Unser Chat » Grading the Redskins Roster by Position Group

: Offense The Redskins cut their roster down to the league mandated 53 players on Saturday afternoon. There were a few surprises Cole Holcomb Washington Redskins Jersey , but the main-stays were a virtual certainty. There still could be some movement in the next few days, but those moves may be more for depth than anything.Below is a look at the Redskins 2018 offense, and their respective positional grades based on both starters and reserves.Quarterback:Starter - Alex SmithReserve - Colt McCoyMany in the organization believe Smith is a better fit to run Jay’s offense that his predecessor. I’d like to see at least 4-6 games before making a definitive judgement, but on the outside, I do tend to agree for a few reasons. First, Alex doesn’t turn the ball over. Jay can’t stand turnovers. Second, Smith is like a coach on the field. He can get the team into the best play at the line of scrimmage given what the defense is showing. And finally, he’s very athletic and has great awareness both in the pocket and when on the move. Behind Smith, the Redskins have a very competent, capable back-up in Colt McCoy. Should Alex miss some snaps during the season, the offense is in very good hands with Colt under center. Grade:B+Running Back:Starter(s) - Adrian Peterson, Chris ThompsonReserves - Samaje Perine, Rob Kelley, Byron Marshall (possibly will go on IR)A healthy, rested Adrian Peterson, who is literally a physical freak of nature, could give this offense a jump-start. He hasn’t had a heavy work-load in a few seasons, and he didn’t have to go through the grind of a normal NFL training camp. He’s 33 years old, but has the body of a 23 year old. If he can give the Redskins 250 carries, he should break 1000 rushing yards and be a force in the redzone. Both Perine and Kelley are capable of spelling Peterson on first and second down. Chris Thompson is one of the best third down backs in the NFL. If Healthy, he will be a great weapon for Alex Smith in the passing game. Grade:BWide Receiver:Starters - Jamison Crowder, Josh Doctson, Paul RichardsonReserves - Maurice Harris, Trey Quinn Cole Holcomb Washington Redskins Jersey , Cam SimsJamison Crowder has been very consistent and productive since joining the team as a fourth round pick in 2015. He could have a monster season out of the slot with Smith under center. Outside of Crowder, there are some question marks at wide receiver. Josh Doctson has not lived up to his first round draft status, and there are many who doubt he ever will. Paul Richardson, who signed a big free agent deal this spring, had dealt with injuries throughout his first four years in the league. He’s a weapon when healthy, but health will still remain a big question mark.The reserves certainly offer some tantalizing upside. Harris can play all three wide receiver positions, and has great hands to go along with solid route-running ability. Trey Quinn will be the primary backup to Crowder in the slot, and can also help on special teams. Cam Sims is a physical freak who has an amazingly high ceiling. Grade:CTight End:Starter - Jordan ReedReserves - Vernon Davis, Jeremy SprinkleThere are some huge question marks surrounding this position group. The majority of those questions are on Jordan Reed’s health. The oft-injured starter has played in just 18 games over the last two seasons and found the end zone eight times. He’s never played a full 16 game season, and I don’t expect that to change this year. Vernon Davis has defied the odds as he’s gotten older, but remember this; Father Time is undefeated. The 34 year old does have some past history and familiarity with Alex Smith, but will that be enough to make him a big threat in the offense if/when Reed misses games? Jeremy Sprinkle in a big, physical target, but may only be used in two-tight end sets when a run is fairly obvious. Neither of the three are what you’d consider good blockers, although Sprinkle is capable with room to improve. Grade:COffensive Line:Starters - Trent Williams, Morgan Moses, Brandon Scherff, Shawn Lauvao, Chase RoullierReserves - Ty Nsekhe, Geron Christian, Tony Bergstrom, Casey DunnThe starters are solid, and if they stay healthy, have the ability to be a top 10 unit. Reports are Trent Williams has not lost a step following off-season knee surgery Cole Holcomb Jersey 2019 , and his partner to the right, Shawn Lauvao, hasn’t felt this good in years. Morgan Moses, who is coming off ankle surgery, was just named the Redskins Offensive Player of the Year for 2017, and the warrior will be entrenched as a bookend opposite Williams. Brandon Scherff is one of the best offensive guards in the NFL, and an extension could be in the future for the Pro Bowler. Second year center Chase Roullier has looked very good in limited preseason action, and it stands to reason that he will make a major jump this season. The reserves are a bit shaky. Ty Nsekhe has lost a step, and this may be his last season in Burgundy and Gold. The Skins drafted Geron Christian in the third round to be his eventual replacement, but the preseason showed us he’s not ready yet. It’s a pretty safe bet that he’ll be a game-day inactive. Tony Bergstrom will be the team’s back-up center, and undrafted rookie Casey Dunn, in somewhat of a surprise, will serve as the Skins back-up guard. Grade:B+ ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The Washington Redskins have lost four in a row, are down to their fourth quarterback and are mired in criticism from several players.A once-promising season has gone off the rails thanks to injuries on the offense and blown assignments and missed tackles on defense. The finger-pointing is well underway on a team that has fallen to 6-7 and there is plenty of blame to go around.Defensive backs Josh Norman and D.J. Swearinger were outspoken after the latest loss, linebacker Mason Foster vented his frustration in a private social media message that came to light and it’s becoming clear there’s a disconnect between players and coaches. While the 2017 season could be written off for injuries, everyone from team President Bruce Allen to coach Jay Gruden and defensive coordinator Greg Manusky could be in danger of losing his job.“If anyone’s going to have to take the fall, it’s going to have to be all of us — everyone in this building,” tight end Vernon Davis said Wednesday. “Everyone is just going to have to take accountability for it.”Gruden said his “job is in jeopardy every week,” so his focus is getting the team ready to face Jacksonville on Sunday. He and some players were quick to point out Washington is only a half-game out of a playoff spot, so the season is far from over.That itself is remarkable.The Redskins’ defense that ranked first in the NFL early in the season is now 20th, Alex Smith and Colt McCoy each suffered broken right legs and quarterback Josh Johnson is making his first start since 2011. Injuries have again played a role in this freefall, which points to personnel decisions made Allen, Gruden Cheap Cole Holcomb Jersey , senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams and the rest of the front office.And even though he got an extension through 2020, Gruden is the eighth coach to work under owner Dan Snyder and is on the hot seat after just one playoff appearance in his first four seasons.“Sometimes it’s hard not to think about it because of course you’re going to get asked about it,” said running back Chris Thompson, who expressed his support for Gruden and the rest of the coaching staff. “I really don’t want to think about that too much. We got three more games to go and at this point anything could happen and then the decisions that are made upstairs, we can’t really control that stuff.”The Redskins can control their practice habits, an area Swearinger has been critical of the past two seasons. He has raised questions about the team’s lack of preparation, a problem that has bubbled up and caused inconsistency.“I can’t tell you what needs to be changed. I ain’t the coach,” Swearinger said after a 40-16 loss to the Giants on Sunday. “We ain’t executing. We ain’t getting the job done. That’s the answer they want me to give.”Norman said he wasn’t going to blame the injury-ravaged offense or make excuses for the four-game skid. And it’s impossible to pinpoint one source of all the losing.“There’s a lot of things when you’re talking about losing a football game,” Gruden said. “If we had it narrowed down to one thing, we’d fix it and be OK. Sometimes it’s defense, sometimes it’s offense, sometimes it’s special teams, sometimes it’s coaching. It’s a combination. So it’s a matter of all of us having to step up in some key players’ absences and playing better and we haven’t done that.”Foster cursing the team and its fan base in a private message on Instagram was just the latest development in a quickly unraveling season. Gruden and Foster’s teammates brushed it off, citing the veteran’s contributions on the field.The bigger problem is the defense as a whole isn’t getting the job done.“I know for me personally the wear and tear and the grind of the season, mentally you start to just lose a little bit of focus and it’s natural,” defensive lineman Jonathan Allen said. “It’s a long season, so naturally you’re going to fall off in certain areas, and that’s the goal to not fall off.”Beating the Jaguars and getting help around the league could put the Redskins in position to still challenge for a playoff spot. In the midst of all the frustration, veteran running back Adrian Peterson wants everyone to realize the season isn’t over.“We’re only half a game out,” Peterson said. “When they show the playoff picture on ESPN, we’re there.”NOTES: TE Jordan Reed (right foot/ankle), WR Josh Doctson (concussion protocol) and DL Matt Ioannidis (shin) were among the players who didn’t practice Wednesday. … Gruden shortened practice to under 90 minutes amid his team’s injuries.