The Washington Redskins' defense made one major addition and a handful of minor ones. They signed corner Josh Norman, giving them an elite player at a premium position, and they added safety David Bruton. They're hoping that DeAngelo Hall's first full camp at safety will prove beneficial. And they hope that improved play by second-year linebacker Preston Smith or lineman Stephen Paea will help as well. But how much? That's the difficult question to answer.
Defense/special teams
ESPN fantasy projection: 32 sacks, 14.1 interceptions, 3.5 touchdowns
Over or under: Under. The Redskins added Norman, who was a playmaker last season with Carolina, playing in front of an excellent front seven. Norman is still a very good corner and Bashaud Breeland, on the other side, has had his best camp -- with an interception in practice every other day. Safety DeAngelo Hall’s speed deep will help as will the secondary’s smarts. Heck, the overall defense has a high football IQ. They will be a gritty, tough bunch – or should be. But will they be a defense capable of causing lots of turnovers and sacks? Losing Junior Galette right before camp hurts their pass rush, but they remain capable of matching last year’s total of 38. They essentially have the same group and, their hope is that Preston Smith’s improvements at linebacker will help. They also can blitz more and use players such as linebacker Su’a Cravens as an outside rusher on occasion – or send him through the middle. His quickness and instincts will help. The Redskins play nine games against offenses ranked in the top 15 for yards per game last season – and another two vs. Dallas with a healthy Tony Romo and new running back Ezekiel Elliott. Meanwhile, the Redskins’ special teams returned two kicks for touchdowns and place-kicker Dustin Hopkins made 25-of-28 kicks in his first season – and was consistent in camp. The Redskins’ defense can improve and it has plenty of intangibles to like, but there are too many questions in which answers won’t be revealed until after the season begins.
