Brandon Scherff

NFL preview magazines optimistic on Washington’s chances in 2021

The Washington Football Team is on an upward trajectory, according to the nation’s top NFL preview periodicals.

For the Washington Football Team, 2020 was a year unlike any other in franchise history. The team tried to shake off an embarrassing 3-13 campaign in 2019 by hiring head coach Ron Rivera last January. A couple months later the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States. Over last summer, the organization retired its Redskins nickname and faced a slew of sexual harassment allegations while owner Daniel Snyder was embroiled in a legal battle with his ownership partners. Not long after, Rivera was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. All that and the team hadn’t even played a down of football yet.

A 2-7 start eventually led to a 7-9 campaign and a surprising division title in the lowly NFC East with Washington ultimately falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedEx Field in the Wild Card round.

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Redskins will have rough 2020 season but potential is there, NFL preview magazines say

Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins is hoping to make a good impression with his new coaching staff as he enters his second season. Photo by Brian Murphy.

After a toxic 2019 season that saw a fan revolt unlike any in recent memory, the Washington Redskins underwent a culture change by firing team president Bruce Allen and hiring former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera.

Rivera brought over a lot of his Carolina staff to instill that culture. That also includes former players like linebacker Thomas Davis Sr. and quarterback Kyle Allen.

Second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins showed progress at the end of what started out as a rough rookie campaign. This will be an important season to impress the new coaching staff and show off his true potential.

The Redskins rid themselves of several big names like star left tackle Trent Williams, who held out all of 2019 and was traded to the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers and old friend Kyle Shanahan. The team also traded cornerback Quinton Dunbar to the Seattle Seahawks and released cornerback Josh Norman and tight end Jordan Reed. Norman signed with the Buffalo Bills while Reed is still a free agent after missing the 2019 season following a concussion suffered in the preseason. Reed’s release and Vernon Davis’s retirement left the team’s tight end room bereft of talent.

Washington showed interest in tight end Austin Hooper but didn’t compete with the Cleveland Browns’s four-year, $44 million deal. The team also swung and missed on wide receiver Amari Cooper after reportedly offering more money than the Dallas Cowboys, where the star wideout ultimately re-signed for $100 million over five years.

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Despite offseason moves, Redskins expected to finish 2019 in NFC East basement, according to NFL preview magazines

After selecting Dwayne Haskins at No. 15 overall, the Redskins hope the rookie is the quarterback of the future. Photo by Brian Murphy.

Based on the moves they made this offseason, the Washington Redskins should, at worst, be expected to finish around 7-9 in 2019. A 9-7 finish while fighting for a playoff spot may be viewed as their best-case scenario. The team addressed several needs since free agency began in March but only time will tell if they can make their way out of the .500 quagmire they’ve been stuck in the last four seasons.

The two biggest factors will be health, which has been the team’s downfall the last two seasons, and quarterback play. With Alex Smith unlikely to play in 2019 (and maybe ever again) due to a broken leg suffered last season and Colt McCoy still recovering from a less severe broken leg suffered just weeks later, the Redskins addressed the most important position on the roster with a trade for veteran Case Keenum and the selection of Dwayne Haskins with the 15th pick in the draft.

Assuming star left tackle Trent Williams ends his holdout and returns at some point during training camp, the biggest questions heading into 2019 are: Who will start at quarterback and will the competition between Keenum and Haskins be decided legitimately? Four of the first five games are against playoff opponents, including the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Will Keenum be the starter so he can navigate the team through those early turbulent waters only to hand over the reigns to Haskins so he can sail calmer seas during his rookie voyage? Will Haskins be named the starter right away in order to put some more butts in the notoriously vacant FedEx Field seats? Or will Haskins be named the starter for Week 1 because he’s legitimately ready to play, early tests be damned?

Those questions will be answered in a couple months. But what fans can evaluate to this point is the team addressed pressing needs this offseason, such as safety (Landon Collins) and edge rusher (Montez Sweat). Even though they signed Ereck Flowers and drafted Wes Martin and Ross Pierschbacher, the left guard spot still appears unsettled. The team took a hit when inside linebacker Reuben Foster tore his ACL and LCL in May OTAs. The 2017 first-round pick was claimed by the Redskins last season amidst controversy and will miss the 2019 season. For the Redskins, that means another hole in the roster has opened up.

Despite an offseason that appears it will keep the Redskins afloat and at least semi-relevant in 2019, analysis from the top NFL preview magazines proves lots of doubt remains about this team. So much so, that Lindy’s, Athlon and Street & Smith’s all peg the Redskins for a last-place finish in the NFC East.

Keep reading to find out what else these reputable periodicals had to say about the 2019 iteration of the burgundy and gold.

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Redskins 2018 training camp photos: Days 1 + 2

The Redskins opened up their sixth training camp at Richmond’s Bon Secours Training Center on Thursday with tempered crowds and quiet confidence.

A disappointing 2017 plagued by injuries led to a 7-9 record and marked the fourth time in five seasons the team missed the playoffs. The team rebounded with a solid performance in free agency and the draft. Now that camp has started, the time has come to show whether those moves will pay off or not.

Washington begins its preseason schedule against the New England Patriots on Thursday, August 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Enjoy my photos from the first two days of the Redskins’ 2018 training camp. (more…)

Expectations low for 2018 Redskins, according to NFL preview magazines

New quarterback Alex Smith hopes to point the Redskins to their first playoff appearance since the 2015 season. Photo by Brian Murphy.

The Washington Redskins faced an unprecedented situation when their twice-franchised quarterback Kirk Cousins was slated to hit the open market in March. Instead of ponying up to keep the three-time 4,000-yard passer in the stable, the team opted to give up rising cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick in April’s draft to the Kansas City Chiefs for quarterback Alex Smith.

Now the pressure is on Smith to keep the Redskins afloat. After missing the playoffs the last two seasons, Smith is charged with bringing the team back to relevancy. New running back Derrius Guice (a steal as the No. 59 pick in the draft) will certainly relieve some of the pressure Smith faces this season.

In one of their best drafts in decades, the Redskins continued to address defensive line in a big way, taking Alabama defensive tackle Daron Payne 13th overall along with Virginia Tech defensive tackle Tim Settle in the fifth round.

After losing four of their top five picks from the 2014 draft to free agency this spring, it’s unclear how quickly their replacements will step up. Based on how the rest of the division adjusted their rosters this offseason, it appears the Redskins haven’t done enough to compete for a playoff spot, at least according to the top NFL preview magazines. Take a look at how they view the Redskins going into the 2018 season. (more…)

NFL preview magazines predict down season for 2017 Redskins

Jordan Reed (and his health) will be key to how the Redskins perform in 2017. Photo by Brian Murphy.

Firing popular general manager Scot McCloughan on the first day of free agency seemed to add to the discontent the fan base developed toward the Washington Redskins after a disappointing late-season collapse in 2016. However, the team gradually salvaged a disastrous start to their offseason with respectable free agency and draft hauls. The team signed big-bodied receivers Terrelle Pryor while addressing each level of their defense, highlighted by their first-round selection, defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, falling to them at pick No. 17 and the signings of linebacker Zach Brown and safety D.J. Swearinger.

The Redskins missed the playoffs by one game in 2016 and the road to the postseason in 2017 hasn’t gotten any easier based on the improvement of their NFC East counterparts.

Let’s take a look at what the top NFL preview magazines expect from the Redskins this season. (more…)

Redskins Training Camp Photo Gallery – Day 3 PM Practice

On the third day of training camp, the Washington Redskins took part in their first fully-padded practice, with some new drills that weren’t on display the first two days.

Offensive tackle Trent Williams blocks linebacker Ryan Kerrigan. Photo by Jake Russell.

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NFL preview magazines break down the 2015 Redskins

This breakdown was a hit with readers last year so I’ll continue it again this year.

The Washington Redskins are attempting to start fresh under new general manager Scot McCloughan, who has brought a different attitude and scouting perspective after stints with successful franchises like the Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.

The team isn’t expected to improve on it’s record from the last two seasons (3-13 in 2013 and 4-12 in 2014) much, if at all, but under McCloughan’s guidance, the quality of the roster appears to be on the upswing.

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Highlight videos of all 10 Redskins 2015 draft picks

The Washington Redskins experienced their first draft under new general manager Scot McCloughan and came away with 10 picks. It’s the fourth time of the 10 drafts McCloughan has been directly involved in with the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Redskins in which the team left with at least 10 picks.

Take a look at the newest members of the burgundy and gold at their finest collegiate levels.

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Brandon Scherff: What to expect

The Washington Redskins needed a change in attitude along the offensive line and they got that in the form of former Iowa Hawkeye road grader Brandon Scherff at fifth overall.

Scherff is the fifth offensive lineman selected in the first round in team history. Sixth if you count TCU’s I.B. Hale, a tackle drafted eighth overall in the 1939 NFL Draft.

The others tackles taken? Mark May (1981 – 20th overall), Andre Johnson (1996 – 30th overall), Chris Samuels (2000 – 3rd overall) and Trent Williams (2010 – 4th overall).

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