The topics of the week involve defensive battles at linebacker and safety and another one that will be discussed for a while -- can Josh Doctson beat out Pierre Garcon? Thanks to @burgundyblood4, @crford86, @mrdavidb21 and @theoxtails.
On the inside linebacker roster battles: Yes, the inside linebacker spot will be a crowded one, and I’m not really sure how it’s going to go just yet. My early sense would be that Will Compton and Perry Riley Jr. will start, with Mason Foster as the primary backup. They really liked how Riley played next to Compton before getting hurt; he’s also being paid like a starter compared to Foster, who is paid like a backup. They won’t go by money, but it definitely gives you a sense of their thoughts on the situation. I would try to keep all three – if Riley doesn’t start then his $5 million salary must be dealt with. But if you cut him, you lose excellent depth as the players behind them are not ready to start.
Terence Garvin was signed to help special teams, but he received only a $75,000 bonus (translation: easy to cut). Martrell Spaight missed last season with a concussion, and Steven Daniels is a rookie. Both likely would be easy to place on the practice squad if necessary. And Adam Hayward has suffered season-ending ACL tears each of the last two years and is 31. It’s always wiser to have younger, cheaper backups. This also depends how many outside linebackers they keep; they’ll likely retain a combined nine linebackers. This also depends on how they count Su'a Cravens when compiling the 53-man roster. If he’s strictly a linebacker, then he’d be the fourth guy here because he’ll play quite a bit.
On the safety position: There’s still a chance they could re-sign Dashon Goldson, but he’s clearly looking for a place where he can start. Doesn’t seem like that would happen in Washington. But beyond that, there’s not exactly great players still sitting on the open market to sign. If you want more safety help, you have to hope that there’s a release (a la Junior Galette last summer). I think David Bruton will end up starting at one safety position – people who saw both him and Duke Ihenacho in Denver say Bruton was clearly better. They also really like how DeAngelo Hall progressed at safety during the season. I don’t view Cravens as a legit full-time safety, but that’s OK because he’ll help quite a bit in the role they have planned. I want to see how Will Blackmon plays there, too. There’s a lot of faith involved here – how much do you have in all these things working out? It helps that the top players are smart. But will all this be enough? Or will they regret not finding an answer in the draft? But, really, what will help the most is strong corner play and a terrific pass rush. Carolina’s safeties last year weren’t anything special, but the parts around them were.
On Josh Doctson bumping Pierre Garcon from the lineup: I like the Doctson pick and have heard a lot of good things about him and what he might do; I also believe it will take him a little time to become a starting receiver. So I have a hard time believing Doctson would beat out Garcon. I must be missing why so many fans want to cast Garcon aside. He does a lot of things they need: I want him with the ball in certain situations knowing how he’ll fight. And his blocking remains excellent. Because of how he plays, it enables the Redskins to live with the fact DeSean Jackson isn’t a good blocker and doesn’t have a similar mindset. His one dimension then can flourish. Doctson will earn whatever time he gets behind these players. What I’m curious to see is how often they’d line up with all three on the field plus Jordan Reed. I know they like Jamison Crowder, but Jackson or Garcon can run routes from the slot, too, on occasion.
