RICHMOND, Virginia -- When discussing the latest injury to Washington Redskins linebacker Junior Galette, the word coach Jay Gruden used was "devastating." With two Achilles tears in two seasons, it’s not hard to understand why. But the word he used for the rest of the Washington Redskins? "Rebound."
Minus Galette, who tore his right Achilles tendon during football drills Sunday, the Redskins have no choice but to find another pass rusher. For now, that search will stay in-house. One source already has said they’re not interested in Dwight Freeney or Greg Hardy and that other players, such as Mike Neal and O’Brien Schofield, are not on their radar at this time, either.
“We’re upset obviously, more so for him as an individual,” Gruden said of Galette. “Just watching him work and get ready from the previous injury and how hard he was training and his attitude he came into the building with and the excitement he was going to bring to this team only to see it cut short with another Achilles. Devastating is a good word for him, but for this team injuries are part of the game and we have to rebound.”
This isn’t just about the pass rush, either. The Redskins need a legitimate backup who also can play standing up, drop into coverage and set the edge vs. the run just in case something happens to one of the starters.
“We are going to look at our young guys in the building that we’re excited about,” Gruden said. “We still have some good pass rushers sitting here and they’ve got to produce.”
Here are three young in-house options to back up Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith:
Willie Jefferson: He’s entering his second season with six games of NFL experience, all coming in 2013 with Houston. Jefferson is intriguing because he’s a good athlete -- he was a standout in basketball who also played receiver and tight end in college (first at Baylor) before switching to defense at Stephen F. Austin. But Jefferson is listed at 246 pounds, which is 10-15 pounds lighter for an outside linebacker in a 3-4. However, he’s also 6-foot-5 so length can help him. But he remains inexperienced.
Houston Bates: He appeared in 10 games with Washington last season, mostly as a special-teamer. But he showed some pass-rush skills early in the preseason last summer against backups with three sacks in the preseason. At that time, he wasn’t good enough to compete against starters, but considering he was an undrafted free agent that isn’t a knock or a surprise. Bates isn’t as long as Jefferson (6-foot-3), but weighs 252 pounds. He’s a little bit of a tweener.
Lynden Trail: He worked some at tight end during the week of the 2015 Senior Bowl, but the Redskins will try to develop him at linebacker. It’s hard to imagine he could go from being a raw pass rusher at Norfolk State (he first went to Florida, but wasn’t playing and transferred) to a guy who could help the Redskins immediately. But he is an intriguing prospect because of his size (6-foot-7, 268 pounds) and athleticism. Houston released him last summer in the final cutdown to 53. Here's a story that will give you a much better feel for him.
