There's a chance the Washington Redskins will keep 26 players on defense, two more than on offense, because of some crowded positions -- namely up front and in the backfield. Here are the decisions they face on defense, based in part on conversations over the past couple weeks:
Line: Will they keep six or seven? Again, earlier in camp it appeared seven was the magic number. Now it could be six. A lot depends on if they keep five safeties, one more than usual. The problem is, the Redskins mostly view this group as rather equal -- some do one thing better; others do something else better. That makes it difficult. Chris Baker, Ziggy Hood and Kedric Golston are safe. But the rest are up in the air, though Cullen Jenkins looked sharp in his outing Wednesday. I have a hard time believing they would cut Ricky Jean Francois; he’s a leader who fills a role. They just signed veteran Cullen Jenkins, who played well in limited time Wednesday against Tampa Bay. Kendall Reyes worked most of camp as the starter, but recently lost that spot. He hasn’t made much of a dent. There's also veteran nose tackle Jerrell Powe, who has played in 28 NFL games. Powe missed two weeks of practice after having surgery for heart arrhythmia.
That leaves the young players: fifth-round pick Matt Ioannidis, undrafted Anthony Lanier, and Corey Crawford. The Redskins often use general manager Scot McCloughan’s favorite description -- he’s a football player -- when discussing Ioannidis. That means: Tough, hard-working, physical, etc... But Ioannidis is learning a new spot (nose tackle) that few projected him to play out of college. He’s not ready to be part of the rotation. Lanier showed flashes, but enough to warrant a spot? He has a lot to learn as well. One or both of the young players could head to the practice squad. The Redskins need youth up front; this is one area they haven’t done a good enough job rebuilding.
Linebacker: The Redskins will keep nine linebackers, and there doesn’t appear to be many decisions to make. On the outside, Ryan Kerrigan, Preston Smith and Trent Murphy are safe, and Houston Bates should be as well. Inside, it’s Will Compton, Mason Foster, Martrell Spaight, Su'a Cravens and, presumably, Terence Garvin. The coaches have praised his play and he’s a special-teams stalwart. Carlos Fields could be a factor; on the outside, there are some intriguing players -- Lynden Trail -- but he’s a stronger practice-squad candidate.
Safety: This is another interesting area to watch. For the longest time it appeared only four would make the team -- DeAngelo Hall, David Bruton Jr., Duke Ihenacho and Will Blackmon. But Deshazor Everett has played his way into the competition. However, he’s viewed as a special-teams contributor (and they’re not keeping five safeties active on game days). So it comes down to this: Do you keep a safety who excels on special teams (and provides energy) or a young defensive linemen who could be part of the rotation at some point (though this year could be iffy)? It can be harder to find big guys to develop. But it’s a question of how much they like the young guys they have up front.
Cornerback: From early in camp, I’ve consistently heard that they will keep six. That would be Josh Norman, Bashaud Breeland, Dashaun Phillips, Kendall Fuller, Greg Toler and Quinton Dunbar. This is viewed as a premium position. You don’t cut from a position of strength and importance to, say, keep an extra safety. If they keep five safeties, then they need to keep 11 defensive backs.
