskins will need to be able to rely on Worthington.

Worthington faces a tough task to prove himself, but he has the physical characteristics of a 3-4 defensive end and could become productive in Jim Haslett's system.

Haslett has recently spoken about how happy he is with the depth of his unit.  These comments would seem to rule out the Redskins finding a replacement for Jenkins via free agency.

So Worthington will be given every chance to prove he can be a useful addition to the Redskins defensive ranks. 

His audition begins in earnest tomorrow night.