Tyler Polumbus

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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Redskins draft OL Brandon Scherff with fifth overall pick

By Jake Russell

The Washington Redskins selected Iowa guard Brandon Scherff with the fifth overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night.

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Redskins 2015 free agents: Keep ’em or let ’em go?

By Jake Russell

The Redskins are expected to have 16 players with free agent designations when the new league year begins on March 10. The open negotiation period between free agents and other teams opens on Saturday but deals can’t be signed until Tuesday at 4 p.m. The team will need to make several big decisions.

Assuming restricted free agents Kai Forbath, Trenton Robinson and Justin Rogers, and exclusive rights free agents Chris Thompson and Rishaw Johnson all return, the team will be left with 11 unrestricted free agents, meaning they are free to sign anywhere after March 10.

Safety Ryan Clark was set to become an unrestricted free agent after signing a one-year deal last year. The 13-year veteran instead opted to retire after a lackluster 2014 season.

The team re-signed tackle Tom Compton on February 27, who was slated to become a restricted free agent. Compton played in all 16 games in 2014 and started the final nine games in place of soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Tyler Polumbus.

Exclusive rights free agent safety Duke Ihenacho was re-signed on March 4. As an ERFA, the fourth-year veteran would have had to either re-sign with the team or retire.

Below is a list of the team’s 11 unrestricted free agents.

Keep ’em:

OLB Brian Orakpo

Photo by Brian Murphy.

Photo by Brian Murphy.

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Redskins Pros and Cons: Week 7

By Jake Russell

A changing of the guard occurred during the Washington Redskins’ 19-17 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday when third string quarterback Colt McCoy took over for Kirk Cousins after halftime.

Cousins isn’t progressing the way the team would like and head coach Jay Gruden announced on Monday that McCoy will be the team’s starter heading into next Monday night’s showdown against the 6-1 Dallas Cowboys unless Robert Griffin III is 100 percent healthy and ready to go.

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The top five Redskins training camp battles

By Jake Russell

The Redskins are set at most positions and bolstered several spots such as wide receiver, reserve inside linebacker, and special teams coverage in the offseason. But like every other team in the NFL, not every position is set, leaving battles looming as training camp arrives.

Here are my top five battles to watch during training camp and the team’s four preseason games over the next month and a half.

1. Right tackle
Tyler Polumbus/Morgan Moses/Tom Compton
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The top 10 Redskins to watch during training camp and the preseason

By Jake Russell

1. Robert Griffin III

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It’s no secret that the Redskins go as Robert Griffin III goes. A season after winning Offensive Rookie of the Year during a rookie campaign that ended with a torn ACL and LCL, Griffin returned to the field in a miraculous amount of time. After his devastating injury in the 2013 Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks on January 6, he started the team’s 2013 season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 9. However, hampered by a knee brace all season, Griffin struggled and was benched by head coach Mike Shanahan for the final three games of what turned out to be a 3-13 season. (more…)